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Injuries stalled the start of Amber Gilbert’s collegiate soccer career.
Since making her Hawaii debut last month, more than three years since her final high school match, the speedy freshman has helped the Rainbow Wahine kick into gear entering the conference season.
Fitting for the forward her Rainbow Wahine teammates have dubbed “Amber-ghini.”
“When they called her Amber-ghini, I’m like, ‘that’s genius,’” UH coach Michele Nagamine said. “It’s one of the best nicknames I’ve heard and it’s 100% applicable to her. It fits her perfectly.”
In a comeback from two ACL injuries, the 5-foot-1 Gilbert finally played her first match with the Rainbow Wahine last month and on Monday was named the Big West Freshman of the Week after contributing a goal and an assist — both in a 24-second span — in UH’s 2-1 win at Portland State last Thursday in Oregon.
“I’ve talked about Amber Gilbert before as just being such an inspiring story for so many people, myself included,” Nagamine said. “To go through the kind of adversity she went through initially with her ACL in high school, then the pandemic, then the ACL again, most people don’t even come back from one and play at the level that she’s playing at. So to do what she’s been doing after two is pretty remarkable.”
Gilbert’s production helped the Wahine close nonconference play at 3-2 and she enters UH’s Big West opener against UC Davis (3-2-2) today at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium with two goals on the season, one behind sophomore Krista Peterson for the team lead, and is the only freshman in the conference with multiple goals.
Gilbert submitted her letter of intent to UH in November 2019 heading into her senior season at Mililani. Her first knee injury and the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020 effectively ended her high school soccer career. The pandemic then wiped out UH’s 2020-21 season and Gilbert remained sidelined when the Wahine returned to action last fall as she recovered from her second knee injury.
After enduring another round of rehab and working her way back into game shape, Gilbert saw her first game action in an exhibition at Northern Arizona on Aug. 14 and officially logged her first UH minutes four days later at Grand Canyon.
“She went to (physical therapy) and was knocking it out of the park,” Nagamine said. “They said she worked so hard from start to finish and wanted more. … She was probably more fit after (rehab), than she was before when she got hurt.”
Gilbert’s first goal came in her first home match when she ran down a long pass from Emily Cottrell and beat the goalkeeper to the ball to drill a shot into the net in a 2-1 win over Seattle on Aug. 25 at WPSS.
“I was so excited. It was honestly on my mind after I missed that first cross (earlier in the match),” Gilbert said. “I just kept thinking, ‘oh my gosh, I’m right there.’ It meant a lot that I was able to do it in the first game back home.”
UH earned a split of last week’s road trip after a late goal led to a 1-0 loss at Portland on Sept. 4 and Gilbert’s goal and assist fueled the victory over Portland State.
Gilbert has added firepower to the front line while working alongside Peterson and senior Kelci Sumida.
“I think the chemistry is pretty good,” Gilbert said of her fellow forwards. “We always hang out outside of the field. We’re always talking about the game and how to play together and what we can do better.”
Sumida led the Wahine with five goals last season and has yet to find the net through five matches this season, but her presence continues to factor into the UH attack.
“Kelci Sumida being involved with getting assists and just really drawing a lot of attention from the defense of the other team, it opens things up for Amber and Krista,” Nagamine said. “The synergy and cooperation and the camaraderie that they’re building in that front line has been tremendous for us.”
Big West women’s soccer
At Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium
UC Davis (3-2-2) vs. Hawaii (3-2)
>> When: Today, 7 p.m.
>> TV: Spectrum Sports
>> Radio: None
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