A new era begins for the UH-Hilo soccer program when it opens the season in Nampa, Idaho, beginning Thursday and Saturday with a pair of nonconference games against Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene.
It’s not a just a new season, it will be the first NCAA head coaching assignment for Gene Okamura, named the interim coach after Lane Thompson resigned last spring, the first competitive action for a long list of newcomers and, oh yes, a different tactical approach. One more twist will occur when they return in another week and play on the Kamehameha Schools field in Keaau, but first things first.