The Vulcans will have nine home matches in 2023 in addition to three games on O’ahu, leaving just three out-of-state road contests in northern California. (Photo courtesy: University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo)
Hawai’i Hilo Women’s Soccer head coach Gene Okamura‘s eighth season features 15 games bookended on both sides by a tough trio of top contenders from a year ago.
The two-time Pacific West Conference Champions will stay within the state for all six of those matches with five of them to be played on the Vulcan Soccer Field — which now features a limited number of bleacher seating.
Following a season-opening exhibition in late August against Multnomah University, the Vulcans will host Colorado-Colorado Springs (Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament Semifinals) and Northwest Nazarene (Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships Runner-Up) on Sept. 3 and 5, respectively. Stanislaus State (California Collegiate Athletic Association Regular Season Co-Champ) will come to town followed later by a non-conference tilt with Chaminade to close out the home-opening slate.
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The Vulcans will have nine home matches in 2023 in addition to three games on O’ahu, leaving just three out-of-state road contests in northern California.
The latter half of the schedule features National Collegiate Athletic Association West Regional qualifiers Point Loma Nazarene and Concordia University Irvine. The Golden Eagles managed to end the Vulcans’ season at home last year in the National Collegiate Athletic Association West Regional Second Round with a 2-1 result in overtime.
Westmont College is new to the PacWest Conference after claiming the Golden Sun Athletic Conference title with an appearance in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics National Championship Opening Round a season ago.
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Hawai’i Hilo posted a 13-1-3 record in 2022 on the way to claiming a second-consecutive PacWest Championship and earning a first-ever host site bid for the National Collegiate Athletic Association Women’s Soccer National Championship West Region. The Vulcans finished the year ranked No. 14 in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25.
The 2023 squad will have 18 returnees in addition to the incoming recruiting class to be announced shortly.
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