LIHU‘E — Ashlyn Ubongen, a Kaua‘i High School senior, will be joining several other Kaua‘i girls on the University of Hawai‘i soccer team this fall. Ubongen signed a National Letter of Intent to accept a scholarship to play soccer during
LIHU‘E — Ashlyn Ubongen, a Kaua‘i High School senior, will be joining several other Kaua‘i girls on the University of Hawai‘i soccer team this fall.
Ubongen signed a National Letter of Intent to accept a scholarship to play soccer during the recent letter-signing celebration held on O‘ahu at the Sheraton Waikiki.
“Ashlyn verbally committed to UH in August, several weeks following her official visit,” said Karl Ubongen, Ashlyn’s father. “It was a tough decision to make for her because she had other offers from Division I schools. What made her choose Hawai‘i was the fact she could represent her state while playing in front of her friends and family.”
Karl said due to NCAA restrictions, she waited until Feb. 3, the first day letters could be signed, to officially sign her Letter of Intent.
During the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation season where Kaua‘i finished just out of the running after being defeated by Kapa‘a in the Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association Division II state championships, Ashlyn sat out the season, recovering from an injury sustained while playing club soccer on O‘ahu, her father said.
Her O‘ahu affiliation for the past nine years is with the Real Rush Hawai‘i Copa team coached by Sean Richardson. During this association, Ashlyn was awarded First 11 by the Rush soccer club.
Ashlyn was a three-year letter winner at Kaua‘i High School where she played forward for the Red Raiders, and was the leading scorer in the KIF for three years, netting 25 goals during her junior year.
She was also named as a KIF All-Star for the years 2007, 2008 and 2009, and awarded All-Tournament honors in 2008 and 2009.
Other Kaua‘i girls playing soccer on the Hawai‘i team are Skye Shimabukuro who signed her Letter of Intent last year as a senior at Kaua‘i High School, Tiffany Ikeda-Simao, a former Kaua‘i player who anchored the girls’ defense with her speed and power, and Mari Punzal, a graduate of Kamehamhea Schools where she was a standout and finished the 2009 season by being named to the Western Athletic Conference all-conference first team as a junior at Hawai‘i.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com.
