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By Al Chase

Al Chase has been covering sports in Hawaii
since 1968. His column appears every other Sunday in the Star Bulletin.
From the local ranks to the World Cup,
Al Chase will help keep you up to date on futbol.
achase@starbulletin.com

Youth teams busy competing at nationals

Three Hawaii youth soccer teams have been competing in national championship tournaments this past week.

The Real Hawaii Futbol Club Under-12 girls and the Mililani Soccer Club Under-13 boys participated in the United States Club Soccer National Championships at Cary, N.C., competing in the premier and first divisions, respectively.

This was the first time Hawaii is represented in this event and both teams did well. Real Hawaii won the division by going 1-0-2. Mililani finished second.

Real Hawaii team members are Dayna Akiu, Mari Carmichael, LeiAnn Chun, Ashley Deguchi, Lauren Fukuyama, Ashley Ann Haruki, Sophia Hollis, Kylie Ann Kanda, Melody Lee, Karli Look, Rachel Marumoto, Koala Matsuoka, Mari Miyashiro, Chelsea Miyake, Michelle Nakasone, Erika Nana, Erin Park and Kearsten Sego.

Real Hawaii is coached by Lisa Nakagawa, Steve Miyashiro and Leland Look and the club director is Sean Richardson.

This year the team also won the Hawaii State U12G's Championship, HYSA OL U14G league Championship, Tide American Cup U12G's Championship, and MISO Jr.'s U12G's league Championship.

The Mililani boys are coached by Tom Powell and Jeff Yamamoto.

Team members are Rory Yamamoto (Mililani), Noah Ogata (Mililani), Matthew Dutson (Pearl Harbor), Austin Wakinekona (Nanakuli), Parker Powell (Haleiwa), Jared Domingo (Kapolei), Alan Albertazzi (Mililani), Gareth Gomez (Aiea), Alexander Prideaux (Hickam), Paul Nakamoto (Mililani), Cory Nakagawa (Mililani), Ken Hayashi (Mililani), Philip Sakaba (Mililani), Kyle Suan (Mililani), Michael Anduha (Mililani), Aaron Miyamoto, (Wahiawa) and Micah Borja (Mililani).

For more information on the final day of play at the USCSNC, see Hawaii Beat.

The Honolulu Soccer Club Bulls Under-19 boys team plays in today's final of the United States Youth Soccer National Championships at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The Bulls qualified by winning the Far West Regional title last month.

The Bulls play CASL '84 CASL Elite (N.C.) in the final. The other regional winners in the event were the Baltimore (Md.) Bays and Scott Gallagher (Mo.)

CASL handed the Bulls their only loss, 1-0 Thursday.

The Bulls strikers are Akihida Adachi (Japan), Nathan Amous (Mililani, Carlton College), Max Anton (Kalaheo), Duke Hashimoto (Iolani, Southern Methodist) and Satoshi Mitsuda (Punahou, Boston College).

The midfielders are Justin Kim (Mililani), David Gualdarama (Kamehameha, New Mexico), Brandon Tano (Kamehameha, UC Irvine), Richard Higa (Mid-Pacific, UMass), and Bret Shimizu (Stanford).

Defenders include Stephen Carlson (Punahou, Loyola Marymount), Matthew Fischer (Washington), Scott Shiraishi (Iolani, UC Irvine), Kenshiro Uki (Pearl City, Whitworth) and Ryan Wisdom (Westmont).

Charged with guarding the nets are William Cooper (Kalaheo) and David Semenza (Punahou, Brown).

The competition began with more than 129,000 players on 7,200 teams in 55 state associations.

Congratulations to the Hilo All-American girls team that won the Under-16 division in the AYSO National Games recently at Lancaster, Calif.

Patrick Boltz, who helped Punahou win state championships in 1996 and 1998 and claim runner-up honors in 1997, made a comeback last fall. He started 13 of the 16 matches he played for the Montana State-Billings Yellowjackets.

Boltz began his collegiate career at Seattle Pacific where he lettered as a true freshman. He then took a break from collegiate soccer for two seasons playing in adult leagues before joining the Yellowjackets.

The junior defender scored one goal; an unassisted, first-half effort against Colorado-Colorado Springs, and had one assist. The 6-9-1 Yellowjackets played just two home matches.

He was named the Star-Bulletin Player of the Year and National Soccer Coaches Association of America/UMBRO state player of the year after his senior season with the Buffanblu.

Several other juniors from Hawaii contributed to their team's success last fall.

Kenji Treschuk scored four goals on 19 shots in 19 matches for the 9-10-1 Penn State Nittany Lions. The junior midfielder from Moanalua made 10 starts and had one assist. He is majoring in psychology with a minor in kinesiology.

