L-R Baylei Furman, Justice Valdez, head coach Connor Artigue, Kalea Ajel
Sharks Weekly Season Premiere: Spotlight on HPU Women’s Soccer
HSRN STAFF | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED AUGUST 28, 2025
The 2025 season of Sharks Weekly kicks off with an inside look at the Hawai‘i Pacific University Women’s Soccer program. Hosted by Bailey Furman, HPU’s Assistant Athletic Director for Strategic Communications and Sports Information Director, the season premiere highlights the energy and excitement surrounding the Sharks this fall.
This week’s guests include new women’s soccer head coach Connor Artigue and senior team leaders Justice Valdez and Kalea Ajel. Together, they reflect on the team’s recent exhibition match against Division I South Dakota State, discuss the talented new coaching staff, and share how they’re preparing for the season ahead.
Coach Artigue outlines his vision for building a positive, competitive team culture grounded in togetherness, respect, and “we greater than me” mentality. Seniors Justice and Kalea also open up about their leadership roles, their academic pursuits in public health and psychology, and favorite memories from their time with the program.
The episode also explores the Sharks’ team bonding activities, their natural competitiveness, and strategies for their upcoming matches at Cal Poly Humboldt and beyond. Coach Artigue shares his enthusiasm for strengthening the team’s offensive play following a defense-focused exhibition debut, while the team looks ahead to a challenging three-game road trip and the highly competitive PacWest Conference schedule.
Three players to watch for in Hawaii-Stanford’s Week 0 matchup
HONOLULU – Déjà vu for a few. The University of Hawai’i football team will open a campaign against Stanford once again in 2026, this time traveling to “The Farm” on the continent to take on a brand-new coaching staff and very similar Cardinal team...
Hawai‘i Football Faces Early Measuring Stick in Season Opener at Stanford
The expectations surrounding Hawai‘i football are different entering the 2026 season. After a nine-win campaign a year ago, the Rainbow Warriors open Saturday at Stanford with an opportunity to immediately show whether they’re ready to take...
Hawaiian Airlines becomes first official jersey patch sponsor for the University of Hawai’i
HONOLULU – History long in the making. In a college sports world that continues to search for new streams of revenue, the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa tapped into a longtime friend of UH athletics on Tuesday afternoon as the school announced...
Major movement in Lasquero’s HS Football rankings after the first three weeks
Michael Lasquero gives his Top 25 best teams in the state heading into the fourth weekend of the Hawaii High School Football season.1. Mililani (2-0) Previous rank: 2 Last week: beat No. 7 Saint Louis, 42-0 This week: vs. McClymonds (California)...
Aluli, Dianda help Hawai’i secure first win of the year over Idaho
HONOLULU – Tally one in the win column. The University of Hawai’i women’s soccer team put together a cohesive 90 minutes of action on Saturday afternoon, posting the team’s first shutout and first multi-goal match of the season in a 2-0 victory...
Kahuku clocks Kamehameha-Kapālama in first-ever trip to the hill
HONOLULU – There’s a reason they play all four quarters. After getting shutout in the first two quarters of the program’s first-ever trip into the hills of Kapālama, the No. 3-ranked Kahuku Red Raiders (2-0) turned up the heat after...
Saint Louis shutout for first time since 2012 as Mililani makes statement
MILILANI – Mowed down in Millville. The No. 2-ranked Mililani Trojans (2-0) made their case for the state’s top ranking on Saturday night, crushing the No. 7-ranked Saint Louis Crusaders (0-2) behind a dominant three-phase performance, 42-0....
Campbell Sabers get back on track with blowout win over Moanalua, 56-7
For the second straight game of the season, the reigning Open Division state champions found themselves facing an early deficit. The response was different this time around. Charlesten Salazar’s 96-yard kickoff return sparked a string of 59...
Kapolei cruises by Waipahu behind Kapahu’s record-setting night
KAPOLEI – Rocked ‘em like a hurricane. After seeing their season opener cancelled from the effects of Hurricane Lala, the No. 4-ranked Kapolei Hurricanes (1-0) provided a storm of their own with a dominant 50-15 victory over No. 6-ranked Waipahu...
Hawaiʻi Tourism & Gaming Working Group Takes Closer Look at Lotteries, Online Gaming
During its latest meeting, the Hawai’i Tourism and Gaming Working Group focused its attention on examining not only how other states generate revenue through gaming, but how those systems are structured, regulated and used to fund public needs....