HONOLULU – The Hawai'i soccer team opens its 2026 season with a pair of matchups against Big 12 opponents in the OUTRIGGER Soccer Kickoff. UH will be hosting the weekend's matches at its on-campus field as part of a temporary move away from Waipi'o Soccer Stadium for at least the first seven home matches that was announced last week.

The Rainbow Wahine kick off the season Thursday vs. No. 23 Texas Tech before closing out the weekend against Kansas State on Sunday. This will mark UH's first meeting against both schools. Hawai'i is 3-3 all-time against Big 12 opponents.
 

OUTRIGGER Soccer Kickoff (Aug. 13 & 16)
Date / Time				Thurs., Aug. 13 Seattle U vs. Kansas State -- 1:00 p.m. Hawai'i vs. No. 23 Texas Tech -- 4:00 p.m. Sun., Aug. 16 Seattle U vs. No. 23 Texas Tech -- 1:00 p.m. Hawai'i vs. Kansas State -- 4:00 p.m.
Location				UH Lower Campus Field
TV/Live Stream				K5/MW+ (UH vs. Kansas State match only) Subscribe to MW+ HERE
Live Stats				HERE
PDF Notes				Hawai'i | Texas Tech | Kansas State | Seattle U
Gameday Fan Info				HERE
Game Promotions				OUTRIGGER is the sponsor of the opening weekend of Rainbow Wahine soccer. Fans can sign their keiki up for the halftime contests at the marketing table for a chance to win a one-night stay at the Outrigger Waikiki Beachcomber. Every time UH scores a goal, Outrigger-branded towels will be tossed into the crowd.
Social Media				@HawaiiWSoccer  | #HawaiiWSoccer | @HawaiiWSoccer

 
HEAD COACH MICHELE NAGAMINE
At Hawai'i: 90-123-33 (15th season)
Collegiate Record: 114-153-34 (18th year)

SERIES VS. TEXAS TECH
First Meeting

SERIES VS. KANSAS STATE
First Meeting

ON THE PITCH  
DID YOU KNOW?
This marks the first time since 2015 that UH is playing back-to-back Power 4 opponents to open the season. The 'Bows enter the week 3-3 all-time vs. Big 12 teams.
 
SOCCER RETURNS TO MANOA
The Rainbow Wahine will open the season by playing their first seven matches at the newly completed on-campus field. The temporary move away from Waipi'o Soccer Stadium was announced the week before the season started. UH owns an all-time record of 8-4-2 when playing on campus, while this marks the first time since 2019 that Hawai'i has played a match in Manoa. The 'Bows played four matches on campus that season, one in 2013 and all nine of their home matches in 1999 on campus.
 
BRAND NEW ERA
The start of the 2026 season marks the beginning of a new era for Hawai'i soccer as it makes the move to the Mountain West. UH spent the previous 13 seasons in the Big West where it qualified for the conference's postseason tournament three of the last six years while winning the Big West regular season title in 2024. The Rainbow Wahine soccer team will now join a majority of the school's other programs in making the move to the Mountain West. The move will also renew UH's old rivalries with former WAC opponents Nevada, San Jose State, and UTEP.

A STEADY PRESENCE
Senior midfielder Izzy Ayala was a constant presence on the pitch for the Rainbow Wahine all throughout the 2025 season, leading the team with 1,734 minutes played. The senior played all 90 minutes in each of the last 13 matches, and has was on the field for the entire match 15 times last season. Ayala played 96.2 percent of the possible minutes this year, spending just 66 total minutes on the bench all season and was the only player on the team to start all 20 matches.
 
» Named a preseason Mountain West Player to Watch.
» Played 1,182 consecutive minutes to end the season, a streak that dates back to a Sept. 4 match last year at Sacramento State. Went the full 90 minutes in each of the last 13 matches.
» Finished 2025 with a single-season career-high seven points, scoring two goals while recording three assists.
» Enters the season with four career goals and four career assists for a total of 12 points.
 
PROTECTOR OF THE NET
The Rainbow Wahine will have the luxury of leaning on a veteran presence in the net in junior keeper Kennedy Justin. Named a preseason Mountain West Player to Watch, Justin comes into the year already having earned numerous recognitions throughout her career. The Long Beach, Calif. native was named the Big West Goalkeeper Player of the Year as a redshirt freshman in 2024 in addition to earning first-team All-West Region honors. She also currently ranks in the UH career top 10 in a number of major statistical categories for goalkeepers.
 
OUR TEAM. HAWAI'I'S TEAM.
Staying true to the department-wide motto of Our Team, Hawai'i's Team, the Rainbow Wahine helped kick off their season by heading to Maui to play an exhibition against Seattle U. The two teams played to a scoreless draw in Sunday's friendly that gave the Rainbow Wahine a chance to play in front of fans on a different island in a final tune-up for this week's regular season opener. Following the match, both the Rainbow Wahine and Redhawks players took part in a keiki clinic for nearly 200 participants on the field at King Kekaulike High School. Additionally, on Saturday both teams traveled to Lahaina to pay respects to the victims of the tragic 2023 fires and take part in a community service event at the memorial to the victims on the three-year anniversary of the fires.

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