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A native of Utah Kealia Ohai scored 126 goals playing four years of varsity soccer for Alta High School. The team won four straight state championships from 2006-2009. She also competed in track for three years racing in the 4x100 meter relay and the 100 meter dash. She played club soccer for the Utah Avalanche from 2000-2010 winning four state titles.
She played all four years of collegiate soccer at the University of North Carolina. As a freshman she played in 24 games starting in 22 of them. She scored 14 goals and had nine assists helping her to be an All-ACC honoree. In 2011, she played in and started all 20 games for the team scoring six goals and six assists. Her junior year she once again started every game for UNC racking up nine goals and five assists. She helped lead UNC to a National Championship that season scoring the goal that got the team past Stanford and into the finals. She was named the Most Valuable Offensive Player at the 2012 NCAA College Cup. Ohai was also named as a semi-finalist for the MAC Hermann trophy that year. She scored 11 goals and seven assists starting every game in the 2013 season. At the end of her time at UNC she was ranked #34 in the nation by Top Drawer Soccer and #9 in the ACC.
Ohai also has experience at the international youth level as part of the team that won the CONCACAF U-20 Women's Championship and qualified for the 2012 U-20 Women's World Cup. She played in four qualifying matches scoring one goal and two assists. She was a member of the U-18s, U-17s and U-15s. Ohai is currently a member of the U-23s.
Ohai does all of it without vision in her right eye. While vision loss in one eye can cause a loss of depth perception Ohai has found a way to adapt and overcome the problem.
Taken as the number two overall NWSL college draft pick Ohai has the pace and high work rate that Coach Waldrum likes in his players and will make her valuable for the Dash as a forward. She has incredible speed with an ability to stretch out defenses and get in goal.