For going to an unprecedented place, the Hawaii soccer team received an unprecedented haul of Big West awards on Wednesday.
Michele Nagamine, who was named Big West Coach of the Year for the first time in her nine-year career in Manoa, leads her Rainbow Wahine into today’s 5:30 p.m. matchup with host Cal State Fullerton in the Big West tournament semifinals.
It is UH’s first appearance in the four-team tourney — with the grand prize being an automatic NCAA postseason berth — in its eight years as a member of the conference.
“This is 100% a team award. I’m just so happy for the kids and to have the kind of season that we had, it’s not why we play the game, but it sure is nice to be able to recognize my staff,” said Nagamine, who received UH’s first conference coaching top honor since Pinsoom Tenzing in 2007 in the WAC. “I feel so fortunate that I get to work with the kind of people I work with every day.” She pointed out contributions from assistants Marc Fournier, Rachael Doyle and Stephen Whitehouse, and athletic trainer Lyn Nakagawa.
UH (6-7-4, 4-1-3) tied for second in the regular season after being picked to finish seventh. CSF (12-2-4, 5-0-3), a perennial contender, went from an unusual worst last season back to first. UH and CSF drew 1-1 in double-overtime on Oct. 20.
There will be no draws in this one. It will go to penalty kicks if necessary.
Anchoring the UH defense is fifth-year senior Alexis Mata, who became the program’s first Big West Goalkeeper of the Year after recording a league-high 96 saves and a 1.15 goals-against average. The Woodland, Calif., native became the program’s third first-team keeper (Amanda Paterson, 1996 WAC Pacific; Demarre Sanchez, 1999 WAC).
The explosive Mata took a redshirt year back in 2015 when Monk Berger was the starter. Mata said Wednesday that she had some doubts that she’d see her college career through to the very end of her eligibility.
“Come my last season, I decided, wow, we’re so close, there’s no way I can end it like this (just missing the tournament at 4-4),” Mata said. “I’m so grateful that I had the opportunity to take my fifth year and that the coaches wanted me to stick around, because I’m having the time of my life. It’s been great.”
Other Wahine players joining Mata on the All-Big West first team were sophomore forward Kayla Ryan and freshman midfielder Eliza Ammendolia. Ryan led the team with seven goals — all coming in eight conference games — and Ammendolia was instrumental in setting up teammates for scores with her team-high four assists.
Ryan, remarkably, was a fringe player at the start of the season who did not make the travel roster for UH’s nonconference road trip to North and South Dakota. She burned from that and resolved to be productive.
“That’s what I did. I just stayed behind and every single day I went out to the field for an hour and a half or two hours and just worked, by myself,” said Ryan, whose dyed-pink hair became a symbol for the team. “And then, over time that paid off, all the extra reps of doing that, extra reps after practice. That really was just a defining moment in my career. It taught me a lot about myself and the type of teammates I have, who supported me all the way through that.”
Ammendolia, an Australian, arrived just before the season while getting admissions and visa issues resolved and made an immediate impact with her toughness and craftiness in a lithe 5-2 frame.
The Wahine received second-team recognition for sophomore center back Elena Palacios and senior forward Kayla Watanabe. Freshman forward Kelci Sumida, who was second on the team with five goals, was an All-Big West honorable mention. Sumida and Ammendolia were named to the All-Freshman team, as well.
Fullerton features senior Atlanta Primus, the Big West Midfielder of the Year (10 goals, 12 assists), and the Big West Freshman of the Year, Megan Day, a defender who helped her team to nine shutouts.
BIG WEST SOCCER TOURNAMENT
Today: Semifinals at Titan Stadium, Fullerton, Calif.
No. 2 Cal State Northridge (11-6-3) vs. No. 3 UC Santa Barbara (8-4-6), 3 p.m.
No. 4 Hawaii (6-7-4) at No. 1 Cal State Fullerton (12-2-4), 5:30 p.m.
TV/Radio: None
Live streaming: BigWest.TV
