Rookies make immediate impact

By Leila Wai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Composed of two "Filipino Sisters" and one "Bean," a trio of freshmen is emerging as one of the strongest rookie classes in University of Hawai'i women's soccer history.

Hawai'i freshmen, from left, Jessica Domingo, Gabrielle Bohlman and Koren Takeyama have worked their way into the starting lineup. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

"There's no doubt. They're very quick and aggressive," Hawai'i coach Pinsoom Tenzing said of his precocious freshmen. "They stick to the script better than anybody I've coached in a long time."

The trio is looking to help snap Hawai'i's two-game losing streak in a pair of Western Athletic Conference home matches. Hawai'i plays Nevada tomorrow at 7 p.m. and Boise State Sunday at 5 p.m. Both matches will be held at the Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Stadium.

Takeyama and Domingo are two of the tinier players on the team at 5 feet 3. They are also half Filipino.

"It's just moral support," Domingo said. "We're both really small. I don't know any other half-Filipino girls."

Takeyama said: "It helps a lot, being with Jess, that we are so close. It makes me feel a lot more comfortable on the field and off the field.

"I can tell her anything and she can help me out, whenever I get down, she can help me out, so it is really good."

Bohlman, called "Gabina" or "Bean" to those close to her, was given her nickname by her father, Jerome, "just so people wouldn't call me Gabby," she said.

With 13 seniors on the roster, Takeyama, Domingo and Bohlman were prepared to wait their turn for playing time. But Tenzing said their fitness level and playing ability made it hard to keep them off the field.

"I have a strong senior class and I was preparing (the freshmen) to not be disappointed if they didn't get playing time," he said. "It just so happens that in my estimation, those three get to be in the starting 11."

Of the eight other starters, seniors Joelle Sugai and Krystalynn Ontai and juniors Natasha Kai and Mahie Atay started as freshmen. Seniors Robyn dehay and Jessica Uecker are transfers. Junior Seline Williams and senior Liz Lusk saw significant playing time as freshmen.

Kai was named the WAC Freshman and Player of the Year, Sugai and Ontai set then-school records for freshman assists (5), and Atay was named to the all-WAC second team as a freshman.

"It proves that by working hard and coming out strong, just having a good attitude, it proves it doesn't matter what grade level you are," Takeyama said.

Takeyama and Bohlman have started all 15 games for the Rainbow Wahine. They are tied for second on the team with eight points. Takeyama scored two goals and has four assists; Bohlman has three goals and two assists.

Domingo broke into the starting lineup in the fourth game against Southern California during Hawai'i's first road trip, when it went 3-0.

With the three freshmen starting, Hawai'i's record is 9-3-1 (9-4-2 overall). Hawai'i dropped WAC matches against UTEP and SMU last weekend.

The three say that the upperclassmen have helped make their transition to collegiate soccer appear seamless.

"I get really nervous before the game," Domingo said. "It is kind of intimidating, but all the other midfielders help me out. They tell me what to do and give me pointers."

It helps that they are "effervescent characters," according to Tenzing.

"All three of them, with a little bit of quietness in perhaps Bohlman, they are all the same," he said. "If they were stuffy-nosed, then the older kids would totally reject them, but they are really, really nice kids."

Takeyama, who redshirted last season, had to wait a year before getting her turn on the field. But with a logjam of forwards last season — including three-time all-WAC selection Arlene Devitt — she felt it was better to wait.

"In the beginning it was tough," she said. "But I got to see what Pinsoom wanted, what kind of style he had."

Tenzing said it was an adjustment for the freshmen to play with a star like Kai, who is the two-time defending WAC Player of the Year.

"In the beginning I didn't want to let her down," Bohlman said. "In the beginning I would try to figure out what runs to make to make Tasha open."

Bohlman only needs to worry about that on a part-time basis now. She has taken the place of former left halfback starter Natalie Groenewoud, who injured her ankle in the second game of the season. Groenewoud is redshirting, according to Tenzing.

"I feel a little bit sad about Bohlman, because I'm jerking her around all over the field," said Tenzing, who also plays Bohlman at forward. "I use her where I need her."

One of Tenzing's major concerns was replacing all 13 seniors next season. Before the season he figured he would incorporate the freshmen into the games slowly as the season went on. Now, with Atay, Kai and Williams, and Takeyama, Bohlman and Domingo — and the return of Groenewoud — he has a strong group of returnees for next year.

"It's a huge gift," Tenzing said. "They've surpassed my expectations."

Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2457.