THIS WEEK
Saturday, Sept. 16, UH Hilo (3-0) vs. Hawai`i Pacific (3-1), Kamehameha School (Paiea Stadium) in Kea`au, 2 p.m.
(Link to Live Stats available at www.hiloathletics.com)

Hilo Headlines: The undefeated Vulcans (3-0) will play their first home match of the year, hosting rival Hawai`i Pacific at Paiea Stadium on Saturday afternoon (2 pm). This match against the Sharks, who are also off to a hot start (3-1) is a non-conference match-up, as the two will also play a Pacific West Conference encounter on October 7 in Waipahu.

Posters for the Keiki: All youth in attendance on Saturday will receive a soccer schedule poster to be signed by the Vulcan players after the match.

Red Hot and Rollin': UH Hilo's 3-0 start marks the first time since the program began in 2006 that the team has won three matches to kick-off the year. Their best start came in 2013 when they came out of the gates at 4-0-1.

Tough Crowd: The Vulcans' three wins came against solid competition. UHH opened with a 2-0 win over Pace (NY), who returned home and almost beat No. 16 Adelphi University, 2-1. They then rolled Chaminade (3-1), a squad that opened the year with a 3-0 win over Cal State Dominguez Hills. But easily their most impressive victory came against Concordia (Oregon) at a neutral site in Honolulu, 4-1 on Sept. 8. The Cavaliers, who have 20 consecutive winning seasons to their credit, hadn't had four goals scored against them since 2007. A longtime NAIA power (they won the national championship in 2013), they are in the transition to the NCAA Division II level and the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. They finished 10-4-3 last year, and are predicted to finish third this year in the soccer-solid GNAC.

Just Gene: "That is a very good team obviously," head coach Gene Okamura said after the match. "It's a very good win for us and we are off to a good start, but we have a long ways to go yet and much work to do."

Juice for Jaimie: UH Hilo junior forward Jaimie Salas scored three times in two matches last week, earning the accolade of Pacific West Conference Player of the Week. She scored 22 seconds into the match against Chaminade, and tallied the first and fourth goals in the upset over the Cavaliers. On the season, the Arizona State transfer has four goals in three matches, which puts her at the top of the PWC scoring chain with eight points (2.67 per match). 

Ebbers was Excellent: On almost any other week, the PWC honor might have gone to sophomore Bryana-Marie Ebbers. She also dropped in two goals against Concordia and she had an assist versus Chaminade. The Hilo native and Kamehameha School alum is fifth in the PacWest with five points, 1.67 per match.

How about Hufford?: Senior goalkeeper Jenna Hufford and her Vulcan defense was also stellar in the three wins. UH Hilo has outscored its opponents 9-2 thus far, and Hufford has given up just one score. She has a 0.40 goals against average and has 16 saves. She had nine of those against the Cavaliers. Hufford is UHH's all-time leader in saves with 248 and shutouts (9).

Shark Scoop: Hawai`i Pacific comes to Hilo playing good soccer at 3-1. Like the Vulcans, they also defeated Pace (2-1), and picked up home wins over Cal State Dominguez Hills (1-0) and Western Oregon (3-1). Their only blemish was to Concordia, 2-1. Leonicia Lopez has three goals in four matches, while Sara Romo has two scores and an assist to lead the offense. Goalkeeper Lauren Spencer has a 0.99 GAA and has 19 saves on the year. Hawaii Pacific leads the all-time series between the two teams, 10-7-5, and they won last year's match in Keaau, 2-1.

Looking Ahead: After Saturday's match, the Vulcans will hit the road for a critical and cruel road trip, playing three matches in six days in southern California. In that trio of matches, they will face the top three teams (pre-season poll) in the conference in California Baptist (Sept. 21), Concordia (Sept. 23) and Azusa Pacific (Sept. 26). Next home match for the Vulcans will be on Sept. 30 against Academy of Art.

The Coach: Gene Okamura enters into his second season as the leader of the men's and women's soccer programs at UH Hilo. The former Vulcan player and UH Hilo graduate served three seasons as an assistant prior to getting the director's job, and was also the head coach at Kamehameha School, where his team finished second in the HHSAA State Championships in 2015-16. The local product (Waiakea HS) is the Director of Coaching for Hawaii Big Rush and Haaheo Soccer Clubs. He now has a career record with the UH Hilo women's team of 8-7-4.