The University of Hawaii at Hilo women’s soccer team claimed the 2022 Pacific West Conference Championship following a 3-1 win against Azusa Pacific University on October 29.
Grace VerHage netted all three scores in the first half for the second hat-trick (three goals in one match) of her career and just the sixth in program history—the last one was 10 years ago by Adele Letro.
Following the match, VerHage was named PacWest Player of the Week for October 24–30. Not only is VerHage the only player in the conference this year to notch a hat trick, she also tops the PacWest with 11 goals on the season and 25 points.
UH Hilo repeats as back-to-back conference champions, but this time alone at the top, as last year they tied as co-champions with Point Loma Nazarene University.
The team improved to 13-0-3 overall and 8-0-2 PacWest play.
What’s next
The Vulcans will find out their placement in the NCAA Women’s Soccer Championships West Regional bracket on November 7; the NCAA Selection Show will be broadcast online on ncaa.com starting at 4:30 pm HST.
The six-team regional will feature the champions from the PacWestGreat Northwest Athletic Conference and California Collegiate Athletic Association, along with three at-large bids.
The Vulcans currently sit at No. 3 in the latest NCAA Division II West Region Rankings. The top two teams will earn hosting rights to the first and second rounds of the NCAA postseason.
For more, visit hiloathletics.com.
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