HONOLULU, Hawai'i — Hawai'i Pacific University Men's Soccer has officially released its 2026 season schedule, a slate that opens with an Aug. 27 road trip to Hawai'i-Hilo and features three meetings with crosstown rival Chaminade. After a 2025 campaign that saw the Sharks post a winning record deep into October before a late-season slide, HPU returns its leading scorer and a veteran core as it looks to close the gap on the PacWest's top teams in 2026.

A Season of Two Halves

HPU sat at 6-4-2 overall (3-3 PacWest) through Oct. 23 last season, a mark that included statement wins over Chaminade (twice) and Westmont. But the Sharks dropped their final four matches of the year to Point Loma, Dominican, Menlo, and Hawai'i-Hilo, finishing 6-8-2 (3-7 PacWest) and 10th in the 12-team conference. HPU scored 26 goals on 187 shots (.139 shooting pct.) while allowing 29 goals on 210 shots against, with 71 saves in net. Turning that late-season stretch into results will be a central storyline for 2026. 

Home Turf Dominance Renewed Against Chaminade

Few teams gave HPU more trouble than the Sharks gave Chaminade last year; HPU handled the Silverswords twice in 2025, winning 1-0 at Waipio on Sept. 16 and 4-0 on the road on Oct. 4. HPU gets three cracks at the rivalry in 2026, hosting Chaminade twice to open the season, Sept. 1 and Sept. 19, before closing the season series on the road on Oct. 31.

Closing the Gap on PacWest Powers Point Loma and Vanguard

The top of the 2026 schedule features rematches with the two teams that finished 1-2 in the PacWest a year ago. Point Loma enters 2026 as the team to beat, having claimed both the PacWest regular-season title and the conference tournament crown in 2025 at 16-4-2 (9-1 conference). HPU fell 3-1 to the Sea Lions last October in a match the Sharks were competitive in before conceding late. HPU travels to San Diego to face Point Loma on Sept. 26.
Vanguard finished as the 2025 PacWest runner-up at 9-5-4 (7-1-2 conference) and handed HPU a 3-0 loss on Oct. 9. The Sharks head to Costa Mesa to face the Lions on Oct. 3, giving HPU back-to-back road tests against the conference's top two finishers from a season ago.

A Revenge Tour Against Hawai'i-Hilo

Hawai'i-Hilo finished third in the PacWest in 2025 at 12-6-2 (7-2-1 conference) and delivered a pair of the Sharks' toughest results — 3-0 wins in both meetings, including the regular-season finale that extended HPU's losing streak to four. The home-and-home rematch, Aug. 27 on the road to open the season and Oct. 17 at Waipio, gives HPU an early and late shot at reversing last year's results against a fellow island program.

Firepower Returns Up Top

HPU's offense is led by Kelly Takara (Sr., Striker), who paced the team in nearly every offensive category in 2025 — 8 goals, a team-high 16 points, a team-high 38 shots, 18 shots on goal, and 4 game-winning goals. Pedro Ashley (Sr., Center Midfield) and Alex Arguijo (So., Center Back) each added 3 goals, while Paul Norberg (Jr., Defender) contributed 2 goals and 3 assists to go with 25 shots, the second-most on the team. Olle Ridelius (Sr., Midfielder) led the team in assists with 4.

In goal, HPU brings back both members of its 2025 rotation. Oliver Holt (So., GK) started 13 matches and posted a 2.00 GAA with 53 saves and 2 shutouts, while Ralf Braun (So., GK) was efficient in a smaller sample, going 2-1 with a 1.00 GAA, a .786 save percentage and 2 shutouts of his own in 3 starts. Grad transfer Eduardo Marin (Gr., GK), who joins from Santa Clara, adds experienced competition to the position battle. 

New Faces in the Fold

HPU's 2026 roster also includes grad transfer Konrad Müller (Sr.) [STAT: Müller's background/prior program, if notable] and sophomore center back Maxemilian Törnkvist Angestav of Trosa, Sweden. A group of true freshmen joins the fold as well, including midfielder Brandon Laytin of Anaheim Hills, California, and local product Maikalani Warner. 

The Road Ahead

With Takara leading a productive returning core and a healthy goalkeeping rotation back in the fold, the Sharks will look to carry their midseason form from 2025 through the full slate in 2026, including three shots at rival Chaminade and rematches with conference contenders Point Loma, Vanguard, and Hawai'i-Hilo. 
The full 2026 schedule is available on HPUSharks.com.