WOMEN'S SOCCER WEEKLY
UH Hilo Overall Record: 1-1-2                     UHH PacWest Record: 0-0-1

Vulcans Return Home for Two (Paiea Stadium, Kamehameha School, Keaau)
Tuesday, Sept. 25, 7 p.m.: vs. Azusa Pacific (1-4-1 overall / 1-0-1 PacWest)
Saturday, Sept. 29, 3 p.m.: vs. Chaminade (1-2-1 overall / 0-1-1 PacWest)
(Link to Live Stats for all matches available at www.hiloathletics.com)
 
Hilo Headlines: After beginning the season with four games on Oahu, the Vulcans return home this week for PacWest matches against Azusa Pacific (Tuesday) and Chaminade (Saturday). The Vulcans have had four tight matches to date, with a pair of ties (Eckerd, Chaminade), a 1-0 win (Hawaii Pacific) and a 1-0 loss (UC San Diego).

Lindsey's Life Celebrated: Prior to Tuesday's match with APU, the Vulcans will retire the #22 jersey of the late Lindsey Poulsen, former UH Hilo standout (2010-13) who passed away last summer after a long battle with ovarian cancer. The Poulsen family will be in attendance, and all fans wearing anything teal or pink will gain free admission.

Defensive Dominance: UH Hilo has given up just two goals in four matches, which includes 40 minutes of overtime in addition to regulation play. Junior goalkeeper Bailey Cahill has a 0.45 Goals Against Average and was honored today for her shutout work last weekend by being named the Pacific West Conference Defender of the Week.

Last Minute Deals: Both of the goals that the Vulcans have given up this year came as last-minute surprises. In the season opener against Eckerd (Fla.), the Tritons tied the match at 1-1 by scoring a goal with just 50 seconds remaining in regulation—sending the match to overtime and an eventual 1-1 tie. Against UC San Diego, the opponent scored with TWO seconds left in the first half which proved to be enough for a 1-0 win.

Tough Customers: The Vulcans' 1-0 loss to UC San Diego is a moral victory of sorts, considering that the Tritons are now 7-0-1 on the year and ranked No. 2 in the latest national poll. Eckerd is 4-2-1 and have outscored their opponents 17-6.

Conference or Non-Conference?: UH Hilo's match and victory against Hawai`i Pacific officially goes down as a non-conference match, as the Vulcans and Sharks will play their PacWest counter on Oct. 20 on the Big Island. The match and tie against Chaminade WAS a PacWest match. The two teams will play again this Saturday in a non-league tilt.

Scoring Soon?: While the Vulcan defense has been outstanding, head coach Gene Okamura would like to see the offense get cranked up. UHH has just two goals in four matches, one by Carlie Reader and another by Tiera Arakawa (who also has an assist). The Vulcans have 49 shots (compared to 46 by their opponents), 18 of them on goal. Okamura's team has 28 corner kicks compared to 15 for their four opponents.

Cougar, Chaminade Clippings: Tuesday's opponent Azusa Pacific comes to the Big Island after defeating Chaminade (2-0) on Thursday and tying with Hawai`i Pacific on Saturday (1-1). The Cougars are 1-0-1 in PacWest play and 1-4-1 on the year after opening the year with losses to Sonoma State, Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State LA and Dixie State. Ella Romero leads APU with three goals scored, and keeper Isabelle Decker has a 1.69 GAA. The Cougars and Vulcans tied 0-0 last year in Azusa, and APU leads the all-time series, 3-0-2. The Vulcans are of course very familiar with Chaminade, having just tied them 0-0 on Saturday at St. Louis Field. The Silverswords are now 1-2-1 on the year and 0-0-1 (like UHH) in conference play. Randi Fontes has two scores to lead her team, while all-time Chaminade shutout leader Brandi Lane sports a 1.18 GAA. The Vulcans won both matches between the two schools in 2017 (3-1 and 2-1), and UH Hilo leads the all-time series, 26-2-2.

What's Next: After this week's home matches, the Vulcans will head to the mainland for the first time in 2018. They will begin with an October 2 non-conference match in Lacey, Wash. against St. Martin's, followed by PacWest matches in the bay area at Academy of Art (Oct. 4) and Holy Names (Oct. 6). They then return home for four straight matches, Oct. 11-23.

The Coach: Gene Okamura enters into his third season as the leader of the women's soccer program at UH Hilo in 2018, after also leading the men's team for two years (2016-17). 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 13-17-7.