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Just For Kicks
SPRING practice reaches the halfway point for the University of Hawaii Wahine soccer team this weekend. The players will enjoy a change from the drudgery of drills, drills, drills. Tournament welcome
relief for WahineThe Wahine are hosting a 6-a-side tournament Saturday at the campus practice facility. Eighteen teams are entered, including sides from the College of William & Mary.
The Wahine will have a one-hour scrimmage with the Tribe on Monday and a regulation match Tuesday.
UH head coach Pinsoom Tenzing says the practice sessions have been productive.
"This is a learning process for everyone. It's where we learn how to play the game the way we want to play it in the fall," Tenzing said.
"We'll be in serious trouble if the players don't come back in shape. Hopefully, last year was a learning experience for everyone in that regard."
There has been one negative incident. Liz Lusk, the speedy sophomore-to-be defender, suffered a third degree tear of the ACL in her left leg when she jumped and landed awkwardly last Friday.
She is scheduled for surgery next Thursday and is expected to be ready for fall practice.
Goalkeeper Dana Ong, who joined the Wahine last season after transferring from Pacific University, has decided, after having off-season knee surgery, not to compete at the college level any more.
The William & Mary women's team was 15-6 last fall and went to the NCAA tournament.
Last month, the school received a $500,000 challenge grant from W&M graduates Mr. and Mrs. Jim Ukrop to build a proposed $1 million dollar natural grass field that will be used for men's and women's soccer and lacrosse.
The athletic department hopes to raise the additional $500,000 necessary to reach the $1 million dollar goal. Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin May 1, 2002.
Starr Johnson, a junior defender for the University of Oregon, has been named to the 2000 Pacific-10 Conference All-Academic First Team.
Johnson boasts a 3.74 grade-point average in ethnic studies.
Allison Hamada, a senior defender at Oregon State, and Erin Otagaki, a junior striker for the Washington Huskies, were honorable mention picks.
All three players are Punahou graduates.
A student-athlete must have a minimum 3.0 overall GPA and be either a starter or significant contributor to the team in order to qualify for the All-Academic teams.
Johnson was also cited as an All-Pac-10 honorable mention selection.
Brian Ching scored his first professional goal last Friday, but the Los Angeles Galaxy suffered a 3-2 exhibition loss to Tokyo Verdy 1969.
Ching, a Kamehameha and Gonzaga University graduate, scored in the 53rd minute off Sebastien Vorbe's assist.
The goal by the Galaxy's second-round draft pick gave L.A. a 2-1 lead. Ching played the whole match.
Tokyo Verdy 1969 scored three minutes into injury time for the victory after knotting the match in the 90th minute on a penalty kick.
The Galaxy beat China's national team, 3-1, earlier on their Far East tour. Ching played the final four minutes of that match.
The Fox Fab 50 winter high school soccer rankings have Hawaii state girls' champion Baldwin at No. 24.
The Mililani girls' and boys' teams and the Hilo boys' team are in the 26-to-50 group where schools are listed only by state.
Six states hold the soccer season during the winter.