Ryan Kreps played in 19 matches for the NAIA Point Loma Nazarene Crusaders. The junior defender from King Kekaulike put half of his four shots on goal, but did not hit the back of the net.

Jennifer Hall, a junior striker from Kaiser, scored twice and had one assist in 11 matches for the 14-5-0 Whitworth Pirates. Eight of her 11 shots were on goal.

Jordan Inouye assisted on one goal in 12 matches for the Seattle U. Redhawks who were 11-6-0. The junior defender from Kaiser, who transferred from Hawaii Pacific, did not play in the last four matches due to an injury.

Punahou grads Sean Akamine and Marcus Asahina, both midfielders, helped the Puget Sound Loggers finish in second place in the NCAA Division III Northwest Conference with a 13-3-3 record.

Akamine, a junior, scored one goal and had one assist in 19 matches. Asahina, a sophomore, contributed two assists in 17 matches.

The St. Michaels (Colchester, Vt.) Purple Knights got some long-distance support from the Self brothers, both Kaiser graduates. Bobby, a junior midfielder, had five assists and scored once in 18 matches for the NCAA Division II college. Brandon, a freshman striker played in 14 matches, scoring twice and assisting on one goal.

Stacy Kodani and Ben Villaflor saw action for the 9-10-1 San Francisco Dons of the West Coast Conference.

Kodani, a 6-foot-1 junior defender from Seabury Hall, had two assists in 13 matches.

Villaflor, a sophomore midfielder from Aiea, scored two goals on eight shots in 12 matches for the Dons.

Mariah Farley, a senior goalkeeper, played just 36 minutes in one match for the 8-5-6 South Dakota State Jackrabbits. The pharmacy major who graduated from Iolani played her first two seasons at Portland State before transferring.

Farley saw 83 minutes of action in three matches in two seasons with the Jackrabbits.

Julie Broussard, a striker from Mililani, is continuing her education at Azusa Pacific, but did not play soccer last year.

Hawaii teams look to end Veterans Cup drought

THE Hawaii Soccer Association is hosting the Veterans Cup for the second consecutive year this week at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Park complex.

The seventh annual competition conducted by the United States Amateur Soccer Association starts Wednesday. The opening ceremony starts at 10 a.m., with the first matches kicking off at noon. The championship matches are Sunday.

The women's divisions are over-30, over-40 premier, over-40 first, over-50 and over-55. The men will compete in over-40 premier, over-40 first, over-50 and over-55 divisions.

There are 58 teams entered, with 40 coming from 17 mainland states. Hawaii's entries are from Oahu, Maui and the Big Island. All the 2003 champions return to defend their titles.

Hawaii's 18 teams will be trying to keep at least one national title trophy in the 50th state. Last year, Aloha United's men's team reached the final of the over-55 before losing to Georgia Select 2-1 on a late goal.

It has been 12 years since Hawaii's only national adult title was brought home by Ke Koa, winners of the U.S. Women's Over-30 title.

The visitors are expected to pump $3 million into the local economy, according to projections from the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.

College bound

Satoshi Mitsuda (Punahou 2003), who took a year off before starting his college career, will attend Boston College after considering the U.S. Military Academy, Stanford, UC Davis and Loyola Marymount.

"I wanted to go east because it is completely different from Hawaii and California," the striker said.

Aimee Watanabe takes her soccer talents to the NCAA Division II Western Oregon Wolves in Monmouth, Ore. The midfielder from Castle visited the campus in May and enjoyed the experience.

"I met the team and the girls and coaches made me feel very welcome. The campus is really pretty," Watanabe said.

A Star-Bulletin second-team all-state selection, Watanabe wants to major in nursing.

Kaui Wong, who played all over (but prefers the midfield) for Roosevelt and was an honorable mention all-state Star-Bulletin pick, will walk on at the University of San Diego.

"I'm going to go to the fall camp and see what happens," said Wong, who has visited San Diego several times for tournaments with the Honolulu Bulls Soccer Club.

"San Diego is a school I'd go to even if I was not going to play soccer. I like the campus a lot. It's the closest I can get on the mainland to being in a warm place like Hawaii."

Kami Kapaku, a first-team Star-Bulletin all-state selection, will enroll at Oregon this fall. The midfielder from Baldwin also considered the Hawaii program.

Lipsher in showcase

Allison Lipsher was one of 18 seniors playing for the West in the third annual McDonald's All-America High School girls soccer match played last Sunday at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.

Lipsher, the Star-Bulletin's first-team goalkeeper, is one of the top 50 recruits in the country, according to Soccer Buzz Magazine. The recent Punahou graduate will play for Duke this fall.

The West tied the East 2-2 in the girls match, while the West boys prevailed 5-2.

