HONOLULU, Hawai'i — Hawai'i Pacific University Women's Soccer has officially released its 2026 season schedule, an 18-match slate that opens Aug. 27 against UT Dallas. After a 2025 campaign that saw the Sharks battle through a rebuilding year at 2-8-5 (1-6-3 PacWest), the program returns a core of contributors and a wave of new additions as it looks to take a step forward in 2026.

Building Off a Season of Close Battles

Tight, low-scoring contests defined HPU's 2025 season. 10 games last season were determined by a single goal or ended level, including 6 shutouts. A 5-game stretch early in the season saw the defense set a school record for 442 consecutive minutes without conceding a goal. The Sharks allowed only 17 goals total on 264 opponent shots on the season, while posting 108 saves in net for an .864 save percentage. The squad will look to turn more of those close results in their favor as PacWest play opens this fall.

A Rivalry Renewed

Few matchups carry more weight on the Sharks' schedule than Chaminade. The two Oahu programs split a pair of tense, low-scoring meetings in 2025: a scoreless draw at Waipio Soccer Stadium on Sept. 16 and a hard-fought 1-0 defeat at Chaminade on Oct. 4, with the Silverswords' lone goal standing as the difference.
HPU gets another crack at the rivalry in 2026, hosting at Waipio Soccer Complex on Sept. 16 before heading to Chaminade for the return match and final PacWest Conference game of the season on Oct. 31.

A Measuring-Stick Rematch with Hawai'i-Hilo

The Sharks will get two more looks at Hawai'i-Hilo, which finished as the PacWest runner-up in 2025 with an 8-3-6 record (6-1-3 conference). HPU dropped both meetings a year ago: 0-2 on the road in October and 0-3 at home on Senior Night, a match in which HPU's goalkeeper made a game-high 14 saves and reached the 100-save mark for the season.
With Hilo again projecting as one of the conference's top teams, the home-and-away series on Sept. 13 (at Hilo) and Oct. 17 (at Waipio) gives HPU an early gauge of how far the program has come.

Another Test Against PacWest Tournament Champion Point Loma

HPU will also face Point Loma again in 2026, a program that captured the 2025 PacWest Tournament title and the 2023 NCAA Division II National Championship. The Sharks fell to the Sea Lions last October at home in conference play. HPU travels to San Diego to face Point Loma on Sept. 26, a road test that will show how much ground the Sharks have closed on the conference's upper tier.

Coach Connor Artigue on the 2026 Sharks

"We're excited for the challenges that this season brings. With a packed schedule and the unique opportunity to compete against all three Hawai'i schools, including our DI neighbors at UH Manoa, our team is eager to show what we're capable of.
The PacWest remains one of the nation's elite conferences for women's soccer, and we expect every match to be a hard-fought battle again. We aim to keep that strong defensive mentality from last season while creating a more dynamic and threatening attack.
As a program, we're committed to steady growth and development, but our expectations and goals remain high. We believe in the talent within this group, and we're entering the season with one clear objective: to compete for a PacWest championship." — Head Coach Connor Artigue

The full 2026 schedule is available on HPUSharks.com.