HONOLULU — The Hawai’i women’s soccer team heads into a crucial finishing stretch of matches, starting with the final regular season home weekend Thursday against UC Riverside at 7 p.m. and Sunday vs. Cal State Fullerton at 4 p.m. at Waipi’o Peninsula Soccer Stadium.
The Rainbow Wahine head into the week tied for seventh in The Big West standings with three matches left, just one point behind sixth place and two points out of fourth. The top six teams at the end of the regular season make the conference tournament. UH will also celebrate Senior Day on Sunday and will honor nine seniors following the match against Cal State Fullerton.
| HAWAI’I (5-4-2, 2-2-2 Big West) vs. UC RIVERSIDE (2-6-7, 0-4-3 Big West) | CAL STATE FULLERTON (7-4-5, 4-1-2 Big West) | ||||
| Date | Time | Thursday, Oct. 20, 7 p.m. HT | Sunday, Oct. 23, 4 p.m. HT | |||
| Location | Waipahu, O’ahu — Waipi’o Peninsula Soccer Stadium | |||
| Television | Spectrusm Sports | |||
| Live Stream | Thursday | Sunday | |||
| Live Stats | Thursday | Sunday | |||
| PDF Notes | Hawai’i | UC Riverside | Cal State Fullerton | |||
| Social Media | @HawaiiWSoccer | #HawaiiWSoccer | @HawaiiWSoccer  |
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| Promotions | TBD | |||
| Important Game Day Information | Free Admission | |||
HEAD COACH MICHELE NAGAMINE
At Hawai’i: 68-97-21, 12th season
Collegiate Record: 92-127-22, 15th season
SERIES VS. UC RIVERSIDE
Overall: 5-4-2
Last meeting: Oct. 7, 2021 at Hawai’i (Tie, 1-1)
Streak: T1
SERIES VS. CAL STATE FULLERTON
Overall: 3-14
Last meeting: Oct. 10, 2021 at Hawai’i (Cal State Fullerton won, 1-0)
Streak: L2
ON THE PITCH
- The Rainbow Wahine head into the week in seventh place in the conference standings with three matches left, looking to earn a spot in the top six and clinch a Big West Tournament appearance for the second time in program history.
- Hawai’i is coming off of a 1-1 draw against CSU Bakersfield at home on Sunday, as the Rainbow Wahine out-shot the Roadrunners 21-5 but only found the back of the net once on Kelci Sumida’s goal off of a Krista Peterson corner kick in the 26th minute.
- UH’s starting forward line of Krista Peterson, Amber Gilbert and Kelci Sumida have packed a lot of the offensive punch for the ‘Bows. All three have started each of the 12 matches and have combined for 10 goals, nine assists and 64 shots. One of the three have scored or assisted on 11 of UH’s 12 goals. Additionally, Peterson is tied for fourth in the league in goals with five, while Sumida is tied for fourth in the conference with four assists and Gilbert is third among freshmen with three goals.
- Defense has been a strength for the Rainbow Wahine, as they are second in the conference with 14 goals allowed and fourth giving up 1.17 goals per match. Additionally, goalies Lauren Marquez and Sophie Augustin both have won Big West Defensive Player of the Week this year and have combined for 52 saves.
- On Sunday, Hawai’i will honor nine seniors with a postgame Senior Day ceremony. UH will recognize Eliza Ammendolia, Taylor Caporus, Emily Cottrell, Bailey Faulkner, V Jimenez, Lauren Marquez, Kylie McNamara, Kelci Sumida and Julia Wolfe. The group have combined to play in 260 matches over their careers with 146 starts.
RAINBOW WAHINE DRAW WITH CSUB
Hawai’i kicked off its three-match homestand with a 1-1 draw against CSU Bakersfield on Sunday. The Rainbow Wahine out-shot the Roadrunners 21-5, but were only able to cash in once when Kelci Sumida scored on a header off of a Krista Peterson corner kick in the 26th minute. The goal was the 12th of Sumida’s career and second of the season, giving her eight points on the year and a point in six of UH’s 12 matches. Sumida and Mia Foster led the way in shot attempts with five each, while Nohara Takayama and Krista Peterson each finished with three shots. The ‘Bows also finished with 12 corner kicks to CSUB’s six.
POSTSEASON PUSH
Currently in a tie for seventh place in The Big West standings with three matches to play, the Rainbow Wahine look to finish strong and add to their league standings total of nine points. UH will look to finish in the top six of the league standings and make it to the conference tournament for the second time since joining The Big West in 2012. The Rainbow Wahine are one point behind sixth-place CSU Bakersfield and two behind UC Irvine and UC Davis who are tied for fourth. Last year – the first year the conference expanded to 11 teams – the sixth-place team ended the regular season with 15 points.
ON THE ATTACK
Hawai’i’s front line of Amber Gilbert, Krista Peterson and Kelci Sumida have led the way offensively through 12 matches. The trio have combined to score 10 of the team’s 12 goals while one of the three has recorded a point in all nine matches in which UH has scored.
- Peterson is tied for fourth in the conference with five goals and tied for fifth with 12 points. She also is tied for the league lead with three game-winning goals.
- Gilbert is second among Big West freshmen in points (8) and goals (3).
- Sumida is tied for fourth in The Big West with four assists while leading the team with 27 shot attempts and 15 shots on goal.
LOCKING IT DOWN
Defense has been one of the strong points for Hawai’i throughout the season. The Rainbow Wahine are second in the conference in goals allowed, giving up just 14 all year, good for the fewest allowed by a UH team through 12 matches since 2016 and the fifth-fewest in program history after 12 contests. The ‘Bows have gotten contributions from a number of different individuals both on the back line and in goal to keep opposing offenses in check.
KEEPING IT ON FRAME
The Rainbow Wahine have done a good job of creating quality looks at goal, currently leading the conference in shots on goal percentage. UH leads The Big West and is tied for 66th nationally, putting 50.0 percent of shot attempts on frame as 65 of Hawai’i’s 130 shot attempts have been on goal. Over the last eight matches, UH has put 50 of its 92 shot attempts on frame, with a total of 27 shots on goal over the last four matches.
RAKING IN THE HONORS
The Rainbow Wahine have taken home several Big West weekly honors this season. Amber Gilbert has been named conference freshman of the week twice this year, while goalies Sophie Augustin and Lauren Marquez each took home defensive player of the week in consecutive weeks.
- Augustin was named league defensive player of the week after making eight saves at Portland State, and Marquez won the award a week later after a shutout of UC Davis in the conference opener.
- Hawai’i is the first team to have two different goalies win Big West Defensive Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks since the league began giving out the honor in 2010.
- Gilbert is one of two freshmen in the league to earn freshman of the week honors multiple times, winning the award on Sept. 12 and 26.
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