It might have been Day 1 of Hawaii soccer fall practice, but there were no strangers on the field Wednesday.

The Rainbow Wahine kicked things off for the 2015 season with a degree of familiarity with each other — especially for the newcomers — not usually seen at this early stage.

“We actually did a bridge program this year, which gave them a (voluntary) chance to go to summer school, get their schedules down, learn what it’s like to be a student-athlete before (fall), go through the homesick part a little bit earlier,” fifth-year coach Michele Nagamine said. “So that was really good, very positive, we had great feedback from them.”

There was still a fitness test to endure and technical prowess to display, and the usual nerves that accompany a 26-player proving ground.

“I was really nervous about our (fitness) test,” said senior Tiana Fujimoto, a former Big West first-teamer making a return from a one-year injury absence. “It wasn’t too bad once we were done. And playing wasn’t too bad; I’ve just got to get back in the groove of everything again.”

Said Nagamine of 2013’s 10-goal, 5-foot wonder: “It’s just so good to have her back.”

Nagamine has a little over two weeks to prepare her team for the Aug. 21 season opener vs. powerhouse Stanford in the Outrigger Resorts Soccer Classic. UH is coming off a 7-10-1 season, including a 2-5-1 showing in the Big West, good for eighth place. The Wahine are still searching for their first top-four finish and inaugural berth in the conference tournament.

There are several holes to fill. Gone are the physical Krystal Pascua up top, the steady Ashley Haruki and Hayden Gibson at midfield and a handful of reserves.

This year’s newcomers were hard not to notice.

Nine fresh faces dotted the grass practice field at the Manoa lower campus. Among them, five were listed at 5 feet 7 or taller. Auburn transfer Kellsie Gleason, measuring above 6 feet, towered over the bunch.

Midfielder Storm Kenui, an all-region pick last year, marveled at the sight not typical of recent UH teams.

“Finally!” said the Rainbow Wahine’s 2014 leading scorer (six goals). “It’s nice … most girls are almost around my (5-5) height. But having three or four people with height, it’s kind of nice to have. We’re usually the team that’s the shortest out of the whole Big West.”

Nagamine envisions Gleason, a redshirt freshman, able to flourish at center forward while some of the smaller attackers like Fujimoto, Kama Pascua and Sonest Furtado wreak havoc around her.

The coach said she was impressed with the Day 1 efforts of Kenui as well as sophomore Furtado and freshman Sarah Lau. Ryan Daniel, a junior defender, dominated the fitness competition.

Lau, a 5-10 defender out of Kamehameha, could have a chance at some immediate playing time at outer back.

“The potential of some of the kids, it’s just scary, they’re very athletic, very strong, so I was very happy with what I saw today,” Nagamine said.

Gleason and her little sister, true freshman McKenna, were late additions to the 2015 roster. So was Loyola Marymount transfer Keala Parker-Lee, a 2014 Sacred Hearts graduate.

Junior midfielder Hallie Hernandez, a reserve, left the team in the offseason to focus on the demanding UH physics program. Nagamine termed the move a “win-win.”