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The story of Hawaii soccer scheduling in the post-COVID era has been brief. The last three years have come to an end in an average of 15 games, a relatively swift end relative to past norms.
Not so this fall. UH announced a 20-game slate for the upcoming 2024 season – a full 10 nonconference games to go with 10 Big West contests.
Twenty games is tied for the most in the 14-year tenure of head coach Michele Nagamine. Her teams last played that many in 2012, its first season as a member of the Big West.
Nagamine has lamented Division I programs’ travel and budget restrictions since 2020 that cost her team opportunities to play as teams balked at coming to the far-flung Islands. UH went 5-8-3 (4-5-1 Big West) in 16 games in 2023 that included an appearance in the Big West tournament.
“We suffered a little bit through that,” Nagamine told Spectrum News in a phone interview Tuesday. “(We) didn’t have time to get the familiarity down … if we could go back and have 20 games every year, that’s ideal.”
Cascading conference realignment could portend difficult scheduling in the years ahead, Nagamine cautioned. Twenty games could remain the exception, not the rule.
The Rainbow Wahine will open with six straight matches at home spread across three tournaments, then venture forth for a three-game swing through the Pacific Northwest prior to Big West Conference play.
The opener is Aug. 15 against Georgia Southern in the Outrigger Kickoff.
The marquee event is the Outrigger Invitational as UH hosts Baylor of the Big 12 and Portland of the West Coast Conference on Aug. 21 and 22.
“I feel like it’s a solid schedule for us, especially having the first six games at home,” Nagamine said. “But make no doubt about it, playing Baylor and Portland back to back, that’s going to be rough.”
She noted that Georgia Southern, Utah State (Aug. 18) and Air Force (Aug. 29) have competed for recent conference championships as well.
Big West play begins at home Sept. 19 against UC Davis. UH will face defending champion UC Irvine on the road Oct. 13. Another game of note is at Cal State Northridge on Oct. 3, when Nagamine faces first-year Matadors coach Gina Brewer, a former Hawaii Pacific head coach and former UH assistant coach under Pinsoom Tenzing.
Games at Seattle University (Sept. 5), Eastern Washington (Sept. 8) and Portland State (Sept. 12) will test UH’s ability to endure for more than a week away from home.
“That’s going to be an exciting trip. It’s going to be a long trip, but anytime we can go on the road and maximize the games that we’re getting, it’s always a good thing for the team,” Nagamine said.
Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium will once again be the site of all UH home games. UH was initially slated to have its new on-campus soccer facility available to play day games this season, but a series of delays have pushed that back to 2025.
With the site of its former grass practice fields torn up for construction of the future venue, the team has had to get creative with its offseason practices and will face the same predicament leading up to and during the season.
“It does pay to have friends in high places,” Nagamine said. “We were able to secure practice space off campus due to relationships we’ve had for many, many years. We’re trying to be good neighbors with everybody in that Manoa area so we can all have a place to play.”
UH has borrowed field time at Les Murakami Stadium, Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium and the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex. Nagamine thanked coaches Rich Hill, Bob Coolen and Timmy Chang.
The Wahine return 15 letterwinners, including all-conference honorees Amber Gilbert, Jacey Jicha and Izzy Ayala.
This season will be the program’s 30th since its 1994 inception – not including one year lost to the pandemic.
2024 UH soccer schedule
* – Big West Conference game
Aug. 15 – Georgia Southern
Aug. 18 – Utah State
Aug. 21 – Baylor
Aug. 22 – Portland
Aug. 29 – Air Force
Sept. 1 – North Dakota State
Sept. 5 – at Seattle
Sept. 8 – at Eastern Washington
Sept. 12 – at Portland State
Sept. 19 – UC Davis*
Sept. 22 – Hawaii Pacific
Sept. 26 – Cal State Bakersfield*
Oct. 3 – at CSUN*
Oct. 6 – Cal State Fullerton*
Oct. 10 – at UC San Diego*
Oct. 13 – at UC Irvine*
Oct. 20 – UC Riverside*
Oct. 24 – at Cal Poly*
Oct. 27 – at UC Santa Barbara*
Oct. 31 – Long Beach State*
Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.
