UH Hilo women’s soccer team ranks 7th in nation; highest ranking in history of Vulcan program
The team continued its winning streak Oct. 1 with its seventh win, closing strong at its first home game with a 7-0 victory over Academy of Art in Pacific West Conference play.
10/4 Update: Team moves up a spot to share No. 6 ranking with two-time defending national champions in latest United Soccer Coaches Div. II Top 25 Poll.
By Maisie Paulson.
The women’s soccer team at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo is No. 7 in the nation, according to the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II Rankings released last week. The team has never been ranked this high nationally in the history of the program. (10/4 Update: Team moves up a spot to share No. 6 ranking with two-time defending national champions in latest United Soccer Coaches top 25 poll.)
The team went 2-0 the week prior with wins over Chaminade University (2-0) and Dominican University (3-1) to jump eight spots to No. 7. UH Hilo was ranked at the No. 15 spot the week before after having made its debut on the top 25 National Collegiate Athletic Association rankings earlier at No. 17 in the week two poll.
The team continued its winning streak Oct. 1 with its seventh win, closing strong at its first home game with a 7-0 victory over Academy of Art in Pacific West Conference play.
Goals scored by Jodi Lillie, Daelenn Tokunaga, Adree Johnson, Brende Yoshizumi, Nanea Wall, Annie Haglund and Keely Rooker #ImuaVulcans https://t.co/6WZTG7YoYN pic.twitter.com/sZolAwwkBr
— Hawaii Hilo Vulcans Athletics (@HiloVulcans) October 2, 2022
Head coach Gene Okamura says the team is a very special group with a ton of experience and maturity.
“So if I have ever had a group that had the ability to make it to the National Championship, it is this group,” says Okamura. “We are here to make a name for Hilo and make the community that is always there to support us proud.”
Climbing in the rankings
As the fall semester of 2022 began in late August, students began returning to the UH Hilo campus. As for the UH Hilo women’s soccer team, their return to Hilo had begun the first week of August.
From the first week of practice, Head Coach Okamura, a Hilo native, UH Hilo alumni, and former men’s soccer player, said he was happy to be back and felt confident going into season this year. “Happy to return with our core of players that played a ton of minutes last year and added some top recruits,” says the seven-year women’s soccer head coach.
The team began an intensive preseason on Aug. 7. Not only did they start earlier this year, but the NCAA granted an additional week of preseason training for fall sports this year. This meant teams could have up to two weeks of two-a-day practice sessions along with meetings and other required team events.
Alyssa Padron, a junior midfielder, All Pacwest Second Team award winner in 2022 and captain, came all the way from San Pedro, CA, ready to play.
“I think double [practice] days were an important aspect of preparation this year, especially when the focus is on developing our soccer skills rather than fitness alone,” she says. “It gives us the opportunity to learn how everyone plays.”
The team had their first preseason game against California State University’s East Bay Pioneers on Sept. 1, and UH Hilo women’s soccer came up with a big win: the score 4-1. The team finished preseason conference with a record of five wins, one tie, and zero losses.
With a solid start to the season, the team has been climbing rankings over the past couple weeks. The women have continued to prove their abilities in their first conference game on Sept. 26, where the team came out on top with a 3-1 win over the Dominican University Penguins.
Last season, the team accomplished something the women’s soccer program had never done before: they won the Pacwest championship. Not only did the team win, but made their first ever appearance in the NCAA tournament. But the team fell short in the first round to Sonoma State University, a familiar face in the NCAA tournament over the years.
“I feel like we hit a big barrier when we made it into the NCAA DII tournament for the first time in history, and quite honestly, I feel like we went in with our eyes closed,” says Viviana Poli, a fifth-year goalkeeper for the UH Hilo women’s soccer team who was named Pacwest Goalkeeper of the Year in 2021.
Poli says upon starting this year’s season, the players have grown a lot and are able to trust each other’s abilities, which makes them a more cohesive team.
More to come
The team will continue Pacwest conference play into late October this year. The team’s most difficult and final games of the season will be played in southern California. Their match-ups include previous Pacwest champions Point Loma Nazarene, Biola University, Concordia University, and Azusa Pacific.
Jodi Lillie, a fifth-year defender, 2022 Woman of the Year nominee, and captain, is looking forward to this trip most.
“It’ll be the most challenging games for us,” says Lillie. “Four games in eight days is going to be tough especially against those teams, but I believe in this team and am excited to see how we’ll perform.”
If the team is able to win Pacwest conference again, they will return to NCAA regionals that will be hosted by the team who finishes in first place in the region.
Bailee Brennan, a senior defender and captain from Carlsbad, CA, has been injured since the first game. Based on her observations of the team’s performance, she says “I feel like we are performing very well, but there is always room for improvement.”
With the conference just starting, Brennan is looking forward to returning to play in upcoming games.
“Looking forward to continuing the win streak and to make it further in the tournament this year,” she says.
By Maisie Paulson (B.A. in Psychology and B.A. in Administration of Justice, 2022). She is a fifth-year student-athlete on the women’s soccer team.
