In celebration of the 50^th anniversary of Title IX, University of Hawai'i Athletics will pay tribute to memorable Rainbow Wahine student-athletes and teams in a series of stories written by Lance Tominaga. The stories will run throughout the 2022-23 athletic season and can be found on the page #Wahine50: Celebrating 50 Years of Rainbow Wahine Athletics.

The Eagles had landed. Natasha Kai, meanwhile, was about to take flight.

Sept. 14, 2003. At Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium, the University of Hawai'i women's soccer team played host to the Morehead State Eagles. Just seven seconds into the match, Kai took a pass from teammate Robyn deHay and ripped it into the back of the net. It was (and still is) the fastest goal in program history.

And Kai was just getting started. The sophomore forward scored again 16:25 into the game, weaving past Eagle defenders and launching the ball past the goalkeeper. She scored again at the 22:40 mark for the hat trick. Then she scored two more goals in the second half.

"Tonight we just played to our level," Kai remarked to a local reporter after Hawai'i's 8-0 victory. "This is how we look when we play our game. No one can stop us."



Nineteen years later, Natasha Kai is still considered the greatest soccer player in Rainbow Wahine history. Her resume speaks for itself: In 2002, Kai became the first player in Western Athletic Conference history to win both "Player of the Year" and "Freshman of the Year" honors. She would also be named "Player of the Year" after her sophomore and senior campaigns, and earned All-WAC honors for all four seasons. In her junior season, she was named a semifinalist for the National Player of the Year Award.

With Kai leading the way, Hawai'i notched WAC regular-season championships in 2003 and 2005.

"Tasha" was only seven years old when she played her first soccer match. Barely four feet tall and weighing less than 50 pounds, the young La'ie, O'ahu native displayed her competitive fire against much taller girls, even scoring a goal.

Her performance surprised her mother, Sharon, who told the Honolulu Advertiser, "She had never played soccer before."

To be sure, Kai was a natural athlete. At Kahuku High School, not only was she an All-State selection in soccer, Kai also earned All-OIA East honors in both basketball and volleyball. On top of that, she won state championships in several track and field events, including the 300-meter hurdles, 110-meter hurdles, high jump and long jump.



Kai gave her verbal commitment to play for the Rainbow Wahine and then-head coach Pinsoom Tenzing in December 2000. After taking a year off for personal reasons, she made her UH debut on Aug. 30, 2002 in a home match against Alabama-Birmingham. Kai scored on a left-footed chip shot with 10:33 left in regulation to salvage a 1-1 tie with the visitors.

It was the first of her 72 goals as a Rainbow Wahine. That's 72 goals in 72 matches.

The numbers speak for themselves. By the time she completed her UH career, Kai set more than two dozen school records, including most career goals (72), game-winning goals (23), points (162), shots (446), shots on goal (205), multiple-goal matches (20), goals in a single season (29) and goals in a single game (5).

Despite her achievements, Kai remained humble. She often gave credit to her teammates, saying, "It takes more than one person to make a team win" and "When people talk highly of me, I laugh; I don't hold myself higher than anyone on the team."



After her final game in a Rainbow Wahine uniform – she scored a goal in Hawai'i's 2-1 loss to Fresno State in the 2005 WAC Tournament – Kai summarized her collegiate career: "I think I was successful in fulfilling my goals and dreams of playing soccer. It was good for me and good for the team."

Amazingly enough, perhaps Kai's finest moment – her "golden" moment – was still to come.

Kai's introduction to the U.S. National Team came in January 2004, when she took part in a tryout for the U.S. Under-21 Women's National Team. She performed well enough to earn a roster spot and, in March, traveled with the team to China to take part in an international tournament.

In February 2006, Kai was named to the U.S. National Team. She was part of the senior squad that finished third in the 2007 World Cup in China. That team also included luminaries such as Abby Wambach, Hope Solo, Heather O'Reilly, Kristine Lilly and Carli Lloyd.

Asked about making the national team, Kai told the Honolulu Advertiser, "When I'm in the locker room, that's when I get nervous. When I see my uniform with my name on the back, it gives me chills. But once I put it on, it's business."

In 2008, Kai was part of the U.S. team that competed in the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. In the team's quarterfinal match against Canada, the score was tied 1-1 at the end of regulation. In the extra period, Kai entered the game and, in the 101^st minute of action, scored on a header from five meters away. Her game-winning goal secured a semifinal berth against Japan.

Said Kai after the victory: "It doesn't matter if I play 90 minutes or a minute, as long as I help the team. It takes all 18 players to be successful. I came in knowing I needed to be that spark and help my teammates out, and we came out with the win."

After beating Japan, the U.S. team edged Brazil, 1-0, to claim Olympic gold. Kai became the first and only player from Hawai'i to win a gold medal in soccer.



Later that year, Kai joined the Women's Professional Soccer League and led Sky Blue FC to the 2009 league championship.

She was inducted into the UH Sports Circle of Honor in 2011.

"It's an honor for me and all the young girls that dream that same dream that I did," Kai said at the induction ceremony. "I always felt I was here to open doors, and I couldn't ask for anything better than this honor."