A banner year for the 2021 University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo women’s soccer team led to a majority of the Pacific West Conference awards. Gene Okamura was selected as the PacWest Coach of the Year, Daelenn Tokunaga was named the Player of the Year, Filippa Graneld is the Newcomer of the Year, and Viviana Poli was tabbed the Goalkeeper of the Year.
Tokunaga, Graneld, Poli and Jodie Lillie were all named to the PacWest first team. Alyssa Padron and Christy Jensen earned PacWest second team honors, and Bailee Brennan grabbed a third team award.
The Vulcans finished the regular season with a 12-3 record and 9-1 mark in the PacWest, and were co-champions of the conference with Point Loma Nazarene University. The Vulcans are also making their first-ever trip to the NCAA tournament, flying to the Pacific Northwest as the No. 5 seed, taking on No. 4 Sonoma State University in Seattle.
“I am just so proud of Coach Okamura, his staff and these young ladies on this historic season,” said Vulcan Athletic Director Patrick Guillen. “They’ve worked so hard and overcome so much adversity to get to this point. These are lifelong experiences and memories that will be with them forever. I know that they will represent UH Hilo, our community and the State of Hawaiʻi well.”
More on the honorees
Okamura guided his squad to its first conference trophy and NCAA appearance. This is Okamura’s sixth season as the Vulcan team leader, and he previously coached both the UH Hilo men and women’s teams. More on Okamura.
Tokunaga led the PacWest in goals and scoring, with 13 goals and four assists. She leads the NCAA West Region in goals scored and goals scored per match. More on Tokunaga.
Graneld was second on the Vulcans in scoring with five goals and five assists. She worked her way into scoring position often, firing 55 shots and 25 lasers on goal, both listing second in the PacWest Conference. More on Graneld.
Lillie was a first team All-PacWest pick as a freshman in 2018, she earned second team honors as a sophomore (2019) and was an All-Hawaiʻi Pod pick this past spring. She helped lead the Vulcan defense that gave up just seven goals in 14 matches. More on Lillie.
Poli had 42 saves on the season and has a 0.53 goals against average (GAA) heading into the NCAA playoffs. Her save percentage of .857 was first in the conference, and her GAA is second in the PacWest. She is the first-ever Vulcan to be named the PacWest Goalkeeper of the Year. More on Poli.
Second team selection Padron had three goals on the year and four assists. She was an All-Hawaiʻi Pod pick last spring and is a key defender on the Vulcan defense. Padron averaged 79 minutes a match. More on Padron.
Brennan is another wall defender on the Vulcan defense that allowed just seven goals. She started in every match and was third on the Vulcans in minutes played with 1,142. More on Brennan.
UH Hilo’s four first team selections is the most in school history, as is the team’s seven overall selections.
For more, go to the UH Hilo athletics website and download the complete 2021 All-Pacific West Conference Team award list. (PDF)
