Burnaby’s high school soccer phenom Seina Kashima is making her presence felt on the soccer pitch for Trinity Western University.
Kashima, a rookie forward with the Spartans, helped No. 2 ranked TWU earn a perfect road record in the Canada West regular season this past weekend.
It was Friday night fun as the Spartans faced the Thompson Rivers University Wolfpack in Kamloops Sept. 13.
Kashima opened the goal scoring for the Spartans in minute 25 of the first half.
When teammate midfielder Jessica King followed up with a goal in the 31st minute, that gave the team the momentum it needed to finish strong with a 3-1 win in the Canada West conference opener.
Game two of the road-trip weekend saw TWU face UBC Okanagan Heat at Nonis Field, in Kelowna.
Again Kashima opened the scoring – after a scoreless opening 45 minutes – with a goal in the second half.
She answered again in the second with a goal at the 85-minute mark. TWU went on to win 5-1 over the Heat.
“Seina has had an excellent start to her university career, and in particular the regular CIS season,” said Graham Roxburgh, Spartans head coach.
“She is a constant threat to defenders because of her ability to run at players, and her pace and natural talent.
She showed this past weekend that she can score goals as well as create chances for her teammates.
Her finishes this weekend showed that she has the ability to become one of the best strikers in Canada at the university level. More importantly, she has been a model teammate and member of our program.”
The five-foot-two striker graduated from Burnaby South Secondary in 2014 and recently joined TWU – two-time defending CIS champions – with plenty of experience.
She not only has club play under her belt but also play with Team B.C. that earned her a gold medal at the Canada Summer Games and a stint with the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite, where she helped the team earn first place in Sweden’s massive Gothia World Youth Cup in the girls’ under-19 division.
But she isn’t all brawn.
After a high school career on the honour roll, Kashima is studying education at TWU.
Kashima will suit up with TWU to face her old team, the Whitecaps Sept. 19 in an exhibition game at Rogers Field.
They are back to Canada West play at home Sept. 26, when they face the University of British Columbia Okanagan.
