When she was younger, Lizzy Carlson watched her two older brothers play soccer — but only from the sidelines.

"I was never allowed to play," Carlson said, then added jokingly: "Let's just say they are afraid of losing to me."

It's an attitude that has helped her collegiate career with the University of Denver women's soccer program.

"She's very competitive," Denver coach Jeff Hooker said. "She knows having fun is something everyone wants to do, but she has a good balance."

Carlson, a two-time Advertiser All-State first-team pick, returns home this week for the OHANA Hotels & Resorts No Ka Oi Tournament, which also features Hawai'i and Long Beach State.

"I'm packing up, ready to come home," she said yesterday.

Hooker promised Carlson's father, Jeff, that he would bring Lizzy back to Hawai'i at least once during her career at Denver.

"(UH coach Pinsoom Tenzing) has offered to have us come out in the past, and we just haven't been able to make it work," Hooker said. "It was just a good opportunity for us to come out and play a great team."

Carlson, a junior midfielder and 2006 Punahou graduate, is a preseason all-Sun Belt Conference pick after being named to the conference first team and the SBC all-tournament team in 2007. She was an all-freshman central region pick after scoring nine goals with six assists in 2006.

"She kind of runs the show," Hooker said. "We wouldn't be the same team without her."

Denver, winner of five of the past seven SBC Tournaments, earned NCAA Tournament berths in each of its championship seasons. Last year, the Pioneers were in the same Boulder region as Hawai'i. Both were eliminated after the first round; Hawai'i lost to Colorado and Denver lost to Portland.

This year, Carlson hopes to lead the team past the round of 32, which it reached in her freshman year.

This past June, Carlson played with Rainbow Wahine soccer players Ambree Ako and Chelsea Deptula in the U.S. Youth Soccer Far West Regionals at the Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Park. That Leahi 89 Premier girls team advanced to the semifinals.

"It was awesome, and we did well, and it's funny because Ambree and Chelsea were on my team, and now I have to play against them instead of with them," Carlson said. "It was a good way to go out with my soccer career at home."

It was during a regional tournament in Aurora, Colo., in 2005 that she really started to like Denver, where her father is from.

"I thought it was a cool place," she said. "It was the best recruiting trip I had. The girls on the team got along really well."

Carlson takes advantage of all Colorado has to offer — including skiing, although she's "not that good at it" and professional basketball games.

"I go to a lot of Nuggets games," she said. "I like watching them, but sometimes it gets frustrating."

NOTES

Carlson's older brothers, Matt (Punahou '00) and Stephen (Punahou '04) played collegiate soccer. Matt played for Chapman and Stephen is a senior defender for Loyola Marymount. ... Denver plays Long Beach State Saturday at 5 p.m. and Hawai'i Monday at 4 p.m. Hawai'i plays Long Beach State tonight at 7. All games are at the Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Stadium.