The first win of the season continued to elude the Hawaii soccer team.
Still, Thursday’s 4-1 Big West loss to UC Irvine at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium represented a significant landmark for the Rainbow Wahine and the UH athletic department as a whole.
With COVID-19 related restrictions on gatherings eased, 427 spectators turned out for the first UH event open to the general public since the UH men’s volleyball team’s win over Brigham Young at the Stan Sheriff Center on March 6, 2020. It was the first UH soccer match played with fans in attendance since Oct. 27, 2019.
The 2020 soccer season was canceled and the Wahine (0-9-3, 0-5-2 Big West) played their first five home matches in an empty stadium.
“I’m glad that we got a crowd out there. I’m just sorry that we didn’t have our best performance,” UH coach Michele Nagamine said. “It was nice to see some familiar faces in the stands, it was good to have the energy.”
The fans didn’t have a whole lot to make noise about through the first 67 minutes, as UC Irvine (9-4, 4-1) took a 4-0 lead powered by a hat trick by Scarlett Camberos, who scored twice on penalty kicks.
They finally broke into a cheer when UH freshman Nicole Ando’s sliding shot from the left side snuck past the line for the first goal of her career.
“Ando is our little Hershey’s Kiss — good things come in small packages — and that goal was sheer heart and sheer determination,” Nagamine said of the 5-foot-1 Mililani graduate.
The city and state relaxed restrictions on gatherings to allow 50% of capacity or up to 1,000 spectators at outdoor events, and Thursday’s match served as a first run for UH’s attendance protocols.
Fans wore masks throughout the match and “pods” marked off with blue tape maintained social distancing. Attendees were required to provide proof of vaccination and answer COVID-19 screening questions on the LumiSight app. Those without a phone could fill out a form similar to the procedures at a restaurant.
Next up will be the UH football game against New Mexico State on Oct. 23 at the Clarence T.C. Ching Complex. The Rainbow Wahine volleyball team can welcome 500 fans at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center starting Oct. 29 against UC Davis.
“It’s the first time, so we’re encouraged. Everybody’s been reading the website and asking questions on how to download (the app),” said UH associate athletic director Vince Baldemor, who oversees the soccer program. “That will be the standard for all our events moving forward, so it’s a good test right now. … In most cases they’ve come prepared with the app.”
Among the early arrivals for Thursday’s match were Kim and Branden Sumida, the parents of UH sophomore Kelci Sumida, the team’s leading scorer this season.
“It means a lot. We lost two years because of COVID, so just coming out to be able to support them in person, we feel like we’re giving them that extra man on the field,” Kim Sumida said.
“I’m mostly happy for the seniors, because at least they’ll have fans for senior night (on Oct. 31). Even if its only two home games, at least they’ll be able to go out in Hawaii style.”
Terrene Uehira made the drive from Hawaii Kai with her daughter Kelly, a UH sophomore who watched the game with Hanna Dartez, a junior from Sacramento.
With classes moved online last year, the soccer match was Kelly’s first in-person event as a college student.
“I’ve been watching ever since I was little and I used to be a ball shagger (at UH matches),” said Kelly, who played club soccer for Leahi. “So it’s more personal and nostalgic to me.”
The night wasn’t completely without a hitch. A bank of lights went out in a corner of the stadium about five minutes into the match. The match continued on with a section of the field slightly darkened until the lights returned with about seven minutes left in the first half.
Two sets of lights behind the UH bench went out with about 13 minutes left and, after a delay, the coaches agreed to continue the match despite the outage. The lights returned for the final two minutes of the match.
