Wahine kick off fall practice

Trust.

That’s what was on the mind of Storm Kenui on the first day of Hawaii soccer practice for the upcoming 2016 season.

“Just building trust is one of the things we’re trying to get going,” said Kenui, a senior and team leader. “We’ve been pretty successful (in that). From my freshman, sophomore year, part of junior year, it was not there. So I’m happy that we all decided to come together and do our part.”

Coming off a dismal 2015 season — the program’s first (CORRECTION: SECOND) winless, tie-less conference campaign — UH (3-14-1 overall) is trying to build things back up from the bottom with a new attitude.

Players tried to stay coordinated all offseason; those on the mainland would check in with their teammates with their progress.

There was also the matter of integrating 10 newcomers among the roster of 27; in many ways the team on display Wednesday felt like a brand-new one. UH also has a new assistant coach in Ashley O’Brien Heidelberger, a former player at both Connecticut and San Francisco. She replaced Mike Herman, who was with sixth-year coach Michele Nagamine for the past five years.

Fitness testing on the first day or two of fall practice can be an early barometer of a team’s potential. Sometimes Nagamine has been left shaking her head at this stage.

“I was really impressed,” Nagamine said. “You could tell that they spent a lot of time doing what they were supposed to do this summer.”

Two-a-days will continue through a preseason exhibition against Tusculum on Aug. 12. The regular-season opener is Aug. 19 at Waipio Soccer Stadium against Oregon.

“I feel like we came in with a lot more excitement and drive,” said junior Dani Crawford, last season’s top scorer at three goals. “In our first practice our enthusiasm and competitiveness is already starting to show, and it was way better than even last year.”

Since the spring, the coaching staff has tried out a sports psychologist with the team. They did a trust-building exercise together after practice Wednesday.

That ties in with the new ethos Nagamine is trying to instill. UH had some rocky chemistry last season, which led to some significant player turnover — both during and after the season.

“I think our No. 1 thing is accountability,” Nagamine said. “Our core values of ohana, perseverance, and respect, those are things we take very, very seriously and things that we value. When it comes down to respecting yourself and making good decisions on and off the field … winning comes as a byproduct of doing the right thing. And I think they really took ownership.”

The newcomer turning the most heads is senior Addie Steiner, a transfer from Northwestern who is a two-time second-team All-Big Ten performer.

The 5-foot-2 Steiner had some impressive goals in 2v2 situations (a field player on each side plus a goalkeeper) Wednesday. Mililani graduate Tia Furuta also looked to be a capable scorer.

“Everyone has been very supportive and helping each other up every step of the way,” Steiner said. “I noticed right from the get-go everyone has a lot of energy and is just very excited. And I can tell that even though I wasn’t here last season … it’s going to be a lot better.”

UH is going with a four-goalkeeper competition, a first for Nagamine and a pretty unusual allotment for college soccer. Senior Monk Berger is the incumbent.

It was clear on Day 1 that same-old, same-old isn’t going to cut it.

As Kenui put it, it’s hard for things to get any worse than last season. She battled back from a broken ankle she suffered in the team’s Six-A-Side tournament in the spring. Kenui rehabbed hard during the summer to be ready for Wednesday and eventually one last crack at the four-team Big West tournament.

“There’s no reason why we can’t be successful,” Kenui said.