THERE are times when the "sophomore jinx" causes an athlete to have a down year after experiencing a successful freshman season in college. Most of Hawaii's sophomores avoided the jinx last fall.

Charlene Lui started all 26 matches for 16-7-3 Brigham Young. The Cougars advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament before losing to UConn. The sophomore midfielder from Punahou put nine of her 16 shots on goal, scored once and had one assist.

Chris AhNew, a sophomore striker from Kamehameha, played in 19 of the California Institute of Technology's 20 matches, starting 17.

"Chris did not have any goals or assists. Unfortunately, as a team, we only had 10 goals and four assists," said Caltech sports information director Mike Rupp. "I would like to note, however, that, like all our student-athletes, the very fact that he is attending Caltech speaks volumes about his academic accomplishments."

Lindsey Rothbaum played in 11 matches for the 9-7-3 California Lutheran Regals. The sophomore midfielder from St. Andrew's Priory had one assist for the NCAA Division III team .

Kenan Knieriem played in 15 matches for the 5-10-1 Navy Midshipmen, starting two. The sophomore midfielder/striker from Punahou scored one goal, a game winner off a cross against Towson State.

Kara Ishikawa finished her sophomore season at 7-7-2 Cornell as the Big Red's third leading scorer. The midfielder from Iolani started all 16 matches, put four balls into the net and had three assists for 11 points.

Carmen Calpo, who transferred from Hawaii to East Carolina this year, started all 19 matches for the 7-7-5 Pirates. The midfielder/striker from Pearl City, scored twice and contributed three assists.

"Carmen is a dangerous threat in the attack, comfortable with the ball and technically sound," said ECU coach Rob Donnenwirth. "She is a great athlete and has a great understanding of the game."

Brandee Chong, a sophomore midfielder, appeared in seven matches for the 10-6-1 Hanover Panthers. The Kamehameha grad had one assist, took seven shots, but did not score. Hanover won the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference title with a 6-0-1 record.

Audrey Ehrhorn, a sophomore defender, started three of the 14 matches she played in for the George Washington Colonials. The Iolani grad plans to major in political science and environmental studies.

Jennifer Iha scored two goals and had one assist for the 6-9-3 Sacramento State Hornets. The junior midfielder from Mililani played in 17 matches with six starts. Karalee Narimatsu suffered her second ACL injury and redshirted. However, the midfielder from Mililani has decided not to play for the Hornets next year, but will complete her education at Sacramento State according to assistant coach Katie Sheppard.

Mitchell Fu, a sophomore midfielder, had one assist for the Cascade College (Portland, Ore.) Thunderbirds. The Maryknoll grad who played for Pac-Five, played in 14 matches with 11 starts.

Tiffany Todo, a sophomore striker from Iolani, suffered a stress fracture in her left heel during summer workouts and experienced a slow recovery. She did not see action for Cornell until the end of the season.

SEVERAL more Hawaii high school seniors have decided where they will attend college this fall and combine academics with soccer.

Jay Abrigo, a stopper on Mililani's state championship team, considered Portland and Denver before deciding to start his college education and continue his soccer career with the San Francisco Dons following visits to all three campuses.

"The deciding factor was the USF coaches' attitude. They were the most friendly," said Abrigo, a Star-Bulletin first-team All-State pick. "Also, USF is a better atmosphere for me as a student."

On his USF visit, Abrigo's host was Seabury Hall graduate Stacy Kodani, also a defender, who will be a senior this fall.

Chris Faulkner was set to go to USF, but he received a call Tuesday from his first choice, Washington U., in St. Louis, Mo., informing him he no longer was on the waiting list.

"This was my first choice all along because of the academics. It was an easy decision (to change)," said Faulkner, a striker from Iolani who wants to study finance.

Faulkner and Raider teammates Dane McCleary and Dyrk Teramae were Star-Bulletin first-team All-State selections.

McCleary, who has experience with the New Zealand U17 and U21 teams, will continue his career at the University of San Diego after considering USF, UC Irvine, Fairfield and UMass.

"I like the program and the coach at USD and I love San Diego. They made me a good financial offer," McCleary said.

Teramae, a striker, will enroll at UC Irvine this fall. He also thought about attending Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, Loyola Marymount and Gonzaga.

"I wanted to go to a good engineering school that had a good soccer program," said Teramae, whose interest is mechanical engineering.

He was in the Olympic Development Program for four years.

Jodie Toyama, an outside left midfielder from Aiea, will try to walk on at national powerhouse Portland.

The Vikings return all but three players from their team that reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament last year.

Toyama did consider Hawaii.

"I've been admitted to the nursing school at Portland. It is a very good program. I really want to go into nursing and that was the big factor in my decision," Toyama said.

