Kalani High School senior Tani Costa received sweet news the other night.

After dinner with her Under-17 U.S. National team soccer teammates, her coach Kazbek Tambi stood up and announced that they were all on the roster for the U-17 World Cup.

"I didn't see it coming," Costa said. "I thought after the camp they would give us a call. But the other night they took us out to a nice dinner. We just finished eating dessert and coach stood up and announced that this was the team and we were all shocked."

Costa, who has been with the team for two years, is a two-time Advertiser All-State first-team member. She was named to the 21-player roster for the tournament, which runs Oct. 28 to Nov. 16 in New Zealand.

"I'm honored, I'm just so excited and I'm nervous," Costa said. "I worked so hard, for almost two years going away every month, and missing school, and being so far away from everyone, and it all paid off.

"Words can't even describe how I feel. I'm so overwhelmed and I want to make everyone proud."

It is the first world championship at this level and features 16 nations divided into four groups of four teams each. The U.S. is in Group C, which includes Japan, France and Paraguay.

"She's a very strong player with the ability to finish very well, she has a strong shot and is very dangerous around the goal area," Tambi said.

Costa was originally noticed from her work with the Olympic Development Program.

"She has a powerful and accurate shot, and that's unique because there aren't that many players with that quality — at that age for sure," Tambi said.

The www.ussoccer.com Web site said Costa is "one of the USA's strongest athletes. She can hold the ball up top as a post player, but also turn and run at goal."

Costa just ended training camp with the U-17 team and is on her official recruiting trip to Penn State, where she is already verbally committed.

Because Costa will miss about a month of school because of her duties with the national team, she is taking online courses in English and economics, along with in-school classes marine biology, Algebra II and ceramics.

She said she will play for the Kalani girls soccer team this year.

"It's my senior year, I want to go out strong," she said.

Costa scored five goals in five games for the national team in 2008, including three in two games at the CONCACAF U-17 Women's Qualifying tournament.

"It's really nothing like I've played against in Hawai'i," Costa said. "It's faster, it's more aggressive, the whole game is so intelligent. Everyone we play internationally has the talent. It's just who is mentally fine-tuned in the game. It's what makes the difference."

Tambi said Costa's inclusion on the team is a "great statement" for Hawai'i.

"That means there are good things happening at the youth level," he said. "It's a state that's been put on the map, which is awesome."

Costa joins Kahuku's Natasha Kai and Hale'iwa's Brian Ching on U.S. National team rosters. Kamehameha's Caprice Dydasco is in the player pool for the Under-15 girls national team, and Chaney Lopez, a recent Kapolei graduate, is in the player pool for the under-18 team, according to ussoccer.com.