HONOLULU — University of Hawai'i midfielder
Eliza Ammendolia picked up an early accolade on Thursday as part of the Big West Women's Soccer Preseason All-Conference team.
The conference unveiled the results of the preseason coaches polls and Ammendolia, a fifth-year senior from Griffith, New South Wales, Australia, was among the 12 players voted to the preseason team by the league's coaches.
Ammendolia was an All-Big West first-team selection last season, recording two goals and an assist while controlling the midfield for the Rainbow Wahine. She also made the all-conference first team as a freshman in 2019 and was a second-team pick in 2021.
As a team, the Rainbow Wahine placed seventh in the Big West Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll with 44 points. Long Beach State led the voting of the Big West's 11 coaches with 87 points, followed by Cal Poly and two-time defending conference champion UC Irvine.
UH's place in the poll matches last year's finished Big West standings when the Rainbow Wahine closed 2022 at 6-6-3 overall and 3-4-3 in conference play, just behind UC Irvine, which went on to reach the NCAA Tournament's Round of 16.
The Rainbow Wahine return to Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Stadium on Sunday for an exhibition game with Houston Christian. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. They officially open the regular season with the OUTRIGGER Soccer Kickoff and face Utah Valley at 7 p.m. on Aug. 17 at WPSS. They cap the weekend against Gonzaga on Aug. 20.
2023 Big West Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll
| Rank |
Team |
Points (1st place) |
| 1 |
Long Beach State |
87 (2) |
| 2 |
Cal Poly |
86 (4) |
| 3 |
UC Irvine |
79 (3) |
| 4 |
Cal State Fullerton |
78 (1) |
| 5 |
UC Davis |
69 |
| 6 |
UC Santa Barbara |
58 (1) |
| 7 |
Hawai'i |
44 |
| 8 |
UC San Diego |
36 |
| 9 |
UC Riverside |
29 |
| 10 |
CSUN |
20 |
| 11 |
Cal State Bakersfield |
15 |
2023 Big West Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches Team
| Player |
Year |
Position |
Team |
| Leslie Fregoso |
Sr. |
Midfielder |
UC Davis |
| Cherrie Cox |
So. |
Forward |
Long Beach State |
| Lauren Helwig |
Sr. |
Midfielder |
UC Santa Barbara |
| Alyssa Moore |
Jr. |
Forward |
UC Irvine |
| Maddy Perez |
Jr. |
Def/Mid |
Long Beach State |
| Emma Brown |
Jr. |
Defender |
Cal Poly |
| Glo Hinojosa |
Grad. |
Goalkeeper |
UC Irvine |
| Eliza Ammendolia |
Grad. |
Midfielder |
Hawai'i |
| Makenna McGill |
So. |
Forward |
Cal State Fullerton |
| Gianna Creighton |
Sr. |
Midfielder |
UC Irvine |
| Kaylin Raibon |
So. |
Defender |
Cal State Fullerton |
| Risa Yamada |
Sr. |
Midfielder |
UC Davis |
#HawaiiWSoccer
