Krystal Pascua has a general idea how you bring together a soccer team split nearly down the middle with returnees and newcomers.

“Intensity,” judged the Hawaii sophomore midfielder, going by the previous two weeks of double-day practices.

“Everybody’s working really hard, our whole team,” Pascua said. “Working together, just trying to mesh. We start so early this year that it’s kinda hard to get to know everybody and how they play in such a short time. But yeah, we’re working at it.”

Michele Nagamine’s team — featuring nine returning starters and nine newcomers, with a few returning reserves sprinkled in — finds out very soon the progress it’s made in that area. UH opens its 2012 season on Friday at former Western Athletic Conference foe Nevada, then continues on to UNLV on Sunday.

“We’ve worked them hard. But you know, they seem to be jelling and I think this group is very eager to please,” said Nagamine, who went 5-12-1 overall — but 4-2-1 in WAC play — in her first year at UH.

Nagamine said the team’s best attributes are technical ability, speed and passion.

They’ll need all three to succeed. The Rainbow Wahine are going for their first winning season since 2008, and they haven’t won a season opener since defeating No. 26 Kansas 4-0 to kick off 2007.

The Wahine must replace their top defender and best all-around player, Brittani Lum, who led the team with five goals in 2011.

While most of the newcomers — including eight true freshmen from California — aren’t expected to contribute right away, getting team leader Rachel Domingo back from a knee injury for a fifth year was big.

“This is the best I’ve ever felt,” Domingo said. “I guess the fifth year is the charm. … I’m just trying to go (out) with a bang, make my team look good.”

Pascua seems ready to pick up the mantle of leadership after scoring four times as a freshman. Nagamine said she set the tone in the weight room and in fitness in the offseason.

“She’s worked hard for everything she’s done. I’m expecting big things from her,” Nagamine said.

UH is already dealing with some attrition. Senior forward Skye Shimabukuro, an All-WAC second-team pick as a junior (three goals), will redshirt the season after injuring her knee in the spring, Nagamine said. And senior midfielder Bree Locquiao injured her right ACL last week and is out for the year. She will also have to redshirt in order to play next season.

Several of the newcomers are currently shelved with less serious ailments.

UH was picked to finish in a tie for ninth (last) with UC Riverside in the Big West Conference preseason coaches poll last month, but this is a reasonable first test. Nevada was picked to finish last in its inaugural tour of the Mountain West Conference. UH beat the Wolf Pack 5-0 at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium last year.

“I think Nevada is looking for a little bit of payback,” Nagamine said. “They did not play their game last year, and it was not the norm, it was the exception.”

It is the first time since 1994, the program’s inaugural season, that UH opens up on the road. The team left Honolulu on Monday and is staying in Lake Tahoe until game time in Reno.

FORWARDS

With Shimabukuro out for the year, the burden of goal production up front falls on the diminutive duo of Tiana Fujimoto (So, 5-0) and Ashley Haruki (So., 5-1), who combined for four goals in 2011. But they are more seasoned after getting thrown into the fire as true freshmen. McKenzie McGoldrick (Jr. 5-5) is also in line to see some time after a reserve role last year. Newcomer Carly Mottram (Fr., 5-6) could crack the lineup.

MIDFIELDERS

This projects to be a position of strength for the Rainbow Wahine, led by Pascua (So., 5-8), who seems poised to build off her successful freshman season. The return of Domingo (Sr., 5-2) was also big because of her communication and passing ability (team-best five assists in 2011). Senior Amber Fuller (5-5) missed the last seven games of last year for personal reasons, but is back and ready to contribute. Speedy Alexis Colacchio (So., 5-3) put on 10 pounds of muscle in the offseason to help her finish plays. Reserve Michelle Nakasone (Sr., 5-4) has impressed Nagamine at the outset of her final year, while newcomer Alex Gerrain (Fr., 5-1) could get minutes off the bench.

DEFENDERS

While Lum is the single biggest loss from last season, UH must also replace veteran stopper Colleen Burns. Nagamine thinks Amanda “Ziggy” McCaskill (Fr., 5-8) out of ‘Iolani is the player to do it: “She’s going to contribute immediately in the back. … If we played tomorrow, she’d start.” Given her height, she could be Lum’s replacement on set header plays. Chelsea Miyake (Jr., 5-7) is one of the team’s best ball clearers. Karli Look (Jr., 5-2) and Crystal Fresquez (Jr., 5-3) have experience back to their freshman years.

GOALKEEPER

It’s all about Kanani Taaca (Sr., 5-6), the former state player of the year from Kamehameha, whom Nagamine says “is a completely different keeper, confidence-wise, fitness-wise from last year.” She begins the season ranked second all-time at UH in starts in goal (47), fourth in shutouts (seven) and fifth in saves (190). UH picked up two new keepers in Georgia Barnes (Fr., 5-6) and Erica Young (Fr., 5-7) to back her up.

Notes

Freshman defender Jennifer Cafferky of Sweden, the last of Nagamine’s original 10 recruits for 2012, left the team a few days into fall practice for personal reasons. … Local players with eligibility left who did not return for various reasons were Ashlyn Ubongen, Chelsey Goo, Tarra Gabriel and Zhane Santiago.