HILO, Hawaii — The Hawaii Hilo women’s soccer team fell short of replicating its recent lofty standards in 2023, but it wasn’t for a lack of star power for the Vulcans.
Teani Arakawa garnered her second Division II All-America award in as many weeks as the junior forward was named a United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-America first-teamer on Friday.
Arakawa led the Vulcans (10-2-3) with 10 goals and seven assists and posted a 3.76 cumulative grade-point average.
Following in the footsteps of graduated Vulcan Daelenn Tokunaga, Arakawa was named to the United Soccer Coaches D-II All-America third team. The Makawao, Maui native and King Kekaulike High graduate already received a haul of awards such as PacWest Player of the Year and D-II CCA West Region Player of the Year.
Hilo started the season 10-0-1 but went 0-2-2 in its last four matches and missed out on the NCAA Tournament for the first time in three years. Gene Okamura’s Vulcans had a 35-match regular-season unbeaten streak come to an end with a 3-0 home loss to PacWest rival Point Loma Nazarene on Oct. 21, but that proved to be no fluke.
Point Loma (17-3-1) went on to win the PacWest by clinching the conference on the final day of the regular season. The Sea Lions earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and went 5-0 in the postseason to win the national championship, 1-0 over Washburn in Matthews, N.C., on Dec. 9.
It was the PacWest’s first national championship in women’s soccer and the first national championship in any sport for Point Loma.
Brian McInnis covers the state's sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.