With nine starters and 16 players back from last year's 15-5-2 NCAA tournament squad, Hawaii was the overwhelming favorite to defend its first WAC title. Instead, UH is currently 5-5-4 overall and 1-1-1 in the WAC.
But the one consistent factor throughout an up-and-down, injury-riddled season for Hawaii has been the play of senior forward Taryn Fukuroku, who leads the team with four goals and five assists.
The Maui High grad assisted on one goal and scored the sudden-death game-winner in overtime on Sunday, lifting UH to a 2-1 win over San Jose State. For her efforts, Fukuroku was named WAC offensive player of the week for the second time this season.
Fukuroku is just one of several former MIL standouts enjoying banner seasons at the college level. Here's a few others:
Seabury grad Tye Perdido leads Gonzaga with five goals and recently was named MVP of the Gonzaga Nike Classic.
Baldwin grad Blake Nunes is the leading scorer for Sacramento State and has twice been named to all-tourney teams. His brother, Brady, also plays for the Hornets. Ex-Baldwin goalkeeper Erin Ichimura is having a solid season for Pacific of Oregon.
Maui High's Sammy Akinaka is at BYU-Hawaii, while Baldwin's Chad Nishikuni and Jensen Takiguchi, along with Kamehameha's Josh Nitta, are starters for Chaminade.
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