Mahalo for supporting Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Enjoy this free story!
Raisa Strom-Okimoto recorded the 13th hat trick in Hawaii soccer history to carry the Rainbow Wahine to a 4-0 Big West win against Cal Poly on Friday night in San Luis Obispo, Calif..
It was a breakthrough on multiple fronts for UH (8-5-1, 3-2), which moved above .500 in conference play for the first time in its seven-year Big West history. Freshman Daelenn Tokunaga added a late goal, her second of the season.
“The team was just so ready to play. We had that week off (last week) and we were hungry,” UH coach Michele Nagamine said in a postgame phone interview.
UH is tied with UC Santa Barbara for third place with three games left in the regular season. That includes a big matchup at UCSB (2 p.m. HST) on Sunday, as the Wahine try to solidify their standing in the top four in order to qualify for their first Big West tournament.
Strom-Okimoto, UH’s senior co-captain, struck in the fifth, 39th and 51st minutes to stake UH to a 3-0 lead. She has 11 goals this season, the most for a Wahine player since 2007, when Taryn Fukuroku and Ambree Ako had 12 apiece.
Strom-Okimoto has had five goals in the last two games. Her hat trick was the first by a Wahine since Tiana Fujimoto against Idaho State in 2013.
“She just never ceases to amaze me. That kid just takes us all up and throws us on her back,” Nagamine said. “She plays with so much heart. She’s so explosive and hard to defend. And she really showed that tonight. The team has really rallied around her, and they know what her strengths are and they play to it.”
The Wahine recorded their first victory over Cal Poly (1-12-4, 1-4-1) in seven tries in Big West play, and nine meetings overall. They were 0-3 in BWC games in San Luis Obispo going into Friday, but ended that with the program’s most lopsided Big West win.
“The first time we beat Cal Poly, and we put an exclamation point on the end of it,” Nagamine said.
Kitamura joins UH baseball coaching staff
Hawaii baseball coach Mike Trapasso announced Friday that former Rainbow Warrior infielder Pi‘ikea Kitamura will be joining the coaching staff as a volunteer assistant for the 2019 season.
Kitamura played in 225 games for UH from 2010-2013.
He played one season in the Oakland A’s organization after signing as a free agent.
UH swimming teams start season
The University of Hawaii women’s swimming team beat four other squads at the Cal State Bakersfield Sprint Classic on Friday in Bakersfield, Calif.
The Rainbow Wahine finished with 377 points and were followed by UC Santa Barbara (369), San Jose State (295.5), Fresno State (211.5) and Cal State Bakersfield (169).
UH finished second in the men’s competition. UC Santa Barbara won with 456.5 and Cal State Bakersfield was third with 336.5.
Rainbow Warrior senior Metlin Aydin won the 100- and 400-yard individual medleys.
79