Soccer

April 27, 1980

NATASHA KAI - SOCCER
Born: May 22, 1983, in Kahuku, Hawai‘i
Current Residence: Kahuku, Hawai‘i
Ethnicity: Hawaiian, Chinese, Filipino, Caucasian
Height: 5′8″
Weight: 143 lbs.
Event: Women’s soccer
Position: Forward
Did you know? Kai has anywhere from 11 to 15 tattoos. Some tattoos are poems, while others are of the hibiscus, Hawai‘i’s state flower.

Hailing from a soccer background in Hawai‘i where football and baseball are more popular, Natasha Kanani Janine Kai is the first female player from Hawai‘i to not only train with the U.S. national team but also make the women’s World Cup team. Naturally, she feels some pressure to represent her native Hawai‘i. But the forward looks to be headed for soccer stardom.

Kai enjoyed a stellar career at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, where she was selected Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year an unprecedented three times and garnered a Gatorade Player of the Year her senior season after leading her team to its first division title in history. Upon graduation in 2001, she also claimed a long list of accomplishments in track, volleyball, basketball and cross-country. Not to outshine her athletic skill, Kai’s style, including tattoos and on-field flair, also draws rapt attention from fans.
Career Highlights:

2007: Played in seven games heading into the final pre-Women’s World Cup match, starting four with two assists and one goal, in a 2-0 win over China at the Four Nations Tournament, giving the U.S. the tournament title. Was one of the final three players chosen for the 2007 U.S. Women’s World Cup team

2006: Women’s national team debut at 2006 Algarve Cup in Portugal, scoring in her first two games, both as a substitute. Played in 17 games in her first year on the National Team, while starting four. Became just the fourth player in U.S. women’s national team history to score in her first two caps. Scored four goals in her first seven women’s national team matches, including the winner in a 1-0 victory over Japan on May 9, 2006.

2004: Leading scorer in the U.S. U-21 women’s national team with 12 goals, helped lead the U-21s to the Nordic Cup title in Iceland, scoring three goals.

Natasha’s tattoo reads “Appreciate the Moment, The most precious treasure on earth is MY heart…When I share it with YOU, protect it as if it was your own…”

Soccer

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