A shift of fortune has so far accompanied a shift of conference for the Hawaii women’s soccer team.

Now the Rainbow Wahine find out if they can keep their preseason success going into the challenging Big West.

UH (5-3-2) makes its debut in Big West play on Sunday at Cal State Northridge, but first it must hurdle its final nonconference match at Cal State Bakersfield on Friday.

"I was telling the team that we’re kind of at a crossroads as to where we want to go," coach Michele Nagamine said via phone after getting settled in Bakersfield. "The women are going to move up and to the left and the girls are going down and to the right. … Hopefully we’ll have people step up this weekend and be the women."

Nagamine’s young squad was picked to finish ninth — in a tie for last with UC Riverside — in the Big West preseason poll, but its prelude to league play has been promising. Using a blend of speed and technical precision, the Wahine have made up for a lack of size and have already matched their overall win total from last season. They lead the league in goals scored (1.9 per game).

"We showed from the previous games we can definitely improve," junior defender/mid Karli Look said. "Teams might take us lightly, but I know we can do it. I think we’re better than a lot of teams think we are."

However, UH is coming off its first consecutive losses of the season, both on the road, where it has dropped 15 of its last 17 over the past three seasons. The Wahine received a temporary boost at home with a 4-1 exhibition win over the UH alumnae on Sunday, then left for the road again on Wednesday.

UH will find the going tougher in the Big West than in the last of its 16 seasons in the Western Athletic Conference, when it went 4-2-1 to salvage the end of a 5-12-1 season in 2011.

"It’s better, definitely more competitive," senior forward Christy Watanabe said. "Bigger teams, more aggressive. Although it sounds intimidating, I think we’re ready."

In the first NCAA RPI ratings of the year issued this week, UH’s rating of 128 (out of 323 Division I schools) is only sixth-best in the Big West. Long Beach State (7-3), the preseason pick to win the league, is No. 7 in RPI and ranked 21st in the NSCAA coaches poll. UC Irvine (RPI of 50) is also expected to contend.

For UH, those two happen to come at the end of the nine-game BWC season. Cal State Northridge (3-3-3) should provide a stingy first test behind goalkeeper Cynthia Jacobo, who leads the league with a 0.61 goals allowed average (six goals in nine matches). By contrast, UH has given up 17 in 10.

Nagamine said the nonconference season was taxing enough to prepare her team for the Big West opener.

"Northridge is a very good team at home, and it’s just a very tough place to play," Nagamine said. "We have our eyes wide open. We’re not at the level we need to be at to underestimate anybody."

If Hawaii is to keep pace, sophomore forward Tiana Fujimoto must continue to find the net. She still leads all Big West players in goals with six and points with 13. Watanabe has both of her career goals in the past three matches.