[ WAHINE SOCCER ]
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Wahine soccer player Joelle Sugai battled for possession of the ball with UTEP player Katie Rewalt yesterday.
Wahine empty bench
against UTEP
Hawaii Rainbow Wahine soccer coach Pinsoom Tenzing played everyone on his conference-mandated, 18-player roster yesterday, something not always possible this season.
Hawaii scored three goals in the first 24 minutes to blank Texas-El Paso 3-0 in the Western Athletic Conference match before 759 at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Park stadium.
"Very high on my priorities is to give everyone playing time. I'm very happy when I can," said Tenzing. "I didn't see anyone on their team that was going to trouble us, so we subbed frequently without fear.
"It wasn't our best game, but we did enough to win."
The Wahine (8-4-1, 3-1-0) showed they had recovered from Friday's disappointing loss to SMU by moving the ball well on offense early in the match while displaying a solid defense at the other end.
Junior Erin Chow started in goal for UH when Mahie Atay did not receive medical clearance to play after suffering a bruised left thigh Friday.
"I was a little nervous in the beginning, but my teammates supported me. They kept telling me to relax, to be calm and getting the first goal helped," said Chow, starting her first conference match.
Chow had one troublesome moment in the first half when UTEP senior striker Kate Stevens broke through chasing a long pass just to the right of the arc on top of the penalty box. However, Chun, while sliding on her left side, grabbed the ball a half-step before Stevens to unload a shot preserving the 3-0 halftime lead.
The Wahine scored off an Arlene Devitt corner kick from the left side 5:56 into the game. Her kick went toward the far post where Natasha Kai's head shot was rejected. The ball bounced back toward the left post where Liz Lusk was waiting to slam it into the net.
Hawaii took a 2-0 lead at 10:33 when Lusk sent a long ball across midfield from her right back position. Kai raced toward the goal with UTEP defenders on either side and managed to direct the ball up and in just under the crossbar.
Kai got her second goal on a header at 23:41. The play started with pass down the left wing to Joelle Sugai from Devitt. Sugai cut toward the post, then centered a ball that rolled across the goal mouth to the right side. Natalie Groenewoud closed from the right side to save the ball from going over the end line, then chipped a cross back to the left that Kai easily put in the net.
