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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, March 16, 2006

Four local schools will add soccer

Advertiser Staff

All four of the state's Division II colleges will offer men's and women's soccer next season, the Pacific West Conference announced yesterday.

Hawai'i Pacific, Brigham Young-Hawai'i, Hawai'i-Hilo and Chaminade are all adding the sport.

"It's a great day for all of soccer," Hawai'i Pacific women's soccer coach Mark Kane said. "We now have all the levels filled, youth level, high school, and now we have small college as well as the big college (University of Hawai'i). There's an opportunity here for all players who had to go away to play. Now they can stay home as well."

Each school will sponsor men's basketball, cross country, golf and soccer, and women's basketball, cross country, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball to become compliant with NCAA bylaws and membership regulations.

Grand Canyon in Phoenix, and Notre Dame de Namur in Belmont, Calif., are also joining the conference to increase its number to six; also an NCAA requirement for conferences.

BYU-Hawai'i sponsored men's soccer and Hawai'i Pacific sponsored men's and women's soccer, but both schools cut the programs in December 2000 after the former PacWest Conference broke up. Both HPU teams continued to participate as club sports.

"Everybody has a soccer future past high school," Kane said. "More dreams to dream about."