BELLINGHAM, Washington – Hawai'i Hilo Women's Soccer fell to No. 18 Western Washington, 2-0, in non-conference play Thursday afternoon at Harrington Field to open the 2026 season.
Audrey Holdridge scored both of Western Washington's goals in the 38th minute — taking a deflection off a defender and looping it over the goalkeeper's head — and the 81st minute — breaking through the defense on a long run before beating the keeper to the far post.
Hawai'i Hilo was held without a shot-on-goal, managing six attempts overall to Western Washington's 10 (seven on goal). Lydia Keller made five saves in the loss.
Vulcans starters: Lydia Keller, Drew Sievers, Ella Smith, Sydney Harpster, Aubree Panui, Karina Da Silva, Diana Garcia, Brooke Peiler, Elise Flores, Kalaya Havellana and Shae Dougherty.
Hawai'i Hilo will remain in the Pacific Northwest and return to WWU's Harrington Field to take on No. 24 Simon Fraser on Saturday. The Red Leafs are the reigning GNAC Champion and tied with the Vikings atop the conference's preseason coaches poll.
GAME NOTES
- No. 18 Western Washington: 1-0-0 Overall (0-0-0 GNAC)
- Bellingham, Washington
- Great Northwest Athletic Conference
- Conference Preseason Poll: No. T1
- Hawai'i Hilo: 0-1-0 Overall (0-0-0 PacWest)
- Conference Preseason Poll: No. 3
- Record in season openers under 11th-year head coach Gene Okamura: 4-4-3 (2016-2026). Last defeat was 2021 to Westminster on O'ahu.
- Last matchup vs top 25 team: Sept. 2025 vs No. 25 Westminster (Hilo, Hawai'i) – L, 1-0
- Last trip to Washington: Sept. 2024 vs No. 8 Seattle Pacific – W, 4-0
UP NEXT
- Saturday, Aug. 29 (10 AM / 1 PM PT) at No. 24 Simon Fraser (Bellingham, Washington)
- Friday, Sept. 4 (10:30 AM) vs Cal Poly Humboldt (Vulcan Soccer Field)
- Sunday, Sept. 6 (12:30 PM) vs Colorado Christian (Vulcan Soccer Field)
PACWEST PRESEASON POLL
Hawai'i Hilo was voted No. 3 in the Pacific West Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. The Vulcans posted an 8-3-6 record last fall and made an appearance in the PacWest Championships semifinal round. The 2026 PacWest Championships will be hosted by Hawai'i Hilo on Nov. 5-7 at Vulcan Soccer Field.
PURCHASE SEASON TICKETS
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 $70 ($35 for seniors aged 65-plus and middle/high school students) and include admission to all 13 total Vulcans Soccer (both Men's and Women's) home contests this fall.
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 $70 for eight games.
