This Week in Vulcan Men's Soccer
Record: 0-3-0

Saturday, Sept. 28 vs. Hawaii Pacific (0-2-1), UHH Campus Field, 3 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 4 @Chaminade (2-0), Honolulu, St. Louis Field, 12:30 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 6 @Hawaii Pacific, Honolulu, Waipio Field #5, 2:30 p.m.

Good to be Home: After three matches against three tough opponents in southern California, the UH Hilo men's soccer team returns to Hilo for their 2019 home opener this Saturday. The Vulcans will host the Sharks of Hawaii Pacific at 3 pm.

Home in Hilo: This year, "home" means in Hilo and on campus. The Vulcans will play all seven of their home tilts this fall on the upper field (they played at Kamehameha School the past three seasons). Plans for a new on-campus soccer complex is in the works and is expected to be completed by 2020 or 2021.

Free and Free: Vulcan towels will be given to the first 50 fans in attendance, and free admission for UH Hilo (and HCC) students, faculty and staff is the new normal.
 
Streaming Live: All Vulcan home matches are now available (for the first time) via pay-per-view through the Vulcan website at hiloathletics.com. Live Stats (free) can also be accessed through the same venue. To do either, go to the website and to Men's Soccer. Click on the Schedule, and follow the links. Cost for a single game is $7.95 and a Season Pass can be had for $39.95. A Season Pass for both women's and men's soccer costs just $49.95.

You Guys Again? The Vulcans will host Hawaii Pacific on Saturday in a non-conference match, and then will turn around next week and take on the Sharks in a PacWest Conference bout (Oct. 6). In between, UHH will play Chaminade in a non-conference match in Honolulu on Oct. 4.

Heartbreak Times Two: UH Hilo's first two matches of the year had a very similar and heartbreaking script. In contests at Cal State San Marcos and UC San Diego, the Vulcans scored first to take a 1-0 lead, only to see the hosts score the equalizer and eventually match winner late in the contest. In the season opener against the Cougars, CSUSM tied the match in the 79^th minute, sending things into overtime. They would then tally the game winner in the second overtime. Against UCSD, same thing. With a 1-1 match seemingly headed to overtime, the Tritons punched in the winner with two minutes and seven seconds left.

Different Kind of Loss: Against Cal Poly Pomona, the Vulcans suffered a different kind of loss. Timing is often everything, and UH Hilo's was not good in taking on a ruffled and hungry Bronco team. CPP, two-time defending west region champ and NCAA Final Four participant, began the year 0-3-1 and they took out that frustration on the Vulcans—scoring twice in the first four minutes to begin a 6-0 pasting.

Spreading the Wealth: 11 different Vulcans have shots thus far, with Pedro Werneck and Jorge Martinez scoring goals. Kalei Tolentino-Perry leads the way with ten shots total, followed by Martinez with nine and Werneck with seven. That trio also have four shots on goal each.

Shark Bait: Two of UH Hilo's next three matches will be against Hawaii Pacific, who took a 0-2-1 non-conference record into a match today (Thursday) against Chaminade. The Sharks lost a pair of 2-0 matches to Westminster (Utah) and No. 22 ranked Simon Fraser, and tied 2-2 with Fort Lewis. HPU, picked to finish seventh in the 12-team PacWest, went 6-10 last year and defeated the Vulcans twice. Junior Gerrit Arzberger has scored both of HPU's goals so far this year. The Sharks lead the all-time series against the Vulcans, 19-8-2.

Silversword Sentences: Chaminade, who played Hawaii Pacific today, won their first two matches of the year, topping Colorado Christian (3-0) and Metro State (3-2), both on the road. Colin Roemer has scored four goals already this season, while Noah Mokulehua has a score and two assists—but Roemer may be out with an injury. The Silverswords are coming off their first winning season in school history, returning 19 letterwinners from that 2018 team. Eight starters are included in that group including four All-PacWest selections. The Silverswords won both matches between the two teams last year, but the Vulcans lead the all-time series, 18-6-4.

Paul Says: "I thought we played very well in our first two matches," said Vulcan head coach Paul Regrutto. "We played aggressive and took plenty of shots. We had 21 in the first match and 14 in the second, but we are just not converting on those opportunities yet. Against Cal Poly, we played on our heels and just never got back into the way we need to play. Consistency is imperative for us to be successful. We are looking to get our identity back this weekend. The guys are really looking forward to playing at home, and we are looking forward to showing our home crowd what Vulcan soccer is about."

Last Year: The Vulcans went 4-12 overall and 3-8 in the Pacific West Conference. They won their season opener against nationally ranked Western Washington and upset Concordia late in the season for their signature wins under first-year coach Paul Regrutto.

The Coach: Paul Regrutto returned to take the reins of the program in 2018, after five successful seasons as the head women's coach at Colorado State-Pueblo. Regrutto was the RMAC Coach of the Year in 2016 after leading the Thunderwolves to their first NCAA tournament appearance. Back in 2006, the Colorado native was UH Hilo's first ever men's soccer coach, leading the squad to a 5-9-1 record.

What's Next: After the island rivalry matches over the next two weekends, the Vulcans will begin a three-match homestand. They will host Notre Dame de Namur (Oct. 9), Dominican (Oct. 16) and Fresno Pacific (Oct. 19).