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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 7:38 p.m., Sunday, October 26, 2008

Soccer: UH seniors go out with victory

By Leila Wai
Advertiser Staff Writer

The University of Hawai'i women's soccer seniors ended their careers at home the same way they started them — with a win.

It was a fitting way for the six whose careers started in the Natasha Kai era and included the program's first Western Athletic Conference tournament championship and NCAA Tournament appearance last year.

Hawai'i defeated Louisiana Tech 4-2, in a WAC game tonight at the Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Stadium on Senior Night in front of 1,056.

"I'm glad that happened," Hawai'i (6-6-4, 2-2-1 WAC) coach Pinsoom Tenzing said of sending the seniors out with a win. "It was in peril, because we were down twice. (The Rainbow Wahine) were continuing to play well, even when they were down."

The seniors: Taryn Fukuroku, Tehane Higa, Kori Lu, Kelli-Anne Chang, Alexis Choi and Kristen Oshiro, were honored after the game.

"It went by so fast," said Fukuroku, who scored the final goal last night and started in the first game of the season four years ago, a 2-1 overtime win against George Mason. "This is something I'll never forget, playing with these girls. I'm going to miss them so much."

Higa, the team's co-captain along with Fukuroku, called Senior Night "bittersweet."

"All the hard work is done, but we still have a lot of soccer left to play," Higa said. "It went by so fast. All I have to look forward to is school now."

Louisiana Tech (10-4-5, 0-2-4) scored first on a goal by freshman forward Olivia Lukasewich, who tracked down a through pass from midfielder Hikari Kurokawa that slipped past the Hawai'i defense into the 18-yard box in the 12th minute.

Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com.