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Just For Kicks
THE University of Hawaii women's soccer team enjoyed their first year at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex in just about every way except the victory column. UH season enjoyable
at new complexThe City & County of Honolulu waived the rental fee and UH waived charging admission. An average of 1,074 fans showed up for the 12 matches.
"It worked out well budget-wise,"said UH assistant athletic director for women's sports Marilyn Moniz- Kaho'ohanohano. "We saved money and I'm not sure how much money we would have made on the gate."
"The fans absolutely loved it and it's a beautiful setup," said Wahine head coach Pinsoom Tenzing.
"It's encouraging. We didn't win many games even though we didn't play badly. Yet the fans kept coming. I see the support doubling and tripling when we start winning."
Moniz-Kaho'ohanohano wants reasonable ticket prices. She understands the Wahine fan base comes primarily from the soccer community and is game knowledgeable.
"There were a lot of families and youngsters out there this year and we don't want to price them out," she said.
"I would suggest something like $5, $4 and $3. We want to build our attendance. We'd like to build to where we have season tickets and a special section for the boosters.
"We want to create the environment that you are attending a soccer event. We had promotions, but we want to get that to the next level. We want game enhancers for pregame, halftime and afterward."
The university found few logistical problems. The team traveled by bus and left campus at 4:30 p.m. for 7 p.m. matches just in case traffic was tied up.
The Sports Information and Sports Medicine people were able to move their operations to Waipio successfully.
For nonconference matches, the locker room couldn't accommodate the full UH squad, but, with an 18-player, league-match limit, it was workable.
"It was an incredible jump in the right direction. The field is the best we've ever played on competitively in Hawaii," Tenzing said.
Moniz-Kaho'ohanohano wants to see the press box situation rectified and a flag pole installed before next season.
KFVE-TV (Channel 5) had to set a tent up outside for their announcers, and the print media was unable to see the near corners at both ends of the field sitting in the press box.
The Wahine begin spring practice next week with 19 returning players.
Sophomore midfielders/strikers K.C. Cornett, from Edmond, Okla., and Amanda Orand, from Salem, Ore., both scholarship players, will not return to the Wahine program next year. Both said they were homesick.
Krystalynn Ontai, a defender/ midfielder for Kamehameha, has made a verbal commitment to play soccer for the University of Hawaii next year.
She also considered St. Mary's (Calif.) and American University in Washington, D.C.
"I really like that the UH team has so much support in the islands. It's home, close to all my friends and family. It's just the perfect place right now," said Ontai, in her third varsity season.
She has been playing inside halfback this year, but says she is a defender at heart.
"Krystalynn is very self motivated, an extremely hard worker who never complains," said Michele Nagamine, head girls' coach at Kamehameha.
"She has a wicked, wicked left foot, great endurance and just does what's asked of her and then some."
Recruits can sign national letters of intent starting Feb. 7.
