HONOLULU—Heading into the program's 25th season, the University of Hawai'i soccer team announced its 19-match schedule for the 2018 campaign.
 
"I'm very happy with the challenging schedule we have been able to put together for 2018," said head coach Michele Nagamine. "Opening with a powerhouse like Texas A&M will be an excellent opportunity for our young team to experience a quality side that is always one of the top teams in the country.  With regard to our road games, it's nice that we get to return to teams like Saint Mary's, University of the Pacific, Nevada, and University of San Francisco."
 
The first 11 matches of the season will feature all non-conference opponents with six home matches at Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Stadium. Texas A&M will begin the season on Friday, August 17th with a scheduled 7 p.m. start time, followed by Bowling Green on Sunday, August 19th at 5 p.m., both matches will be a part of the Outrigger Soccer Kickoff, along with Loyola Marymount University.
 
The four-match home stretch will continue with the OHANA Hotels Soccer Invitational, beginning with the University of Montana on Wednesday, August 22nd at 7 p.m. Arizona State University will follow on Friday, August 24th at 7:00 p.m.
 
From August 30th to September 16th, the Rainbow Wahine will wrack up the frequent flyer miles with four road matches, and one home match sandwiched in-between. The first two of the four will provide stops at Saint Mary's and Pacific, with the Bows returning home to take on soon to be Big West Conference member and current NCAA Division II powerhouse UC San Diego on Friday, September 7th at 7 p.m. The second road trip of the season will span from September 13th to September 16th with stops at Nevada and the University of San Francisco.
 
UH, will return to the island of O'ahu for the Waikiki Beachcomber Shootout as they'll host North Dakota State University and Grand Canyon University on back-to-back days on September 22nd and 23rd. NDSU will be on Saturday at 2 p.m., and GCU will be on Sunday at 5 p.m.
 
Of the 11 non-conferences matches, three of them are return matches from 2017 with ASU, GCU, and Pacific. UH went 2-1 against the trio last year, including a thrilling 1-0 overtime win at ASU. Four of the road contests including SMC, Pacific, Nevada, and USF is scheduled for return dates with matches at UH in 2019 and 2020.
 
"Playing a challenging non-conference slate will help us to prepare for the Big West Conference, which is always a competitive conference in women's soccer," said Nagamine. "We endured some unfortunate injuries to key players right before conference play started last year, so we are eager to show how much we've improved.  We'll be paying especially close attention to monitoring our players' energy systems and how we recover after games and travel, to make sure our bodies last through the gauntlet of Big West play."
 
The conference schedule will start on the road at UC Irvine on September 28th, continuing with a visit at CSUN on the 30th. The Rainbow Wahine will begin the month of October by hosting Long Beach on Thursday, October 4th at 7 p.m. and UC Davis on Sunday, October 7th at 5 p.m. Following a 12 day lay off, the Bows will conclude its final regular season road trip with matches at Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara on October 19th and 21st.
 
UC Riverside and Cal State Fullerton will close out the regular season with matches on the 25th and 27th in Honolulu. Both squads made the BWC tournament in 2017, with the Titans coming out on top as champions. The matchup with Highlanders will be on the 25th at 7 p.m., and Fullerton will be at 2 p.m. on the 27th.
 
UH will enter the 2018 season with a young and talented roster, bolstered by senior midfielder Raisa Strom-Okimoto. A year ago, she finished third in the conference with shots on goal with 59, while accounting for three goals and two assists. On the defensive side, junior Alexis Mata returns as one of the top goalkeepers in the BWC. Her sophomore season showcased her athletic ball-hawking ability accounting for 96 saves to lead the conference, and rank No. 3 all-time in UH history with saves in a single season. She ranked No. 3 in the conference with a .780 save percentage.
 
Game promotions and a television schedule for the 2018 schedule will be released at a later time.