Kai named to
United States team
Natasha Kai has never been outside of the United States.
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Natasha Kai: The Hawaii junior will play for the U.S. Under-21 soccer team
But that's going to change. Real soon. And on her first trip abroad, Kai will represent her country as a national team soccer player.
Kai, a University of Hawaii star forward, was notified by telephone yesterday that she made the U.S. Under-21 team. Her first tournament is next month in China.
"This will be my first international experience, so it's all exciting," Kai said. "Right now, I'm just excited to make the China trip. Going international, playing for the United States is an honor and exciting."
Kai is one step below the U.S. Senior National Team, the team that represents the nation in the Olympics.
"This is quite an accomplishment for her. We're all very proud," UH soccer coach Pinsom Tenzing said. "This is the first time for a female from Hawaii to make such a team."
The U.S. Under-21s train in Brazil this summer and the team is preparing for the 2004 Nordic Cup, the top world competition for U-21 women. The U.S. has won the Nordic Cup five straight years. That tournament will be played this summer in Iceland.
"It hasn't hit me yet that I have such great opportunities right now," Kai said. "I'm still living a dream and I'm overwhelmed. It hasn't hit me yet."
Kai led the nation in scoring with 29 goals last season and was named a third-team All-American by Soccer Buzz magazine. She helped UH to a 13-5-2 record, best in the program's 10-year history, on her way to a second consecutive Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year honor.
Kai was among 23 of the nation's best players Jan. 23 to Feb. 1 at the Under-21 team camp in Carson, Calif.
She was invited back for a second look and returned to Hawaii on Sunday, anxiously awaiting word from national team coach Chris Petrucelli if she made the cut.
"I was pretty confident, but didn't want to count on anything," she said.
Kai, whose sister Krisha is a teammate of her's with the Wahine, was a multi-sport star at Kahuku High School.
"It's mostly her God-given talent and hard work," Tenzing said.
