Sunday, August 26, 2001
[ WAHINE SOCCER ]
Hawaii soccer coach Pinsoom Tenzing broke last night's intrasquad scrimmage at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium into four quarters to allow for more instruction and the switching of players. Wahine scrimmage
a mixed bagBy Al Chase
achase@starbulletin.comThe White Team, made up of mostly veterans, took a 3-1 lead at the half and exhibited better command of the system Tenzing wants to use this season. The White Team also included those players who were in the best condition -- and it showed.
As might be expected, there were several wasted balls and passes to no one in particular, but interspersed with some nice combinations.
Pam Fong slipped a through ball to Jennifer Starsiak 11 minutes into the scrimmage and the senior from Massachusetts drove her shot into the lower left-hand corner of the net.
Arlene Devitt, last year's leading scorer, made it 2-0 when she took Wanette Miyashiro's pass, juked a defender and hit the net from 15 yards out.
Veronica Flores collected an Erin Schremser pass with her back to the goal, turned deftly around a defender with the ball on her foot and scored inside the right post from 16 yards out.
The Green Team countered two minutes later when Fong led a breaking Tia Medeiros down the middle and the redshirt freshman beat advancing goalkeeper Erin Chow with a low, hard shot.
"It's always tough with an intrasquad scrimmage ," Tenzing said. "Boys will go all out, but you can't get women to do that. They won't tackle their friends hard.
"I was pleased with the movement off the ball. Erin Schremser, Wanette Miyashiro and Carmel Hurley are in superb condition and I hope the rest catch up."
With the veterans more evenly divided between the teams in the second half, the only goal came with 10 minutes to go on a well-executed give-and-go by Liz Lusk to Tasha Rowe back to Lusk, who beat goalkeeper Jennifer Churchill with a low shot.
Churchill made the best save of the night minutes later with a diving stop of Joelle Sugai's attempt from 7 yards away.
With two-a-day practices over, Tenzing hopes all players recuperate this week so he can put a tentative starting unit together.
"We've only got about three weeks to get everyone in top shape," Tenzing said.
"Some of our impact players are only midstream condition wise. We need to keep them emotionally and physically involved."
Players being familiar with the moves of the teammate next to them wasn't always the case last night, but that is needed when the opposing team isn't made up of friends.
More than 100 spectators turned out for the scrimmage.
UH Athletics
Ka Leo O Hawaii
