Honolulu— The University of Hawai'i soccer team will continue its trek through the Big West Conference by welcoming Long Beach State and UC Davis to the island of O'ahu for matches on Thursday and Sunday at Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Stadium.
 
The Rainbow Wahine (6-4-1) enter play coming off two dramatic matches last weekend, where they went 1-1 with a loss at UC Irvine and a win at CSUN. UH has matched its best stretch of winning compared to last season with three of four matches being victories. In 2016 the Rainbow Wahine started off the season winning seven of their first nine matches.
 
This past weekend proved to not only be long regarding distance, (over 2,500 miles from Hawai'i to California), but it was long in regards of time played. Both matches for UH went into overtime, with the match at UC Irvine going into double OT. UH is 6-1-2 in overtime matches in the last two seasons, the lone loss came against UCI, 1-0.
 
Behind the recent play of senior midfielder Raisa Strom-Okimoto and sophomore midfielder Leialoha Medeiros, the UH offensive attack ranks No. 2 within the Big West in scoring offense at 1.64 goals per game, and No. 2 in total goals with 18. The midfield tandem has accounted for 11 of the 18 goals with six others getting involved in the scoring attack, including another midfielder in junior Mikaelah Johnson-Griggs with two goals.
 
The Beach (5-4-2) have been following the same formula as UH, ranking No. 3 in both scoring offense with 1.55 goals per game and total goals with 17. Seniors Ashley Gonzales and Dana Fujikuni lead the way for LBSU with four goals apiece, while a tandem of juniors add two goals apiece in Taylor Bistline and Katie Pingel. The Beach are coming off have back-to-back ties, including a conference slate with Cal State Fullerton that ended as a 1-1 stalemate.
 
LBSU has traditionally been a tough opponent for both the Rainbow Wahine and head coach Michele Nagamine, as Nagamine has never beaten LBSU since becoming the head of the program in late 2010. As a program, UH has only knocked off the Beach twice, and that was in 2003 and 2004.
 
The Aggies (4-6-2) are coming off a similar weekend compared to UH, where they went 1-1 to start the conference schedule. They dropped a 1-0 road match at UC Santa Barbra, then knocked off Cal Poly 2-0 on the road to end the weekend.
 
UC Davis has struggled to find their offense, ranking at the bottom of the Big West in most major scoring categories. On the flipside, they do return one of the more prolific goalkeepers in senior Alexis Smith. A year ago Davis was named to the All-Big West Second Team, leading her to be named to preseason All-Big West squad. So far this season Davis has recorded three shutouts and has only allowed more than one goal on three occasions, in 10 matches.

Match #12 Information:
TEAMS: Hawai'i (6-4-1, 1-1-0 BWC), Long Beach State (5-4-2, 0-0-1 BWC)
WHEN:  Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018
WHERE:  Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Stadium
PROMOTIONS:  Free roster sheets, team posters, and schedules cards will be available at the sports marketing table located near the concession stand. Keiki (ages 18 and under) can register to participate in the "Soccer Shootout" promotional contest at halftime for the chance to win a great prize! Fans of all ages can enter the drawing-contest for the chance to win a UH-branded polo shirt and four (4) free tickets to an upcoming UH sporting event of your choice. A free pair of "rubbah slippahs" will be distributed to fans while supplies last, courtesy of the UH Soccer team. UH branded t-shirts and soccer stress balls will be tossed into the crowd every time UH scores a goal. 
TELEVISION: Spectrum Sports (Scott Robbs and Jessica Domingo)
LIVE STATS: www.hawaiiathletics.com
TICKETS: Free
 
Match #13 Information:
TEAMS: Hawai'i (6-4-1, 1-1-0 BWC), UC Davis (4-6-2, 1-1-0 BWC)
WHEN:  Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018
WHERE:  Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Stadium
PROMOTIONS: Free roster sheets, team posters, and schedules cards will be available at the sports marketing table located near the concession stand. Keiki (ages 18 and under) can register to participate in the "Soccer Shootout" promotional contest at halftime for the chance to win a great prize! Fans of all ages can enter the drawing-contest for the chance to win a UH-branded polo shirt and four (4) free tickets to an upcoming UH sporting event of your choice. A free pair of "rubbah slippahs" will be distributed to fans while supplies last, courtesy of the UH Soccer team. UH branded t-shirts and soccer stress balls will be tossed into the crowd every time UH scores a goal. 
LIVE STATS: www.hawaiiathletics.com
TICKETS: Free