One more player was made official for the Hawaii soccer team’s 2017 signing class this week, bringing coach Michele Nagamine’s haul to seven.
Three local players now in their senior season of high school — Randi Fontes (5 feet, M/F, Pearl City), Leialoha Medeiros (5-6, M, Kamehameha-Maui) and Taylor Rusnak (5-4, D, Haleakala Waldorf) — were joined by four incoming freshmen from the mainland.
“Every class has a different vibe to it,” Nagamine said. “What I like about this class is they’ve already found ways to find connections between the group. They’ve got a group chat that goes on between all members of this ’17 class.”
The mainland players are: Christina Drossos (5-9, F/D, Oak Ridge High, El Dorado Hills, Calif.); Sadie Lutz (5-3, D, Moorpark High, Moorpark, Calif.); Izzy Deutsch (5-6, M, Desert Vista High, Phoenix); and Taylor Mason (5-1, D, Greater Atlanta Christian, Johns Creek, Ga.).
UH, which went 9-6-2 (2-5-1 Big West) in 2016, lost eight seniors in the fall, including all-conference players Storm Kenui and Addie Steiner, as well as four-year goalkeeper Monk Berger.
For that reason, versatility was prized.
“These are very technical, talented kids who can cover a lot of ground,” Nagamine said. “They are versatile enough to play a number of positions.
“I think they have a genuine desire to contribute right away. I think they’re athletic, they take their fitness seriously. So this is going to be a class that I think takes a lot of pride in playing for the university.”