SOCCER
Kai gets chance
to hone her skills against
U.S. national team
Natasha Kai got a first-hand view of the highest level of women's soccer over the past 10 days in two exhibition matches and two scrimmages against the United States Women's National Team.
She started both exhibition matches as the center striker for the U.S. Women's Under-21 National Team, played approximately 70 minutes, then was replaced by Manya Makowski of Arizona State. This is basically the same routine U21 coach Chris Petrucelli followed on the China trip in March.
"The camp was all right. I was a little nervous in the first match because we were playing the best team in the world, but not in the second match." --Natasha Kai, Hawaii striker on playing for the U.S. Women's Under-21 National team
The Women's National Team won the first encounter 3-1, then settled for a 1-1 tie in the second match. Kai assisted on the goal by Penn State's Joanna Lohman in the second match.
"There was a cross from the right. I was in the middle area and I headed it over the defense," said Kai, a sophomore striker for the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine. "I saw Joanna moving in and she just kicked it in.
"The camp was all right. I was a little nervous in the first match because we were playing the best team in the world, but not in the second match."
Kai certainly was tested with the U21's using three strikers against four Women's National Team defenders.
"What she found was that the competition was better than anything she has faced so far," Petrucelli said. "It was harder for her and I think the competition had so much to do with it. Natasha was going against some of the best defenders in the world, but that's the only way you get better.
"Her fitness continues to get better, but that is the kind of thing that improves over months, not weeks."
In the final days of the camp, after most of the WNT had left for Birmingham, Ala., for a match against Brazil (a 5-1 U.S. victory), the U21s scrimmaged the 10 WNT players left at the Carson, Calif., training center.
"I scored a goal off a corner in the first scrimmage (1-1) and had two goals and an assist in the second scrimmage (6-3 U21s), Kai said.
She will find out next week if Petrucelli included her on the roster for the trip to Brazil at the end of May.
