This Week in Vulcan Women's Soccer
Record: 0-1-1

Thursday, Sept. 12 vs. Northwest Nazarene (1-1), Nampa, Idaho, 7:30 p.m. MT
Saturday, Sept. 14 vs. Central Washington (1-1), Nampa, Idaho, 2:30 p.m. MT
 
Working Extra Time: Thus far in 2019, the Vulcans have played two matches (0-1-1) but have been on the field the equivalent of almost 2.5 games. Both contests, a 2-1 loss to Cal State Monterey Bay and a 0-0 tie with Cal State East Bay, went double overtime. The Vulcans lost their season opener to the Otters when the hosts dropped in a penalty kick with just 30 seconds left in the second sudden-death overtime.

Defending their Turf: Like last season, when the Vulcans allowed just 10 goals in 16 matches, the 2019 defense has given up less than a goal a contest. Goalkeeper Bailey Cahill and the back line have a 0.82 Goals Against Average thus far, and of course one of those two scores was on a penalty kick.

The Score: Senior Brianna Valencia has UH Hilo's lone goal, with the assist coming from sophomore Brende Yoshizumi. That score came in the 63^rd minute in the match against Cal State Monterey Bay.

Taking Aim: The Vulcans have 19 shots on goal so far, compared to 14 for their opponents. Overall shots goes the other way, with a 30-27 advantage to the two California schools that they have played. The Vulcans have an 18-14 advantage in corner kicks. Crystal Sanchez leads the Vulcans with 10 shots, including six on goal.

Nighthawks in Nampa: Next for UHH is a pair of games hosted by Northwest Nazarene in Nampa, Idaho, just west of Boise. The Nighthawks are 1-1 on the season, having also lost to Cal State Monterey Bay (1-0), while defeating Holy Names (2-0). NNU is picked to finish sixth of nine teams in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. They went 8-8-1 a year ago, and return Second Team All-GNAC selection Rikki Myers, along with eight other starters. The Vulcans won the one other match played between the two schools, also in Nampa in 2016, by the score of 2-0.

Wildcat Words: On Saturday, the Vulcans will play a neutral site game against Central Washington, also from the GNAC. The Wildcats are 1-1, having defeated Fresno Pacific (2-1) while losing to Cal State San Marcos (1-0). CWU is picked to finish fifth in the GNAC after going 5-5-2 last year. They return five starters from that team. The Vulcans and Wildcats are 1-1 all-time against each other, with UH Hilo winning in 2007 and the Wildcats taking the victory in 2016, in Nampa.

Gene Says: "I like our effort so far," said head coach Gene Okamura. "I am very happy with our work ethic. We just have to find a way to put away our opportunities on offense. We have had chances, we just haven't been able to put the ball in the goal. Hopefully we can make better progress toward that this weekend."

Last Year: The Vulcans went 10-4-2 overall and 7-3-1 in the Pacific West Conference, finishing tied for second place. They lost 11 seniors off that team and five All-PacWest selections.

The Coach: Gene Okamura is in his fourth season of leading the UH Hilo women's soccer program. A former player that was on the very first UH Hilo men's soccer team in 2006, Okamura also coached the men for two seasons (2016 and 2017), pulling double duty. In three-plus seasons leading the Vulcan women, the Hilo native is now 22-21-8.

What's Next: UH Hilo has their 2019 home opener on Saturday, Sept. 28 versus Hawaii Pacific (12:30 pm). All home matches this year are played on campus, at the practice baseball field.