HONOLULU – Hawai’i returns to the pitch to wrap up its season-opening homestand with matches against Air Force and North Dakota State as part of the OUTRIGGER No Ka Oi.
The Rainbow Wahine will host the Falcons on Thursday at 7 p.m. and the Bison on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. at Waipi’o Peninsula Soccer Stadium, before hitting the road for the first time. UH trails the all-time series against Air Force, 2-1, including a loss in Colorado Springs last year. The ‘Bows hold the all-time advantage against NDSU, 2-1.
| OUTRIGGER No Ka Oi (HAWAI’I, AIR FORCE, GRAND CANYON, NORTH DAKOTA STATE) | ||||
| Date / Time | Thursday, Aug. 29 Grand Canyon vs. North Dakota State — 4:30 p.m. Hawai’i vs. Air Force — 7:00 p.m. Advertisement
Sunday, Sept. 1 |
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| Location | Waipahu, O’ahu — Waipi’o Peninsula Soccer Stadium | |||
| Live Stream | None | |||
| Live Stats | Here | |||
| PDF Notes | Hawai’i | Air Force | Grand Canyon | North Dakota State | |||
| Social Media | @HawaiiWSoccer  | #HawaiiWSoccer | @HawaiiWSoccer  |
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| Gameday Promotions | Fans are encouraged to visit the sports marketing table (located near the concession stand) to register to participate in the promotions and win great prizes. The winner of the halftime promotional contest will receive a one-night stay at an OUTRIGGER property. Fans can download a game day roster by scanning a QR Code. OUTRIGGER branded towels will be tossed into the crowd every time UH scores a goal. | |||
| Admission | FREE | |||
| Gameday Rosters | Gameday Rosters | |||
HEAD COACH MICHELE NAGAMINE
At Hawai’i: 75-110-24, 13th season
Collegiate Record: 99-140-25 (16th year)
SERIES VS. AIR FORCE
Overall: AFA leads, 2-1
Last Meeting: Aug. 31, 2023 (AFA won, 3-1)
Streak: L1
SERIES VS. NORTH DAKOTA STATE
Overall: UH leads, 2-1
Last meeting: Sept. 6, 2019 (UH won, 1-0)
Streak: W2
ON THE PITCH
DID YOU KNOW?
Seven of UH’s newcomers have seen action, with four of them playing over 200 minutes led by freshman Nalani Damacion, who leads the group with 236 minutes played.
BUSY START
The Rainbow Wahine are coming off of a busy initial stretch to the season in which they played four matches in an eight-day span. UH played two matches on its opening weekend before playing matches on back-to-back days in week two. The back-to-back matches against Baylor and Portland marked the first time since 2018 that the ‘Bows played on consecutive days. During the first week of the season, Hawai’i had no more than two days off between matches.
PLENTY OF OPTIONS
Hawai’i displayed its depth throughout the first two weeks of the season, as 17 players played at least 115 minutes on opening weekend. Additionally, 17 different players started at least one match while a different UH player has either scored or assisted on all three goals. The ‘Bows have been able to keep most of its roster relatively fresh through the busy opening stretch, as only one player is averaging more than 70 minutes per match and 22 different players have seen the field.
WHAT A START
True freshman Nalani Damacion has gotten her collegiate career off to an impactful start, earning BIg West Freshman of the Week honors following opening weekend. Damacion delivered the game-winning goal in a season-opening win over Georgia Southern, converting off of a Jacey Jicha free kick in the 86th minute. The goal was the first game-winner in the final five minutes of regulation by a UH player since 2019 and the first-ever game-winning goal by a Rainbow Wahine freshman in a season opener. Damacion has started each of the last three matches and leads the team with five shots on goal and is second with seven total shots.
INSTANT IMPACT
A number of newcomers have impressed for the Rainbow Wahine over the first two weeks, as a total of seven new players have taken the field. The UH newcomers have combined to log a total of 1,074 minutes while a four new players have gotten the starting nod at least once. Four of the new ‘Bows played at least 200 minutes while combining for a goal and an assist.
» Freshman Nalani Damacion scored the game-winning goal in the season-opening victory over Georgia Southern, finding the back of the net in 86th minute.
» Damacion became the first UH freshman ever to score a game winner in a season opener.
» Freshman Alice Davidson assisted on the game-tying goal against Georgia Southern and earned her first career start in Sunday’s match.
» Junior transfer Caroline Carter has started three of the four matches and has played 206 minutes while Laule’a Ah Mook Sang made her first career start vs. Portland and has logged 201 minutes.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
