For UHH men’s soccer, fresh faces abound

Year 2 is supposed to be easier, but familiarity won’t be on Paul Regrutto’s side this season.

At least not initially, although time is definitely on his side.

UH-Hilo men’s soccer team is breaking in 26 new players to mesh with nine returnees from a team that finished 4-12 last year in Regrutto’s first season, a win total that was double from the previous season.

“I feel like we will be better this year, but we obviously still have a lot to prove,” Regrutto said in a school release. “We are still working on improving the culture and we are very, very young.

The Vulcans were picked to finish 11th of 12 teams Wednesday in the Pacific West Conference coaches’ poll, and no UHH players made the all-league selection.

“Looking at us on paper, I am not surprised that the league’s coaches put us where they did,” Regrutto said.

The Vulcans opened practice with almost a full month to develop. Their season opener is not until a Sept. 18 match at Cal State San Marcos, with their first home match set for Sept. 18 against Hawaii Pacific on the campus baseball field.

Of the 26 newcomers, 18 are freshman, and the transfers include Hilo High alum Kalei Tolentino-Perry (formerly of San Jose State) and Kamehameha grad Jameson Sato (Texas Permian Basin).

Defending champion Azusa Pacific Cougars received 10 first-place votes, with second-place Fresno Pacific and Concordia receiving the other two. The Cougars also have the Preseason Player of the Year in Arturo Astorga, the Defender of the Year (Isaac Bawa) and the Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year (Brendan Fix).