Chaminade men’s soccer fell 4–0 to Hawai‘i Hilo on Saturday afternoon at Saint Louis Field. The loss extended the Silverswords’ winless streak to eight games and left them with only one goal in those eight contests this season.
“We came out a little sluggish,” said Chaminade midfielder Kayden Medeiros. “It was a nonconference game, so we played a bit more reserved. But we stayed in it and tried to fight as far as we could. They [Hilo] never let off the gas, and that’s something we have to match next time. We’ll learn from this, stay together, and be ready when we see them again.”
UH Hilo (6-4-2) struck early when senior defender and midfielder Shudai Ito scored on a direct kick just three minutes into the match. The Vulcans pulled away in the second half with a goal from freshman forward and defender Kalen Toguchi, who recorded his first collegiate score, and another that came off a Chaminade own goal in the 80th minute. Ito also set up the final goal in the 83rd minute, sending in a corner kick that senior forward Iago Perez Ferriero headed into the net.
Hilo controlled most of the possession, outshooting Chaminade 16 to 5 and holding a 10 to 1 advantage in corner kicks. The Silverswords’ defense stayed tight early but struggled to contain Hilo’s pressure as the game went on.
Medeiros nearly gave Chaminade life in the first half when his free kick hit the crossbar, the closest the team came to scoring. Freshman goalkeeper Alex Hume made his first career start and recorded two saves before sophomore James Boudiette came on and added two more. Together, they combined for six saves as the Silverswords battled to slow Hilo’s attack. Despite the 4–0 defeat, Chaminade kept pressing until the final whistle, showing the grit and composure that Chaminade coach Joshua Woodward has emphasized all season.
“The effort was okay, not where it needs to be, but definitely some positives to take away,” Woodward said. “We’ll watch film this week, look at ourselves, and see how we can improve together as a team.”
The loss dropped Chaminade to 0-7-1 this season. The nonconference game, part of an unbalanced PacWest schedule, also gave the Silverswords a chance to rotate their lineup, with a season-high 23 players seeing the field. Freshman midfielder Jayden Chaiyote, junior defender Edward Hudcovic, and Boudiette each made their first appearances of the year.
Chaminade will face UH Hilo again in its season finale on Nov. 6 on the Big Island. Until then, the focus remains on improving consistency and energy in training.
“UH Hilo is a very good team,” Woodward said. “We just have to bring more energy off the ball and more engagement from everyone. Monday’s training session will be big for us. We’ve just got to keep working and grinding every day—that’s how we’ll turn things around.”
The Silverswords will close out their home schedule this week with two matches at Saint Louis Field, beginning Thursday at 12:30 p.m. against Concordia University Irvine (6-5-1) and wrapping up with their home finale on Saturday, Oct. 25, at 2:30 p.m. against Westmont (5-5-2) for Aloha Senior Day.
“We’ll show up to training on Monday, get after it, and stay positive,” Medeiros said. “We just have to keep believing in what we’re doing and trust that the work will pay off.”