Hawai'i coach Pinsoom Tenzing said he believes several deserving Rainbow Wahine were left off the all-WAC team announced Wednesday. Hawai'i is now using those omissions as a way to spark the team.

"Motivation became a little easier because of the lack of recognition of many of our good players on the all-WAC team," said Tenzing, who earlier attributed the slight to a lack of exposure for UH players. "I'm saying we're going in a little bit angry, and that I think is healthy."

As the WAC regular season co-champions, the Rainbow Wahine placed three players on the all-WAC team — forwards Natasha Kai and Robyn deHay, and midfielder Joelle Sugai. Kai won her second consecutive Player of the Year award, deHay was named to the first team, and Sugai was selected to the second team. In comparison, third-place Rice placed seven players and co-champion SMU five on the first and second teams.

Hawai'i is seeking its first WAC Tournament title and the automatic NCAA Tournament berth that goes with it. This year's Rainbow Wahine team is considered the best in the history of the 10-year program, Tenzing said.

"We don't have a weakness anywhere," Tenzing said. "The few games we lost, we lost because of mistakes, not a glaring weakness that somebody else could exploit. This is no doubt our best team."

Yesterday, Kai said she was happy with her award, but was disappointed that more teammates were not recognized. The all-WAC team is voted on by coaches, who are not allowed to vote for their own players. Kai said the best way to respond is to win the WAC Tournament.

"We're just underlooked," Kai said. "It's because we're so far away (geographically) from everybody else, they don't give us the time of day. It just drives us to do better and play harder and prove these people wrong."

When asked about which players should have been included on the all-WAC team, Tenzing pointed out several of his starters, but made special mention of goalie Mahie Atay, who posted a school record five solo shutouts and was twice named WAC Defensive Player of the Week. Atay and forward Arlene Devitt earned all-WAC honors last season.

Tenzing said Hawai'i likely could have qualified for an at-large berth to the 64-team NCAA Tournament had it not lost matches to Cornell and Oral Roberts. Twenty-eight conferences receive automatic qualification for the NCAA Tournament; the remaining teams earn at-large bids.

"We're a long, long shot if we don't win the WAC to get into the NCAA," said Tenzing, who added that Hawai'i was ranked 79th in the latest polls.

Still, Tenzing said his team has a good chance to win the WAC Tournament and had a "wonderful practice" yesterday. Hawai'i lost its only appearance in the WAC Tournament championship against SMU, 2-0, in 2001.

"I think they emotionally want it," Tenzing said. "I got that feeling in the team meeting (on Wednesday). It was all positive."

Kai agreed.

"We're going to play as if this is our last game," she said. "We're going to put up a fight no matter what. We want to win, and we're going to do everything we can to win and move to the championship game."

• Sugai honored: UH junior midfielder Joelle Sugai was selected to the 2003 Academic All-District VIII University Women's Soccer First Team. The pre-business major posted a 3.85 GPA and was one of three midfielders on the first team.