HILO, Hawai'i – Hawai'i Hilo Women's Soccer fell to Concordia, 1-0, on Thursday afternoon in the Pacific West Conference Championships semifinal round at the Vulcan Soccer Field.
Concordia managed to put in the match's only goal in the 83rd minute on a score by Sarah Venegas (fifth of the season).
"I thought we performed well, executed tactics well. We had a couple opportunities off the post and they didn't go in and that's how the game goes," Vulcans 11th-year head coach Gene Okamura said. "In a knockout game it's hard. Someone has to win, someone has to lose."
"Our back line and Lydia [Keller] have played really well all year," Okamura said. "We've given up very few goals all season after our first two games. Lydia is a huge reason for it. She's had a great two years. She was Goalkeeper of the Year two times in a row."
The Vulcans have qualified for the conference's postseason tournament every season since its inception in 2024. UHH went unbeaten during the conference's regular season (6-0-3 record).
"Basically, our starting 11 had three returners," Okamura said. "They all came together pretty quickly. They turned the season around. So no losses in conference play and in the four-game road trip to SoCal, which is pretty difficult to do."
Concordia advanced to Saturday's championship match against Biola, who defeated three-time defending champ Point Loma, 2-1, earlier in the day. Saturday will be the first time since 2017 that a new school can claim its first-ever women's soccer PacWest title.
Hawai'i Hilo, the No. 3 seed in the tournament, will have an outside chance for hearing its name announced as one of eight teams to continue its season in the NCAA West Regional.
GAME NOTES
- Total Shots: Hawai'i Hilo 13, Concordia 11
- Total Corner Kicks: Hawai'i Hilo 3, Concordia 7
- Keller: Program Single-Season (2026) Rank No. 10 – 54 Saves
- Kelly Herbst (2006) – 53 Saves
- Previous Matchup (Sept. 26, 2026): T 0-0 in Irvine, California
- Hawai'i Hilo: 9-3-4 Overall (6-0-3 PacWest)
- Nickname: Vulcans
- Conference Preseason Poll: No. 3
- Current Conference Standing: No. 3
- United Soccer Coaches West Regional Poll #10: No. 7
- NPI Rank (Nov. 1): No. 57 (No. 8 West Region)
- Concordia: 11-2-4 Overall (7-1-1 PacWest)
- Nickname: Golden Eagles
- Irvine, California
- Conference Preseason Poll: No. 2
- Current Conference Standing: No. 2
- United Soccer Coaches West Regional Poll #10: No. 4
- NPI Rank (Nov. 1): No. 38 (No. 3 West Region)
UP NEXT
- NCAA Selection Show: Monday, Nov. 9 (2 PM) on NCAA.com
PACWEST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
The top four teams in the PacWest standings qualified for the PacWest Championships postseason tournament hosted by Hawai'i Hilo at the Vulcan Soccer Field.
Thursday, Nov. 5 at Vulcan Soccer Field: Semifinals Round
- (#4) Biola 2, (#1) Point Loma 1
- (#2) Concordia 1, (#3) Hawai'i Hilo 0
Saturday, Nov. 7 at Vulcan Soccer Field: Championship Match
- NOON: (#2) Concordia vs (#4) Biola
AMONG THE BEST IN THE WEST
In the latest United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II Women's Soccer West Regional Poll #10 released Tuesday, Hawai'i Hilo came in at No. 7, unchanged from the previous poll. Concordia moved up one spot to No. 4.
NCAA POWER INDEX (NPI)
NCAA Division II has implemented the NCAA Power Index (NPI) as the official, objective metric for determining NCAA Championships postseason tournament berths. Outside of conference champions receiving Automatic Bids (AQs), all remaining at-large spots are awarded based on final NPI rankings, which evaluate winning percentage, strength of schedule and match location.
In the latest NPI rankings (through Nov. 1), Hawai'i Hilo came in at No. 57 nationally and No. 8 in the West Region. NCAA Selection Show will be Nov. 9 with the opening rounds of the NCAA Women's Soccer Championships set for Nov. 13-15. Four at-large berths will be awarded alongside the AQs for the three champions from the conferences comprising the West Region — PacWest, California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) and Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC).
