Friday, July 6, 2001
The University of Hawaii women's soccer team will play nine of its first 14 matches on the road this fall. Wahine face tough
The schedule
road tests in early fallBy Al Chase
achase@starbulletin.comHawaii, which was 5-12-3 overall last season, opens at home Aug. 31 against Cal State Sacramento, then takes off on its first three-match road trip through the Pacific Northwest playing Idaho, Gonzaga and Eastern Washington.
Idaho, led by all-Big West Conference selection Megan Cummings, is coming off its best season ever, 11-6-2. The Vandals return nine starters and 20 letter winners. Gonzaga is rebuilding after a 3-15 season. When the Wahine play Eastern Washington (7-11) it will be the Eagles first home match.
Hawaii returns home for four matches starting with UC Riverside Sept. 13 in the Outrigger Hotels & Resorts Soccer Festival. The Highlanders are a first-year program coached by former UTEP coach Veronica O'Brien.
Cornell (9-8-1) of the Ivy League plays UH Sept. 16 after a match with UC Riverside. The Big Red had just one senior last season and return top scorer Sophia Smith.
The following week, in the Outrigger Hotels & Resorts Invitational, Eastern Illinois (15-4-1) and Cal State Northridge come to town. Eastern Illinois is the two-time defending Ohio Valley Conference champion. The Matadors hosted UH a year ago and defeated the Wahine, 2-1.
The Wahine play St. Mary's, Cal State Sacramento and California in four days on the second road trip.
"That's going to be a tough trip, a hideous schedule in the Bay Area," UH head coach Pinsoom Tenzing said. "St. Mary's will have another good team and Cal was ranked in the Top 10."
The Bears finished with 17-3-1 record and feature junior Laura Schott (23 goals in 20 matches), a member of the U.S. Under-21 Women's team. The Gaels, with seven freshmen starters including Hawaii's Chelsea Montero, were runner-up in the West Coast Conference with a 12-6-2 record.
After a 10-day break at home, the Wahine begin Western Athletic Conference competition on the road at Tulsa Oct. 12 and at Rice, another first-year program, Oct. 14. They play Stephen F. Austin (4-12-2) in a nonconference match Oct. 15.
The regular season concludes with six WAC matches, starting with four at home against Texas-El Paso, Southern Methodist, defending league champion San Jose State and Fresno State.
The final road trip has the Wahine playing at WAC newcomer Boise State and Nevada.
The Wahine lost 10 players from last year's team.
"I'm looking in terms of spending the month of September figuring out who will play where," Tenzing said.
Aug. 25: Intrasquad scrimmage, time TBA. 2001 Wahine schedule
Aug. 31: vs. Sacramento State, 7 p.m.
Sept. 2: vs. Alumnae, 5 p.m.
Sept. 7: at Idaho
Sept. 9: at Gonzaga
Sept. 10: at Eastern Washington
Sept. 13: vs. UC Riverside, 7 p.m.
Sept. 16: vs. Cornell, 5 p.m.
Sept. 20: vs. Eastern Illinois, 7 p.m.
Sept. 24: vs. Cal State Northridge, 7 p.m.
Sept. 28: at St. Mary's (Calif.)
Sept. 30: at Sacramento State
Oct. 1: at California
Oct. 12: at Tulsa (WAC)
Oct. 14: at Rice (WAC)
Oct. 15: at Stephen F. Austin
Oct. 19: vs. Texas-El Paso (WAC), 7 p.m.
Oct. 21: vs. Southern Methodist (WAC), 5 p.m.
Oct. 26: at Boise State (WAC)
Oct. 28: at Nevada (WAC)
Nov. 1: vs. San Jose State (WAC), 7 p.m.
Nov. 3: vs. Fresno State (WAC), 4 p.m.
Nov. 8-10: WAC Tournament at Dallas (SMU host).