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Just For Kicks Al Chase |
‘Sophomore jinx’ stays
away from Hawaii soccer
playersTHERE are times when the "sophomore jinx" causes an athlete to have a down year after experiencing a successful freshman season in college. Most of Hawaii's sophomores avoided the jinx last fall.
Charlene Lui started all 26 matches for 16-7-3 Brigham Young. The Cougars advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament before losing to UConn. The sophomore midfielder from Punahou put nine of her 16 shots on goal, scored once and had one assist.
Chris AhNew, a sophomore striker from Kamehameha, played in 19 of the California Institute of Technology's 20 matches, starting 17.
"Chris did not have any goals or assists. Unfortunately, as a team, we only had 10 goals and four assists," said Caltech sports information director Mike Rupp. "I would like to note, however, that, like all our student-athletes, the very fact that he is attending Caltech speaks volumes about his academic accomplishments."
Lindsey Rothbaum played in 11 matches for the 9-7-3 California Lutheran Regals. The sophomore midfielder from St. Andrew's Priory had one assist for the NCAA Division III team .
Kenan Knieriem played in 15 matches for the 5-10-1 Navy Midshipmen, starting two. The sophomore midfielder/striker from Punahou scored one goal, a game winner off a cross against Towson State.
Kara Ishikawa finished her sophomore season at 7-7-2 Cornell as the Big Red's third leading scorer. The midfielder from Iolani started all 16 matches, put four balls into the net and had three assists for 11 points.
Carmen Calpo, who transferred from Hawaii to East Carolina this year, started all 19 matches for the 7-7-5 Pirates. The midfielder/striker from Pearl City, scored twice and contributed three assists.
"Carmen is a dangerous threat in the attack, comfortable with the ball and technically sound," said ECU coach Rob Donnenwirth. "She is a great athlete and has a great understanding of the game."
Brandee Chong, a sophomore midfielder, appeared in seven matches for the 10-6-1 Hanover Panthers. The Kamehameha grad had one assist, took seven shots, but did not score. Hanover won the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference title with a 6-0-1 record.
Audrey Ehrhorn, a sophomore defender, started three of the 14 matches she played in for the George Washington Colonials. The Iolani grad plans to major in political science and environmental studies.
Jennifer Iha scored two goals and had one assist for the 6-9-3 Sacramento State Hornets. The junior midfielder from Mililani played in 17 matches with six starts. Karalee Narimatsu suffered her second ACL injury and redshirted. However, the midfielder from Mililani has decided not to play for the Hornets next year, but will complete her education at Sacramento State according to assistant coach Katie Sheppard.
Mitchell Fu, a sophomore midfielder, had one assist for the Cascade College (Portland, Ore.) Thunderbirds. The Maryknoll grad who played for Pac-Five, played in 14 matches with 11 starts.
Tiffany Todo, a sophomore striker from Iolani, suffered a stress fracture in her left heel during summer workouts and experienced a slow recovery. She did not see action for Cornell until the end of the season.
See the Columnists section for some past articles. Just for Kicks runs every other Sunday in the Star-Bulletin.
Al Chase can be reached at achase@starbulletin.com