Hawai`i (7-2-2) begins defense of its 2003 WAC regular season championship with a pair of home conference matches this weekend. The Rainbow Wahine face Rice on Friday, Oct.1 at 7 p.m. and Tulsa on Sunday, Oct. 3 at 5 p.m.
UH is riding a five-match undefeated streak and should get a stiff challenge from Rice, who comes in without a loss in its last seven matches. The Rainbow Wahine look to avenge a season-ending 4-1 loss to the Owls in the semifinals of the 2003 WAC Tournament. Meanwhile, UH looks to continue its dominance of Tulsa, a team it has beaten the last three outings by a combined score of 11-1.
Site: Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium
Admission: Free
Parking: Free
Television: KFVE-TV will broadcast both matches live with Russell Yamanoha calling the action and John Fink providing color.
Injuries: None
Coaches: Pinsoom Tenzing is in his 11th season at UH and has a 87-96-15 career record. Chirs Huston is in her fourth season at Rice where she is 29-31-5. Rena Richardson is in her fist year at Tulsa.
News & Notes: After posting wins against New Mexico and Gonzaga and a tie with BYU in its latest road trip, the Rainbow Wahine climbed two spots and are 12th in the latest Soccer Buzz West Region Rankings (Sept. 27)...the Rainbow Wahine have appeared in the rankings for four straight weeks...UH also received votes in the NSCAA West Region Poll (Sept. 28) for the first time...junior striker Natasha Kai was named WAC Player of the Week (Sept. 27) for the second time this season and eighth time in her career after tallying two goals and an assists in UH's 2-0 showing at the Montana Fall Classic...Kai is tied for the lead in the WAC with seven goals...of Kai's seven goals this season, five have been game-winners...Hawai`i leads the WAC in saves (53) and in is second in goals against average (0.70)...UH had season highs for points (11), goals (3) and assists (5) in its 3-0 win over Gonzaga (Sept. 26)...after missing two and a half matches with a concussion, Mahie Atay has retuned to the lineup as a stalwart in goal...the junior goalkeeper has helped UH to three straight shutouts and has not allowed a goal in her last 277 minutes of action...Atay is second in the WAC in goals against average (0.67) and save percentage (0.87).
Milestones/Streaks to Watch: Hawai`i has not lost in its last five matches (4-0-1)...UH has won its last two home matches...the Rainbow Wahine has shutout four of its last five opponents, including the last three straight...UH has won five straight regular season WAC matches, with three of those coming at home, dating back to last year...UH is also riding a six-match winning streak in conference road matches...SMU is the only team in the WAC Hawai`i has yet to defeat (0-6-1)...the match versus Tulsa will be the 200th match in program history...UH is 5-0-1 on the road this season and are 12-1-2 in its last 15 regular-season matches on the mainland (including neutral sites)...UH played its fourth overtime match of the season at BYU (Sept. 27)...the Rainbow Wahine are 2-0-2 in overtime this year... Hawai`i has not lost an overtime match since 2001 (Rice, 3-2) and is undefeated in its last 11 overtime matches (5-0-6)...senior Joelle Sugai has moved into 10th all-time at UH in points with 21...Sugai has started a school-record 71 straight matches...junior goalkeeper Mahie Atay has nine career solo shutouts, one shy of school-leader Demarre Sanchez...senior goalkeeper Erin Chow has picked up four straight wins, dating back to last season...Natasha Kai now stands third all-time in the WAC in goals (52) and shots (266) and is fourth in points (115)...Hawai`i is in its 11th season on the NCAA Division I Level...the Rainbow Wahine have won 10 or more matches for three straight seasons.
About the Owls: Rice is undefeated in its last seven matches and comes in 7-1-2...the Owls are ranked 9th in the Central Region by Soccer Buzz and the NSCAA...Rice boasts a stout defense, leading the WAC with a miniscule 0.28 goals against average...all-WAC goalkeeper Lauren Shockley has already won conference defensive player of the week honors three times this season.
About the Golden Hurricane: Tulsa enters the weekend with a 3-6-2 mark but has momentum after posting back-to-back wins for the first time this season on Sept. 23 and 26 with decisions vs. N. Iowa (6-2) and Louisiana-Lafayette (2-1, OT)...the Golden Hurricane remained undefeated in its last three matches with a 1-1 draw versus Drury on Tuesday...junior midfielder Carrie Schnarre leads the team with three goals and three assists.
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