SAN RAFAEL, California – Hawai'i Hilo Men's Soccer opened its Pacific West Conference slate with a consecutive draw, finishing in a 2-2 stalemate against Dominican on Wednesday afternoon at Kennelly Field.
The Vulcans got on the scoreboard in the 27th minute as Mirai Sato flushed through a deflected battled ball off a cross in from Aidan Santos. Koki Hamada added another goal (58') with a header (assisted by a throw-in by Felix Drizinsky) for his fifth career score.
Then in a flurry of moments, the Penguins managed to quickly tie the game up with back-to-back scores in the 67th and 69th minutes.
Hawai'i Hilo had a handful of scoring opportunities, especially late in the match but just couldn't convert for points. Twenty five total shots were taken between the two teams with Dominican holding a slight 19-16 edge.
OTHER NOTES
- Aidan Santos moved into a tie at No. 2 in the program record books with 11 career assists — tied with Tom Vorkastner (20-24). Drew Geis (06-10) sits atop with 13 helpers. Santos also moved to No. 5 with 23 career points, moving past Colby Lee (23-24) at 22.
- Hawai'i Hilo: 1-2-2 Overall (0-0-1 PacWest)
- Dominican: 2-4-1 Overall (0-0-1 PacWest)
UP NEXT
Pacific West Conference Play
- Friday, Sept. 26 (1 PM / 4 PM PT) vs Menlo (Atherton, California)
- Monday, Sept. 29 (1:30 PM / 4:30 PM PT) vs Jessup (Rocklin, California)
- Thursday, Oct. 2 (3 PM / 6 PM PT) vs Fresno Pacific (Fresno, California)
PACWEST PRESEASON POLL
Hawai'i Hilo was voted No. 2 in the Pacific West Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, tying with defending tournament champ Westmont in the second spot. The Vulcans finished the 2024 regular season at No. 5 in the conference standings and was one of four teams to qualify for the inaugural PacWest Conference Championships postseason tournament, falling to the Warriors in double overtime of the semifinal round. The 2025 PacWest Championships will be hosted by Westmont on Nov. 13-15 in Santa Barbara.
PURCHASE TICKETS
Season and individual tickets for the Vulcans' seven home matches at the on-campus Vulcan Soccer Field are available for purchase at HiloAthletics.com/tickets. Season tickets are $75 ($40 for seniors (65+) and middle/high school students) and include admission to all 15 Vulcans Soccer home events (men's and women's).
BUY LIVESTREAM PACKAGE
Video livestreaming will be available for all home events this season through the PacWest Network, powered by Hudl TV. More information is available at HiloAthletics.com/livestream. Single-game passes are offered at $15 with a season-package price of $78.75.
