For a team that will rely heavily on communication this season to overcome inexperience, it must depend on a trio of captains who get the message across in very different ways.

"I feel like Ambree's (Ako) role is the idol everyone tries to be," junior midfielder Mari Punzal said. "I think I would be the encouraging one and (Kristyn) Shapka is the one to keep everything under control. She's the communicator. She's the mom. She keeps everyone in their place. I'm the one who cheers."

Ako, the 2007 Western Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year, is the leader by example. Shapka, who transferred last season from Montana, is the organizer on the field and will be counted on to play multiple positions. Punzal, an all-WAC first-team selection last season, is all energy and positivity on the field.

"Communication is just very essential," Punzal said. "We're starting with a new lineup so we don't really know how we're going to play with each other."

Ako agreed: "This year we have a lot of new starters, so they haven't had as much experience on the field that we had before, so we can't rely on automatically knowing where the person is going to be."

They will be tested early. The Rainbow Wahine open the season hosting a pair of top-25 teams in No. 25 Brigham Young tomorrow and No. 2 Stanford Sunday in the OHANA Hotels and Resorts No Ka 'Oi Tournament at the Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Stadium.

"I'm personally super excited to play against these big teams," Shapka said. "That's why you play, to get into these big games.

"Hopefully we can fill some of the roles and have people step up, especially defensively when we'll be tested constantly. It will be a great way to start our season if we can get some great play out of this weekend. It'll set the tone for the rest of the season."

The Rainbow Wahine lost six starters from the 2008 season, including WAC Offensive Player of the Year Taryn Fukuroku, who completed her eligibility, and WAC Defensive Player of the Year Nicole Mikula, who transferred.

Hawai'i coach Pinsoom Tenzing is not concerned.

"Three were injured and three were exceptional contributors," Tenzing said of the six players lost from 2008. "They were all spectacular, but because they couldn't contribute because of injuries, we don't miss them as much as we ought to.

"I'll put it this way: we missed them last year."

Fitness, however, is a concern. While the returnees were "fearsome" in their conditioning — credit strength and conditioning coach Ian Hasegawa, a former Mililani High and Southern Colorado soccer player — the newcomers came in "sub-par," according to Tenzing.

"We have a team policy of not starting kids who haven't passed the time trials, and so right now we're not putting the best players in the best positions that they can contribute in," he said. "But we have to live up to certain commitments we've made to the team."

Hawai'i will rely on their preseason all-WAC players in Ako, Punzal, and junior defender Chelsea Deptula, all of whom play "down the spine," in key positions down the middle of the field.

"And they look good," Tenzing said. "That is more important. Some of them could be woefully out of shape and we could be in trouble, but they aren't. They are very strong."

They will need to bolster a team that is still working on a starting lineup. Tenzing said this is a "stronger and faster" team that has a "better tactical sense as far as offense goes." However, it is still working on defense, which needs to be "at least theoretically" ready for their two games this weekend.

Shapka said the loss of Fukuroku, Tehane Higa (the 2007 WAC Defensive Player of the Year) and Mikula forces the players to implement more of a team concept this season.

"Compared to last year, we did lose a lot of really strong individual performers," Shapka said. "But for this year to be successful we need to perform well as a team. Especially defensively ... we need to strengthen playing well as a unit."

NOTE: Junior forward Britta Bourne scored two goals to lead the Rainbow Wahine to a 2-0 victory over Pearl City United in an exhibition match Tuesday. Bourne hit a 22-yard shot into the lower left corner of the goal in the 11th minute, and added her second goal in the 61st minute with a shot into the upper right corner of the goal.