Mana Wahine Wednesday: Hawaii women’s soccer forward Amber Gilbert

HONOLULU – When it comes to soccer experiences, not many are going toe-to-toe with Hawaii forward Amber Gilbert.

The senior from Mililani notched her first goal of the 2025 season last Sunday, helping the Rainbow Wahine secure a 2-2 draw against defending WCC-champion Pepperdine to close out the first road trip of the year. It was the 13th time she found the back of the net in her UH career, pulling her within two scores of entering the program’s all-time top 10 career goals list.

It has been a long ride for the speedy standout soccer player.

If it wasn’t for her mother, it might not have ever started.

When she was a 6-year-old, her mom forced Gilbert and her twin brother to try every sport under the sun. Soccer was the only one that stuck for her.

“Soccer was the only one that I did not cry doing,” Gilbert laughed.

She didn’t try out for the soccer team originally when she got to middle school, mostly because she wasn’t aware of there being a school program to play for at that age. It wasn’t until one day in gym class where a modified version of soccer saw her stand out from her peers that she was made aware of it.

“My PE teacher was actually the soccer coach at Mililani, and she asked me if I was going to try out [for the team],” Gilbert recalled. “So, I did, and ever since then, I just kept going.”

That was not the case with other sports she tried, such as cross country, track and field and basketball. Basketball was one of the sports that scared Gilbert to tears as a kid, leaving the court and not returning. Cross country was only a one-year venture in total. Track and field had moments, but nothing compared to the pitch.

“I hate running long distances,” Gilbert giggled.

As her career progressed, college soccer became a topic of discussion for Gilbert’s future. Extensive club experiences pushed the idea of continuing athletic careers into higher education and, after attending Rainbow Wahine games all through her childhood, Gilbert dreamed of donning a University of Hawaii uniform one day.

She tried to take steps towards achieving that dream as soon as her freshman year of high school began, attending a college camp that UH was at. The forward remembers showing off a magnetic pull towards the net, something that certainly was unique.

“I have a vivid memory of all the coaches watching me play,” Gilbert said with a smile. “We were scrimmaging, and I ran into the goalpost. So, I think that’s what made me stand out for sure.”

That camp served as a point of first contact, but it wasn’t until after UH’s own camp later that summer that Gilbert called to tell head coach Michele “Bud” Nagamine that she would commit to the Rainbow Wahine with three years of high school remaining.

“Thank God,” Gilbert said of her early commitment.

The speedy forward hit a bump in the road right before the coronavirus shut down the world, suffering a severe knee injury that required extensive rehabilitation. In the middle of a pandemic, challenges arose consistently.

“It’s hard to rehab when everything is closed down,” Gilbert emphasized.

A combination of things helped her push through the lengthy rehab: her overwhelming desire to play at UH, family support and reassurance from Nagamine and the Rainbow Wahine program about her future still being bright and with the school.

The head coach shared stories of previous players that were part of her program that suffered the same level of injury and went on to have an excellent career when they returned. Gilbert’s mom and physical therapist also kept her spirits high through the dark days, eventually returning and making the impact that Nagamine had alluded to.

After missing the 2021 season from injury, Gilbert returned to the field as a redshirt freshman in 2022 and found the back of the net four times while tallying 10 points on the way to an All-Freshman team selection. Her sophomore season saw another step forward, becoming a brand name in the conference as she led the Rainbow Wahine with seven goals and 14 total points en route to becoming the ninth player in program history to receive Big West first-team honors.

While her numbers took a step back in 2024, Gilbert’s steady presence helped the Rainbow Wahine to one of the best seasons in recent program memory as UH claimed the Big West’s regular season crown. She found the back of the net once while appearing in all 21 matches, but her residence alone on the Hawaii attack provided additional opportunities for multiple teammates.

“We just really wanted to win,” Gilbert said of the 2024 edition of the Rainbow Wahine. “We would do whatever it takes to win … As long as I was working hard to support my teammates to be able to get to [winning], that’s what mattered to me. I didn’t really care too much about the stats, but I know that I was doing my part to help our team do pretty well.”

That “pretty well” result was the first regular season Big West title in Hawaii program history. It also marked the first time that the Rainbow Wahine finished a campaign at the top of a conference’s regular season standings since 2007, last doing it as a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).

“That was the best thing ever,” Gilbert beamed when asked about the feeling after clinching the regular season crown. “I just love my team. I’m so proud of them.”

The work hasn’t stopped despite the success from last season and a multitude of returners for the Rainbow Wahine. That’s part of what Gilbert enjoys the most about this group.

“For me, the one thing that I love is when people work hard and I’m surrounded by people like that,” she gushed.

That hard work bleeds into the classroom as well, where Gilbert studies kinesiology with hopes of a future in physical therapy. She credits the multiple physical therapists she worked with during her time rehabbing from injuries for her desire to enter the field of PT, wanting to provide the same things she experienced to the next generation of athletes.

“They make me love going to physical therapy and I know a lot of people don’t like going,” Gilbert said of her experiences with physical therapists. “So, I just want to be able to be that person for other people.”

Before she goes on to providing smiles and helping others get back on the field, Gilbert has a few more hearts to break as she helps the Rainbow Wahine in her last go-round in college. She gave a glimpse of that heartbreaker mentality with her late goal on Sunday and will look to do it more as UH opens up the home schedule on Thursday when Central Arkansas comes to Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium for the OUTRIGGER Soccer Kickoff.