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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Monday, October 6, 2003

Rainbows shut down UTEP

By Kyle Sakamoto
Advertiser Staff Writer

Scoring opportunities in soccer usually don't come around often, and there are few players who can create and convert them at a rate similar to Hawai'i's Natasha Kai.

University of Hawai'i's Joelle Sugai, left, defends against Texas-El Paso's Katie Rewalt.

Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser

Kai, a speedy and skilled sophomore forward, scored two goals and had an assist in the first 23 minutes, 41 seconds as Hawai'i beat Texas-El Paso, 3-0, in a Western Athletic Conference match before 756 yesterday at Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Stadium.

Hawai'i is 8-4-1 overall and in second place in the WAC at 3-1. UTEP is 7-4 and 2-1. Both teams trail Southern Methodist, which is 3-0 in the conference.

Despite the win, Hawai'i coach Pinsoom Tenzing wasn't happy with his team's effort.

"We didn't play well today, we lacked energy," he said. "But we did enough and the good thing about today's game was everyone got to play."

Kai headed Arlene Devitt's left-side corner kick to Liz Lusk, who scored her first goal of the season at 5:56 from five yards.

Lusk returned the favor by lobbing a ball down the middle to Kai, who took the high bounce, headed the ball to get around goalie Kyla Clark and chipped a shot off the cross bar and into the goal at 10:33. Kai and two defenders wound up in the goal after the play.

"I just stuck with the ball," Kai said.

Later, Hawai'i's Joelle Sugai took a ball down the left side and sent a shot that traveled along the goal line to the right side. Natalie Groenewoud got to the ball and sent a cross to Kai, who headed the ball in from just in front of the goal at 23:41.

UTEP coach Kevin Cross said his team was "intimidated. We didn't play soccer, I don't know what we were doing out there. We didn't come to play the first half at all."

After her second goal, Kai came out and was replaced by younger sister Krisha Kai, a freshman.

Natasha Kai has scored a team-high 16 goals and has four assists this season. She re-entered in the second half, but picked up her fourth yellow card of the season at 57:47 and was replaced. She will be suspended for a game if she gets another yellow card.

Hawai'i's Erin Chow started in goal for Mahie Atay, who suffered a strained leg muscle after colliding with a teammate against SMU. Chow played 63 minutes and had three saves.

Reach Kyle Sakamoto at ksakamoto@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8041.