RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM Jessica Domingo, Seline Williams and Natasha Kai are the captains of the Rainbow Wahine soccer team.

UH looks to put it
together in 2005

The Hawaii women's soccer team begins its 2005 season tomorrow night and will try to back up the phrase on the media guide, "Putting it All Together," by season's end.

Ohana Hotels & Resorts No Ka Oi George Mason at Hawaii When: Tomorrow, 7 p.m. Where: Waipio Peninsula Soccer Park Stadium Radio/TV: None Admission/Parking: Free Series record: This is the first meeting between the teams.

That means defending the preseason view of the Western Athletic Conference coaches who picked the Rainbow Wahine to win the league title.

That means getting past the one-match-and-out in the WAC tournament, the way the UH season has ended the past three years.

The quest starts against the George Mason Patriots of the Colonial Athletics Association in the OHANA Hotels & Resorts No Kai Oi tournament at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Park stadium tomorrow at 7 p.m.

UH coach Pinsoom Tenzing is delighted with the team's depth and his players' adeptness at passing the ball.

"I maintain the ability to pass the ball is the lifeblood of the game. Most of our players are very proficient. The passes coming out of the back this year are balls we will be able to use anytime," Tenzing said. "There is more speed on the back line this year."

The back line is completely rebuilt. It has been done with a majority of players who have not played defense before. Working as a unit and communicating will be critical for the back line in the early going.

Candidates for the four defender positions are senior Emily Rose, juniors Kelly McCloskey and Krisha Kai and sophomores Koren Takeyama and Shawn Higa. Rose and Higa saw some action in the back last year. The other three are new to the position, but bring ball-handling skills to the back.

"They were not defenders in the past, so we are being honest when we say we will attack from the back," said Tenzing.

That coincides with the metamorphosis the offensive strategy has undergone since spring ball. The Wahine plan to attack with everyone except the goalkeeper from anywhere on the field. It is a new look and the dependency on the long ball will be less this year.

"This is a more mobile team. We have more speed than in past years and we are willing to use it," Tenzing said.

Sophomore returnees Jessica Domingo and Gabina Bohlman will be the center midfielders. Senior Natalie Groenewoud returns to the outside right after a redshirt year and transfer Aimee Watanabe is leading the competition to replace Joelle Sugai at outside left.

Freshmen Alexis Choi and Taryn Fukuroku also will see action at the outside midfield positions, Choi on the left and Fukuroku on both sides.

Tenzing said, "In all likelihood, we'll have two strikers."

Start with senior Natasha Kai, the WAC preseason player of the year and all-time UH goal scorer, when looking at the players up top.

Tenzing has been pleased during training camp with the circulation of the players on the field. He hopes this leads to scoring from a greater number of players and keeps opponents from double- and triple-teaming Natasha Kai.

The other strikers include Natasha's sister Krisha, transfer Adria Campbell, Takeyama, Fukuroku and freshman Aimee Cohen.

Senior goalkeeper Mahie Atay is back and is being challenged by freshman Kori Lu.

"Lu looks terrific. She has been a gift," said Tenzing. "She is the best conditioned goalkeeper passing all her time trials except in the first attempt."