HONOLULU – The Big West regular season champion Hawai'i women's soccer team opens the postseason against Cal State Bakersfield Thursday at 7 p.m. at Waipi'o Soccer Stadium.
The Rainbow Wahine earned the right to host the conference's postseason tournament for the first time by winning their first regular season title since joining the conference in 2012. UH won the regular-season meeting against the Roadrunners at home on Sept. 26, 1-0, scoring the lone goal of the match on a
Fabiola Zamora penalty kick in the 79th minute. The 'Bows lead the all-time series between the two schools, 4-2-1.
| BIG WEST CHAMPIONSHIP |
| Date / Time |
Thursday, Nov. 7 (Semifinals)
UC Davis vs. UC Santa Barbara -- 4 p.m.
Hawai'i vs. Cal State Bakersfield -- 7 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 10 (Finals)
TBD vs. TBD -- 11 a.m. |
| Location |
Waipi'o Soccer Stadium |
| TV/Live Stream |
Spectrum Sports/ESPN+ (outside of Hawai'i) |
| Live Stats |
UC Davis-UC Santa Barbara | Hawai'i-Cal State Bakersfield |
| PDF Notes |
Hawai'i | Cal State Bakersfield | UC Davis | UC Santa Barbara |
| Tickets |
Fans must purchase tickets in order to attend all of this week's matches. Tickets are available HERE. |
| Social Media |
@HawaiiWSoccer  | #HawaiiWSoccer | @HawaiiWSoccer  |
| Big West Championship Central |
Here |
HEAD COACH MICHELE NAGAMINE
At Hawai'i: 86-114-25, 13th season
Collegiate Record: 110-144-26 (16th year)
SERIES VS. CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD
Overall: UH leads, 4-2-1
Last Meeting: Sept. 26, 2024 (UH won, 1-0)
Streak: W2
ON THE PITCH
DID YOU KNOW?
Big West Midfielder of the Year
Nalani Damacion is tied for second nationally and first among all freshmen with seven game-winning goals. Her seven game-winners are also the most by any NCAA freshman since 2015 (Cece Kizer, Ole Miss).
MAKING HISTORY
The Rainbow Wahine have continued to make history throughout their Big West regular season title winning run.
» First regular season conference title since joining the Big West in 2012.
» Fourth regular season conference championship since 2007 and fourth all-time.
» First 10-win season since 2007.
» Most conference wins in school history.
» Matched a program record with five straight shutouts, tying streaks from 2004 and 2007.
» Seven-match win streak was the longest in a single season in school history.
» Nine-match unbeaten streak marked the longest in UH history.
REGULAR SEASON CHAMPS!
Following a magical regular season in which it captured the program's first Big West regular season title, Hawai'i heads into the postseason with some impressive accomplishments in conference play. The Rainbow Wahine clinched their first league regular season title since joining the Big West in 2012 with a win on Oct. 27 at UC Santa Barbara, and finished the season with 25 points out of a possible 30.
» Outscored teams 12-6 in 10 league games, with all eight wins coming by one goal.
» Most points by a Big West team since 2016 when teams played a 12-match schedule (CSUN - 29).
» First Big West team to start 5-0 in conference play since 2010 (UC Irvine).
» Set a new program record for most conference wins, finishing 8-1-1.
RAKING IN THE HONORS
The Rainbow Wahine dominated the Big West's postseason honors following their regular season title, claiming four of the league's six individual awards while seven players earned All-Big West honors. The seven all-conference honorees ties UH's most ever in a season, matching the number from 2007.
Nalani Damacion - Midfielder of the Year, First-Team, All-Freshman Team
Jacey Jicha - Defender of the Year, First-Team
Kennedy Justin - Goalkeeper of the Year, First-Team, All-Freshman Team
Michele Nagamine - Coach of the Year
Alice Davidson - Second-Team, All-Freshman Team
Brynn Mitchell - Second-Team
Amber Gilbert - Honorable Mention
Cate Sheahan - Honorable Mention
WHAT A TURNAROUND
The Rainbow Wahine enter Thursday's Big West semifinal with a 10-1-1 record over their last 12 matches after getting off to a 2-6 start. UH started off that stretch with a school single-season record seven-match win streak that extended into a program-record nine-match unbeaten streak that was snapped on Oct. 24 at Cal Poly. Over the last 12 matches, UH has dominated in a number of statistical categories.
Win Streak Stats
Score – 18-8
Shot Comparison – 183-118
Shots on Goal Comparison – 79-50
Corner Kicks – 49-43
BIG YEAR FOR "COACH BUD"
Big West Coach of the Year
Michele Nagamine has put together a banner year for the program in her 13th season at the helm of Hawai'i soccer. A mainstay in the local and West Coast soccer community, Nagamine earned Big West Coach of the Year honors for the second time in her career (2019) after leading UH to its first Big West regular season title and fourth regular season conference crown in school history. She also reached the 100-career win mark earlier in the season with a Sept. 1 win over North Dakota State.
