UH, BYU finish tied at 2

By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer

Natasha Kai gave Hawai'i a two-goal lead in the first half, but the Rainbows couldn't hold it. Photos by Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

Hawai'i's Arlene Devitt prepares to send a pass down field. It was the final home match for seniors Devitt, Robyn deHay and Mia Moe.

On the 10th anniversary of the Rainbow Wahine soccer program, Kai scored two goals as Hawai'i tied No. 20 Brigham Young, 2-2, in a double-overtime, non-conference match last night at the Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Stadium.

Hawai'i (13-4-2) — the Western Athletic Conference regular-season co-champions — squandered a 2-0 first-half lead and failed to score in the 45-minute second half and the two 10-minute overtime periods.

"I thought we played really hard against one of the best teams in the nation," Hawai'i coach Pinsoom Tenzing said. "We outplayed BYU in the beginning of both halves. Towards the end, the kids got a little too conservative on guarding the victory."

A victory over BYU (12-4-2) would have given Hawai'i momentum going into the WAC Tournament next week, but Tenzing said: "I'll take a tie with BYU any day."

"We had BYU in the first half," Kai said. "Once we get ahead we tend to ease back a little. They just caught up and we had to fight to keep the tie."

Hawai'i ended the regular season with a share of the WAC title following SMU's 2-1 loss to Boise State on Sunday. It's the first conference title for the Rainbow Wahine who have been competing in the WAC since 1996.

Hawai'i and SMU ended the regular season with 7-1 WAC records, but the Mustangs will have the top seed in the WAC Championships because they defeated the Rainbow Wahine, 4-3, on Oct. 3. The WAC tournament will be held Nov. 6-8 at SMU's home field in Dallas.

Hawai'i received a break when referees failed to enforce a 10-yard cushion against Hawai'i players on a BYU direct kick just outside Hawai'i's penalty area with less than 10 seconds remaining in the first overtime.

Hawai'i players delayed the kick by standing just a few yards from the ball and BYU — after much complaint — was forced to rush the kick before time expired.

Kai scored Hawai'i's first goal in the 16th minute. Kai ran down a deep pass from Mia Moe in BYU's penalty area, dribbled around the goalie and knocked her shot into an open goal. Robyn deHay also assisted on the play.

Four minutes later, Kai scored her second goal when she headed the ball into the net off a corner kick by Arlene Devitt. Kai's goal gave Hawai'i a single-season school record of 50.

BYU cut the lead to 2-1 on a goal by Brooke Thulin in the 23rd minute. Thulin scored when Hawai'i failed to clear the ball off a BYU corner kick by Aleisha Rose.

BYU tied the score at 2 on a goal by Jennifer Fielding in the 81st minute. On the play, UH goalie Mahie Atay deflected a point-blank shot by a BYU player, but the ball trickled out to Fielding who pounded it in.

"I had the first shot blocked, but I couldn't keep my hands on the ball," Atay said. "BYU did a good job of just being there. It's too bad I couldn't keep my hands on it, because eventually we would have won this game."

Hawai'i seniors Devitt and Moe and Stanford transfer deHay played in their final home match last night.

Reach Brandon Masuoka at bmasuoka@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2458.