Tuesday, August 25, 1998

Wahine looking
ahead to opener

By Al Chase
Star-Bulletin

Four days of long, hot, two-a-day practice sessions are history and the University of Hawaii women's soccer roster has been trimmed to 23 players for the 1998 campaign.

Now it's time for UH head coach Pinsoom Tenzing and his assistants to mold a starting 11 from the surviving candidates in time for the Sept. 5 opener against Cal State Northridge.

The following day, the Wahine play St. Mary's (Calif.). Both opponents that first weekend defeated UH a year ago.

The first of three road trips finds the Wahine playing in Louisiana the second week in September.

"We need to solve the puzzle of roads trips," Tenzing said, referring to the 12-31-2 record compiled on the mainland the past four seasons.

Pac-10 opponents Oregon and UCLA highlight the remainder of the home nonconference schedule.

UCLA expects to be nationally ranked.

"UCLA may be better than last year because they had a terrific recruiting year," Tenzing said. "Oregon is an extremely well-coached team and will be tough."

The Western Athletic Conference schedule seems to favor the Wahine as four of their six Pacific Division matches will be contested at Ala Wai Field.

"It's a positive, definitely," Tenzing said. "The kids account for themselves well at home."

But, the drive to gain respectability in the conference starts on the road with matches at Brigham Young, picked to win the division in the preseason coaches' poll, and Utah.

Twelve of the 20 regular-season matches are at home with 11 at Ala Wai Field. The Wahine will play Cal Lutheran at Hawaii Pacific's Atherton Field Oct. 20.

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1998 UH Wahine Soccer Schedule

http://uhathletics.hawaii.edu