Oakland, CA - The Hawks return this year as the 2009 California Pacific Conference Champions and 2009 National Tournament Qualifiers. They also return 18 players from last year's team, but more importantly, they return 10 starters from last year's stellar team. They add 6 new players to this year's team including, goalkeeper Tiffany Irizarry; midfielders - Kassandra Angel, Kayla Kaleiohi, and Lina Lovgren; lastly, India Pleasant a freshman forward.

Coach Lusson has done a great job of finding balance in the schedule this year. They start the year playing against four teams from our neighbors the Cascade Conference. A notable game will be on September 10, 2010 as they take on Concordia University (OR). The Cavaliers who finished last year ranked #5 in the country and shared a conference title with College of Idaho, eliminated the Hawks last year in the 2009 NAIA National Tournament opener 3-1. The Cavaliers who were eliminated by eventual National Champions Lee University (Tenn.) in the semifinals return a very young team, only losing two players from last year's team. Concordia finished the year 8-1 in conference play and 21-3 overall in 2009.

The other three Cascade Conference opponents include Southern Oregon, Corban College, and Warner Pacific University. The Hawks take on the Raiders of Southern Oregon in a home game at Dublin High School on the 29th of August. The Raiders finished last year 5th in conference play with a conference record of 5-3-1, and an overall record of 7-8-2. The Raiders will be much improved this year as they return everyone this year with no seniors on last year's team.

The Hawks will then take on the Warriors of Corban College, who finished 3rd in conference play with a record of 6-2-1 and an overall record of 9-7-3. The Warriors lose 7 players from last year's team and will look to revamp this year as Coach Marty Ziesemer will bring in four freshman and one junior college transfer. Notably, the Hawks defeated the Warriors last year 2-0.

Holy Names then rounds up Cascade Conference play against the Knights of Warner Pacific University. The Knights finished last year 8th in conference with a 2-6-1 record and an overall record of 2-11-3.

After a long trip to Oregon, the Hawks return home to take on a tough Westmont College team. The Warriors who finished 8th in Golden State Athletic Conference play last year, finished with a record of 4-5-1 and overall record of 9-7-1. But don't let that fool you! They played in a conference that had 4 top 12 teams in the country and 2 others that received votes. Their conference had 2 of the four finalists in the 2009 NAIA National Tournament Championships. The Warriors defeated national tournament runner up Point Loma Nazarene University 3-1, and also made it to the semi-final game where they lost to The Masters College on penalty kicks. This Warrior team will be stacked next year as they return 8 seniors and 5 juniors next year. This game will be the last preseason game before the start of California Pacific Conference play.

The Hawks open up conference just like the preseason, on the road. Holy Names will travel to Atherton, CA to take on the Oaks of Menlo College, followed by Scotts Valley, CA to take on the Bruins of Bethany University. The Oaks return 14 from last year's 8-9-1 team. The Hawks had no problems against the Oaks as they defeated the Oaks 4-0. The Bruins will return 12 from last year's 1-13 team. The Hawks defeated the Bruins 7-1.

After playing 5 of 7 games on the road, the Hawks return home to play a three game stint. They continue conference play against Mills College and Simpson University. The Hawks also have a non-conference game against the Knights of Mount Saint Mary. Simpson and Mills, who finished 4th and 5th respectively in Cal Pac play, both return youthful teams. Mount Saint Mary College, an NCAA affiliate, finished 4th in the Skyline Conference. They finished with a 9-9-1 record last season, and will be returning 18 players from last year.

The Hawks hop back on the road and finish the first round of games in conference to take on the Warriors of William Jessup University. The Warriors were the only team last year to split with the Hawks in Cal Pac play. They return 21 players from last season's team. They look to redeem themselves after losing the title as well as the opportunity to travel to nationals last year.

This year will be an exciting year for the Hawks. Coach Lusson has done a great job of building a program. The Hawks begin defending their conference title on August 29, 2010 when they take on Southern Oregon University at Dublin High School at 5pm.

Come out and support your Hawks!