It's been two years since the UH Hilo men's soccer team has played in Hilo, but they will do just that with three consecutive matches on their own turf in a week's time.

The Vulcans will face GNAC powers Seattle Pacific and Western Washington this week, followed by their Pacific West Conference opener verses Azusa Pacific next Wednesday. In doing so, they will face two nationally ranked teams and another squad that was a conference champion in 2019.

Wednesday, Sept. 22--UH Hilo (1-1) vs. No. 17 Seattle Pacific (3-1), 2:30 pm, George and Marion Hall Stadium
Sunday, Sept. 26--UHH vs. Western Washington (1-3), 11 am, George and Marion Hall Stadium
Wednesday, Sept. 29--UHH vs. No. 7 Azusa Pacific (3-1-1), 2:30 pm, George and Marion Hall Stadium

Last Week: The Vulcans opened the 2021 season with a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory at Chaminade (Sept. 16) and then dropped a 1-0 verdict to Hawaii Pacific (Sept. 18). Both were non-conference matches against PacWest rivals, as the squads will meet again for conference matches in Hilo in November. 

David's Double: UHH sophomore David Mayser scored both of UH Hilo's goals against Chaminade, drilling a penalty kick to tie the match before knocking in the winner in the 94th minute. For his efforts, he was named the Pacific West Conference Player of the Week and the UH Hilo Pepsi Athlete of the Week.

Home Field Disadvantage: No fans will be allowed at George and Marion Hall Stadium for these three home matches. The Vulcans are playing their home encounters this season, as they did in 2019, at the baseball field on campus---which is about 400 feet away from their future home just below the softball field. That gorgeous turf field is still under construction and will be ready for the 2022 season.

Video Viewership: A video stream of the match is available at hiloathletics.com. The cost is $10 per match, or season tickets are available. The link to order a broadcast will be available 24-48 hours before the actual event (but not prior to). To sign up, go to the UH Hilo athletic website at www.hiloathletics.com. At the top of the page, scroll to Schedules and then click on the sport of the game you would like to watch. Click on the "Watch" button next to the game of your choice. Follow the prompts from there. 

By the Numbers: David Mayser's two goals account for UHH's scoring through two matches. Mayser has just two shots on the season, both for scores. Luca Lippert leads the Vulcans in shots with six, followed by Tom Vorkastner's five. Returning goalkeeper Michael Harre has been solid in the net with a 0.98 Goals Against Average and five saves.

Falcon Facts: Seattle Pacific is one of the most storied soccer programs in the Pacific Northwest, making their first-ever trip to Hawaii. They will also take on Hawaii Pacific and Chaminade after visiting Hilo. The Falcons are ranked No. 17 in the latest NCAA Division II national poll, but were in the top ten prior to losing to Colorado School of Mines in overtime on Saturday (3-2). They opened the season with victories over Sonoma State (2-1), Chico State (1-0, OT) and No. 22 ranked Regis (2-0). Scoring machine Alex Mejia has four goals in four matches to lead the GNAC in scoring. The Falcons return ten starters from last spring's short season and are picked to finish third in the GNAC. SPU leads the all-time series against the Vulcans (1-0), winning their lone square off 5-0 in Seattle in 2018.

Western Words: Western Washington, picked to finish second in the GNAC, is off to a 1-3 non-conference beginning. They lost to Chico State (1-0), Sonoma State (2-0) and No. 22 Regis (4-1), and have a win over Colorado School of Mines (1-0). They will play Chaminade and Hawaii Pacific before arriving on the Big Island. In 2019, the Vikings won the GNAC championship, advanced to the NCAA tournament and finished the year 13-5-1. The Vikings lead the all-time series versus the Vulcans (2-1), but UH Hilo won the last time that they played in Bellingham (2018), a 1-0 upset of the then-No. 24 Vikings. 

Cougar Chatter: The Vulcans will open up PacWest play next Wednesday with No. 7 ranked Azusa Pacific. The Cougars are the two-time defending PacWest champs, and are picked to three-peat in the preseason poll. They are 3-1-1 heading into a match with Biola tonight (Sept. 21), with wins over Simon Fraser (1-0, OT), Cal State San Marcos (3-0) and Cal State San Bernardino (2-1, OT). They tied Cal State LA (0-0) and lost to Cal Poly Pomona (3-2). Five different Cougars have found the back of the net in five matches, led by Gregoire Diep's three scores. The Vulcans have never beaten the Cougars in men's soccer (7-0), but came close in 2019 when APU was ranked No. 1 in the country, taking the home team deep into overtime before losing, 3-2.

Coach Paul: Vulcan head coach Paul Regrutto begins his fourth season as the team's leader. He was the original Vulcan coach in the opening year of the program in 2006. He would later go on to lead Colorado State-Pueblo program for five seasons, leading the Thunderwolves to the NCAA playoffs in 2016 and earning RMAC Coach of the Year honors.