Four Rainbow seniors play final home match
Advertiser Staff
Three-time captain Wanette Miyashiro and three other seniors will play their final home game for the University of Hawai'i Wahine soccer team today.
• What: Western Athletic Conference match • Who: Nevada vs. Hawai'i • When: Today at 5 p.m. • Where: Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Stadium • Admission: No charge
For a going-away present, the four will try to help gift wrap a Wahine trip to the Western Athletic Conference championship tournament for the third time in four years.
Rainbow Wahine soccer
A victory for Hawai'i (3-2) over Nevada (1-4) today at Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Stadium (game-time 5 p.m.) would clinch fifth place in the WAC regular-season standings for the Wahine. The top six teams go to Houston for the league tournament Nov. 8-10.
Miyashiro and the other three seniors — Noelle Takemoto, Jennifer Churchill and Erin Quattromani — will take their symbolic "final shot on goal" following the game. "I don't expect anything spectacular, like a somersault," said team spokesman Brendan Sagara. "Sometimes the seniors dribble up close so they are certain not to miss the shot."
UH coach Pinsoom Tenzing said of the four seniors yesterday: "Collectively, this is a remarkable bunch of kids. They are great soccer players and just terrific students.
"Miyashiro and Churchill are just short of 4.0 GPAs, Takemoto is right up there, too, and Quattromani is a transfer from Stanford," he said.
Midfielder Miyashiro was a second-team regional all-academic selection last year and will end her career among Rainbow Wahine career leaders in matches started.
"I really, really appreciate the way Wanette and Jennifer Churchill have handled their senior year," Tenzing said. "Other kids have surpassed their ability on the playing field and they have been absolutely supportive of the new starters."
After starting 19 and 16 matches, respectively, last season, Miyashiro and Churchill have started six and three this year. Takemoto, a backup in previous seasons, has started 13 of 16 games at right fullback. Quattromani has started seven games at midfielder and is the Wahine's third-leading scorer.
Hawai'i's offensive leaders have been freshman Natasha Kai and junior Arlene Devitt, who both set records in Friday's 5-1 victory over Boise State at Waipi'o.
Kai, who scored her second hat trick of the season, tied Devitt's season goals record of 12, set last year, and Devitt, with two assists, set a career assists record with 15.
Kai and Devitt have 27 and 23 points, respectively.
Quattromani and freshman Carmen Calpo have tied the UH season assists record with six.
Kamehameha graduate Kaula Rowe of Kane'ohe is Nevada's No. 2 scorer with four goals and Leisha Makinano, who attended both Mililani and Iolani, is No. 3 with a goal and two assists for four points.
Rowe was Nevada's leading scorer last season with seven goals.
