THIS WEEK
Thursday, Sept. 21, UH Hilo at California Baptist (2-3), Lancer Soccer Field, Riverside, 1:30 p.m. PT
Saturday, Sept. 23, UH Hilo at Concordia (1-2-1), Eagles Field, Irvine, Calif., 1:30 p.m. PT
Tuesday, Sept. 26, UH Hilo at Azusa Pacific (0-3), Cougar Soccer Complex, Azusa, Calif., 5 p.m PT
(Link to Live Stats for all matches available at www.hiloathletics.com)

Hilo Headlines: The Vulcans hit the road for a tough three-match challenge to begin Pacific West Conference play. UH Hilo will take on the top three teams in the conference, according to the coaches pre-season poll in (1) Azusa Pacific, (2) California Baptist, and (3) Concordia. UH Hilo is coming off their first loss of the season, a 1-0 setback to Hawaii Pacific last Saturday (Sept. 16).

Bad News, Good News: The Vulcans took a 3-0 record into their 2017 home opener against the Sharks but saw their undefeated campaign come to an end when their island rivals slipped away with a 1-0 win. The bad news, of course, is that it was a loss. The good news, is that it was a non-conference clash. The two squads will play their PacWest match on Oct. 7 on Oahu. In the loss on Saturday, UH Hilo fired more shots (11-6) than the Sharks but HPU got the one score that mattered on a near own-goal. 

Stat Stuff: In four matches this season, the Vulcans have outscored their opponents, 9-3. They are third in the PacWest in goals per match (2.25) and goal differential (1.50). Junior forward Jaimie Salas leads the league in average points per game with 2.67 (four goals) and in goals per match (1.33). Defensively, senior goalkeeper Jenna Hufford is second in the conference in goals against average (0.571) and is third in saves percentage (.929). She has 18 saves in four matches and has given up just two goals.

Just Gene: "We had plenty of chances, and for the first time this season we didn't capitalize on them," said Vulcan head coach Gene Okamura. "Hawaii Pacific is a very good, athletic team and we need to take advantage of our opportunities when we get them. That's a good wake-up call for us because we won't be able to squander chances against these teams on this road trip and expect to win."

Good Mix: The 2017 Vulcan roster has six returning seniors and nine other players back that had playing experience last year. Additionally, a solid class of transfers and freshmen give the team depth that they haven't had in years past. 

Streaking: The Vulcans finished 5-7-4 in 2016, winning their final three matches of the season. Coupled with the early success of 2017, UH Hilo has won six of their last seven matches. The 3-1 start is second only to their 4-0-1 beginning in 2013.

Lancers, Eagles and Cougars, Oh My: On paper, you couldn't pick a tougher beginning to your conference schedule than opening on the road against the projected top three teams in the PacWest. The good news is, all three are struggling in early season play. Bad news? They are due to right the ship. First up is a match-up against California Baptist on Thursday in Riverside. The Lancers are 2-3 in non-conference matches, with wins over St. Martin's (5-0) and Cal Poly Pomona (2-1), and losses to Cal State San Bernardino (2-1), Cal State San Marcos (1-0) and Concordia (Ore.), 2-1 in overtime. Junior Miranda Martinez leads the Lancers in scoring with three goals and an assist, while Sara Escobedo mans the goal. Escobedo is CBU's all-time saves leader and was the PacWest Pre-Season Goalkeeper of the Year. Cal Baptist leads the all-time series between the two teams, 5-1, and the Lancers won last year's battle in Keaau, 1-0. 
Concordia, picked to finish third in the PacWest, is 1-2-1 on the season. They also lost to Cal State San Marcos (2-0), to pre-season CCAA favorite UC San Diego (3-0) and tied Cal State San Bernardino (0-0). They are coming off of their first victory of the season versus Cal State Dominguez Hills (3-1). The Eagles return pre-season All-PWC player McKenna Carrillo, who was a second-team All-PWC pick last year. The Eagles lead the all-time series versus the Vulcans 2-0-1, with the tie coming last year (1-1) in Keaau.
Azusa Pacific is the pre-season favorite, but is off to a surprising 0-3 start, all against CCAA teams (Cal State LA, Chico State and Sonoma State, all by one goal). The Cougars, who have qualified for the NCAA post-season the past two years, are led by 2016 PacWest Defender of the Year Hayley Patterson and Mallory Walton, a first-team all-conference selection, who also plays on the defensive side. APU has won all four matches in the series history, including a 4-0 verdict in Hawaii last year.

What's Next: The Vulcans will return home after the SoCal road trip, playing Academy of Art (Sept. 30) and Holy Names (Oct. 3). All home matches this season will be played at Paiea Stadium on the campus of Kamehameha School in Keaau.

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 8-8-4.