[ UH SOCCER ]
Araya-Schraner’s
sales pitch lands her on
the pitch for Hawaii
Sasha Araya-Schraner had no intention of going to college when she was a senior at Mt. Carmel High School in San Diego. She wanted to travel, go to Brazil, learn Portuguese, enjoy the beaches and body surf.
"I didn't like school or homework. It was kind of a fluke that I came here," said Araya-Schraner.
She played on two Palomar League championship teams in high school and helped the San Diego Surf Club to several titles at the Surf Cup, an event that attracts hundreds of college coaches.
"I received a lot of letters from colleges, but didn't answer them. I did take one trip to Baylor, but I didn't like Texas," said Araya-Schraner.
Then, two conversations changed her direction. The father of Maile Tavepholjalern, a club teammate who had played at Punahou and is now a sophomore at Harvard, told Araya-Schraner's club coach, Colin Chesters, that there were openings at Hawaii because several players had left. Chesters called UH soccer coach Pinsoom Tenzing.
Hawaii Soccer
What: Cornell at Hawaii
When: Today, 7 p.m.
Where: Waipio Peninsula Soccer Park Stadium
Notes: Kara Ishikawa, a sophomore midfielder from Iolani, has started all five matches for Cornell (3-1-1). She scored the winning goal at 82:30 in a 2-1 victory over Bucknell.
"Pinsoom picked me up and never saw me play. I came here on a recruiting trip, saw that it was tropical, which I expected, and said I would go to college," Araya-Schraner said. "I was really scared to leave my family, but my mom (Holly) pushed me to get out and live on my own. Now, I'm so glad I did."
It was not easy being away from home for the first time. The junior midfielder, sometimes defender, cried every day after preseason camp her freshman year. There were repeated calls home telling mom she was homesick and coming home. However, mom had experienced the same feelings when she studied as an exchange student in Chile.
"Mom felt lost at first, wondered what she was doing there, but look what happened. She met my father, the love of her life," said Araya-Schraner.
Once she adjusted to living away from home, Araya-Schraner's thinking began to change. Education became important. She understands the importance of a free education as a scholarship athlete.
"College has done a lot for me. The relationships I've had here have taught me a lot about myself. There have been hardships and a lot of fun," said Araya-Schraner. "I've grown up in life. My teammates are my friends for life. Life is on my terms now. I'm in no hurry, but I know where I want to go. I'm confident that I'm going to succeed."
A center midfielder most of her soccer life, Araya-Schraner also played up front for her club until she severely hurt her right ankle five years ago. She has started 12 of 46 matches for the Rainbow Wahine as a midfielder and as a defender.
"I just want to be where the most action is. When I played defense in that last game (Morehead State), it was so boring because the other team was so bad," said Araya Schraner.
A psychology major, Araya-Schraner wants to be a sex therapist.
"I want to help couples with their sex life. I want to get a TV show and do it like that or work in a clinic or give lectures. I know I want to teach a human sexuality class," said Araya-Schraner.
