HILO, Hawai'i – The Hawai'i Hilo men's soccer team book-ended its home season slate with a 1-0 win over Holy Names Tuesday afternoon in Pacific West Conference play at the Vulcan Soccer Field.
The Vulcans also celebrated their five departing seniors: Julian Garcia (Albuquerque, New Mexico/Saint Pius X HS), Alexander Hernandez-Herbach (Pasadena, California/Pasadena HS), Brady O'Neill (Murrieta, California/Vista Murrieta HS), Marcus Plataniotis (Drummoyne, New South Wales, Australia/Sydney Boys HS) and Wataru Muto (Chiba, Japan/Yachiyo HS).
Christian Souza (Kapolei, Hawai'i/Damien Memorial School) made his sixth start in goal and made four saves to pitch the Vulcans' first shutout of the season as he improved to a 3-1-2 record.
Hawai'i Hilo's lone score came in the 31st minute on a Holy Names own goal.
Tom Vorkastner (Tangstedt, Germany/Gymnasium Heidberg) sent a long cross in toward the goal as the Hawks' Josef Duenas attempted to clear the ball but his header instead went directly into the net for the score.
What's Next
Hawai'i Hilo improved to 4-4-4 overall, 3-1-2 PacWest while Holy Names fell to 3-3-0 PacWest (5-5-3 overall).
The Vulcans will conclude the regular season with a four-game road slate in southern California starting Saturday, Oct. 22 against Biola (3-0-2 PacWest, 4-3-5 overall).
The Hawks will return home to host Academy of Art Sunday, Oct. 23.
Postseason Possibilities
The Pacific West Conference does not have a postseason tournament and its champion is dependent on the final results of the regular season.
Currently, Hawai'i Hilo is tied for second in the standings with 11 points. Biola also has 11 points with a 3-0-2 record. Dominican leads the PacWest with a 5-1-0 record.
The PacWest Champion will receive an automatic spot in the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championships (West/South Central) Super-Region IV consisting of 10 teams. Champions from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC), California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), Lone Star Conference (LSC) and Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) will also receive automatic bids, leaving five at-large spots open.
One In the Books
Tuesday's game concluded the 2022 soccer home schedule on the new turf on-campus Vulcan Soccer Field.
The Hawai'i Hilo men's soccer team finished with a 3-3-2 home record.
Hawai'i Hilo Vulcans Athletics would like to thank everyone for their support of the women's soccer team this season. Mahalo.
