HONOLULU— The University of Hawai'i soccer teams returns to action at the Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Stadium on Friday for the Outrigger Soccer Kickoff, by hosting North Texas, then South Dakota State on Sunday. 

***City and County of Honolulu officials have notified the University of Hawai'i that fans will not be allowed at UH Mānoa's season-opening events due to the state's recent record surge in COVID-19 cases and the resulting overwhelmed hospital capacity. The decision to host fans will be re-evaluated in the coming weeks. (More Info)***
  

HAWAI'I (0-0, 0-0) vs NORTH TEXAS (2-0, 0-0) | HAWAI'I (0-0) vs SOUTH DAKOTA STATE (2-0, 0-0)
Date | Time				Friday, Aug. 27, 7:00 p.m. HT and Sunday Aug. 29, 5:00 p.m. HT
Location				Waipahu, O'ahu  - Waipi'o Soccer Complex
Television				None
Live Stream				None
Radio				None
Live Stats				HawaiiAthletics.com
PDF Notes				Hawaii | UNT | SDSU | ISU
Social Media				@HawaiiWSoccer  | #HawaiiWSoccer | @HawaiiWSoccer
Sponsor				None

 
  
HEAD COACH MICHELE NAGAMINE
Overall record: 61-74-15
At Hawai'i: Same

SERIES VS NORTH TEXAS & SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
North Texas
Overall record: First ever meeting

South Dakota State
Overall record: 0-1
Last meeting:

ON THE PITCH• After having to cancel the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, UH returns to the Waipio Soccer Complex to open the 2021 regular season with the Outrigger Soccer Kickoff. The Rainbow Wahine will host North Texas, South Dakota State, and Idaho State, keeping the annual tradition of the early season tournament intact.
 
• Leading up to the first regular-season contest, UH hosted two exhibitions on the Lower Campus grass practice fields with two Division II squads, including Tusculum University from Tennessee and HPU. Both matches went to UH with a final score of 1-0.
 
• The common theme for the 'Bows in the two exhibition wins was the same as their success in 2019, defense. In two matches, UH posted shutouts and allowed two shots by both squads. Junior goalkeeper Lauren Marquez only made two saves between the two matches, and both came against HPU.
 
• UH will take on North Texas and South Dakota State but will not face off with Idaho State in the Outrigger Soccer Kickoff. Historically, UH has never played against North Texas, making this their first-ever meeting. While the 'Bows and Jackrabbits squared off in 2019 for the first time in program history, with UH coming up short 1-0 in Brookings, South Dakota.

PRESEASON GUESSING
The 2021 season is slated to be weird, with the country bouncing back from a roller coaster 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic; in return to a form of normalcy, the Big West Conference did its preseason poll. In the preseason rankings, UH was picked at No. 6, while Long Beach State received the nod as the conference favorite. This poll is interesting because every team in the conference has ultimately revamped their rosters, with a lot of turnover compared to 2019. So who is the favorite? Flip a coin or close your eyes and throw a dart.
 
ESTABLISHED EARLY ON
Three names who will grab attention for UH are forwards Kayla Ryan and Kelci Sumida, along with midfielder Eliza Ammendolia. All three picked up 2019 Big West honors, including Ryan and Ammendolia being named to the conference First Team, while Sumida was selected to the All-Freshman Team. Ryan returns as the team's leading scorer from 2019 with seven goals, while Ammendolia is the returning leader in assists with four.
 
WELCOME NEWBIES
The turnover is significant with UH in 2021 as there are 16 newcomers on the roster, with 13 listed freshmen. Many of them will get substantial playing time, including Mia Foster, Julia Wolfe, Maki Kono, Trini Quiroz, and Maya Gonzalez. All of which saw large of minutes in the two exhibition matches.
 
BIG SHOES TO FILL
Those who have followed the Rainbow Wahine program may know Lauren Marquez's name but don't know much about her. The highly touted goalkeeper studied behind one of the best to ever play for the program in Alexis Mata for two seasons. Marquez saw her first collegiate action in the two exhibitions last week, but Friday and Sunday will mark her first action against Division I opponents.
 
HISTORY ACHIEVED IN 2019
It took some time, but UH overcame the hurdle of getting into the Big West Conference Tournament by earning the No. 4 seed with a 4-1-3 conference record. Defense led to the success, allowing 27 goals in 2019 and only 10 by conference foes.