Hawaii's post-COVID soccer schedule is short, finishing after an average of 15 games over the past three years, a relatively quick end compared to past years.
That won't be the case this fall, as UH announced a 20-game schedule for the upcoming 2024 season, which features 10 Big West Conference games plus 10 non-conference games.
The 20 games tied the most played by coach Michelle Nagamine's teams in her 14-year tenure, the last time her teams played that many games was in 2012, her first season in the Big West.
Nagamine lamented the missed opportunities her team has had to play since 2020, when travel and budget restrictions for Division I programs made them hesitant to visit the far-flung islands. UH had five wins, eight losses and three ties in 16 games (four wins, five losses and one tie in the Big West) including an appearance in the Big West Tournament in 2023.
“We struggled a little bit,” Nagamine told Spectrum News in a phone interview Tuesday. “(We) didn't have time to get used to it. … If we could go back and play 20 games every year, that would be ideal.”
The cascading conference restructuring could portend scheduling challenges for years to come, Nagamine warned, and 20 games may be the exception, not the rule.
The Rainbow Wahine will open with six straight home games across three tournaments, then play three games in the Pacific Northwest before Big West Conference play.
The season opener will be against Georgia Southern University on August 15 at the Outrigger Kickoff.
The highlight of the event will be the Outrigger Invitational, where the University of Hawaii will host Baylor University of the Big 12 and the University of Portland of the West Coast Conference on August 21st and 22nd.
“We feel like it's a solid schedule for us, especially with our first six games being at home,” Nagamine said, “but it's definitely going to be tough playing Baylor and Portland back-to-back.”
She noted that Georgia Southern University, Utah State University (Aug. 18) and Air Force College (Aug. 29) also competed in recent conference championships.
Big West play begins at home against UC Davis on Sept. 19. UH plays defending champion UC Irvine on the road on Oct. 13. The other featured game is at California State University, Northridge on Oct. 3, when Nagamine will face Matadors rookie coach Gina Brewer, a former Hawaii Pacific head coach who served as an assistant coach at UH under Pinsom Tenzing.
Games at Seattle University (Sept. 5), Eastern Washington University (Sept. 8) and Portland State (Sept. 12) will test UH's ability to endure more than a week on the road.
“It's going to be an exciting journey. It's going to be a long journey but it's always good for a team to be able to travel and enjoy the games to the fullest,” Nagamine said.
Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium will once again be the venue for all of the University of Hawaii's home games. The university was originally scheduled to use a new on-campus soccer facility for daytime games this season, but a series of postponements pushed that back to 2025.
With the site of the former turf practice field being demolished to make way for the future venue, teams will likely face the same predicament before and during the season, having to get creative with their offseason training.
“Having friends in high positions certainly helps,” Nagamine said. “Thanks to the relationships we've built over the years, we've been able to secure a place to practice off campus. We've built good neighbor relationships with everyone in the Manoa area and we try to make sure we all have a place to play.”
UH rented field time at Les Murakami Stadium, Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium and Clarence TC Chin Athletics Complex. Nagamine expressed gratitude to coaches Rich Hill, Bob Coolen and Timmy Chang.
Wahine returns 15 lettermen, including all-conference honorees Amber Gilbert, Jaycee Zicha and Izzy Ayala.
This season marks the program's 30th.Number Since its inception in 1994, except for one year lost to the pandemic.
2024 UH Soccer Schedule
* – Big West Conference games
August 15 – Georgia Southern
August 18 – Utah State University
August 21 – Baylor
August 22 – Portland
August 29 – Air Force
September 1 – North Dakota
September 5 – Seattle
September 8 – Eastern Washington
September 12 – Portland State University
September 19 – University of California, Davis*
September 22 – Hawaii Pacific
September 26 – California State University, Bakersfield*
October 3 – CSUN*
October 6 – California State University, Fullerton*
October 10 – University of California, San Diego*
October 13 – University of California, Irvine*
October 20 – University of California, Riverside*
October 24 – California Polytechnic University*
October 27 – University of California, Santa Barbara*
October 31 – Long Beach State University*
Brian McInnis covers the state's sports world for Spectrum News Hawaii and can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.