Lisa Lerud, a defender from Punahou, may walk on at the University of San Diego.

Makana Prothero, a striker from Kamehameha, has been accepted at Nevada-Las Vegas and plans to try out for the Rebels as a walk-on.

Alfiler an Aztec

Andrea Alfiler joins San Diego State's women's program as an assistant coach this fall. She assisted at Pt. Loma Nazarene in San Diego last year.

"I felt I was at a crossroads as far as my coaching career. I had an opportunity to go play pro ball in Spain and I came very close to getting on a very long plane ride," said Alfiler, who is from Kauai and the 2001 NAIA Player of the Year.

"But after a lot of thought and prayer, I decided to hang up the boots and join the staff at San Diego State. I believe that it's my calling and everything in my life has been a building block to prepare for this moment.

"I'm excited to continue coaching. It is definitely a passion of mine."

 

Sunday, May 9, 2004

Hawaii soccer spreads to East Coast

Today some of the 60 freshmen not mentioned in previous columns are featured.

Elizabeth Kalama saw action in 18 matches for Point Loma Nazarene in San Diego. The midfielder from Kamehameha did not score, but both her shots were on goal.

"Elizabeth started pretty much every game for us," said Crusader assistant coach Andrea Alfiler. "I could see leadership qualities in her that were pretty quiet. I told her to recognize that she has that quality and to come into her own."

Erin Apo, a defender from Roosevelt, and Marley Shain, a midfielder from Punahou, took their talents to the East Coast and played in Boston for the NCAA Division III Simmons College Sharks.

"Marley had a solid year for us, and was instrumental in our defeat of Western New England College when she assisted on the game-winning goal. Erin was hurt most of the year, but was a great asset to the team off the field," said Simmons coach Dick Dawson.

Simmons (7-1-1) was the Great Northeast Athletic Conference regular-season champion.

Kealakehe graduate Brad Fyffe headed to Boston and played in 12 matches for the Emerson College Lions. The Big Island Interscholastic Federation North first-team defender a year ago turned striker scored once. Emerson finished 11-7-1 and advanced to the semifinal round of the GNAC Tournament.

Darin Fajota, a midfielder from Maryknoll, was a walk-on at Loyola Marymount and played in one match.

"He basically still must prove himself before he gets more playing time. Darin is a technically clean player with creative skills on the ball," said LMU assistant coach Brian Irvin.

JoBette Nabarro started five of the 14 matches she saw action in for the San Diego State Aztecs (7-10-2). The four-time BIIF All-Star and player of the year as a senior at Waiakea took five shots but did not score. Nabarro picked up her first college assist against Long Beach State.

Stephannie Pearson, who played her freshman season with the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine then transferred to SDSU, was in the goal for every minute this year. She has a 1.36 goals-against average and led the Mountain West Conference with seven shutouts.

Kristin Muramoto allowed two goals and made three saves in 211 minutes between the pipes for the 16-1-2 Willamette Bearcats. The Iolani alum played in five matches, starting three, and had a 0.85 goals-against average.

Christian Marston was a walk-on at Vanguard University (Costa Mesa, Calif.) and earned a starting berth in 13 of the 17 matches he played for the 13-6-1 Lions. The midfielder from Kapaa had three assists but did not connect on any of his 14 shots.

Chandi Bickford, who can play up top but was used primarily as a defender, logged time in 15 matches during her first season with the 11-6-4 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. The King Kekaulike graduate, who won the state long jump and triple jump competitions a year ago, did not take any shots, but recorded two assists.

David Semenza, a goalkeeper from Punahou, played in one match for the Ivy League's Brown Bears, a 2-2 overtime tie against Providence.

Semenza made five saves in 110 minutes between the pipes.

Perry headed from Kauai to Costa Mesa

HAWAII'S prep players continue making important decisions about their future and college choices. Standouts Madison Perry and Brent Murakami know where they will pursue their academic goals and continue playing soccer.

This time also is when players make recruiting trips to the mainland to better evaluate their choices. Others are waiting on financial information from institutions where they have been accepted.

Perry, a center midfielder from Kauai High, will continue her soccer career at Vanguard in Costa Mesa, Calif. She made her decision after visiting the campus following the Nomads Tournament in San Diego during spring vacation.

"I met the team. They are a very good group of girls," Perry said. "The school offered a good financial package and has a good program in what I want to study -- sports medicine."

She also considered Southern Oregon, Hawaii and Portland State.

Murakami, a center midfielder on Mililani's four consecutive state championship teams, will play soccer for the Whitworth College Pirates in Spokane, Wash. The National Merit Scholar also considered Redlands, Concordia-Irvine and Pacific (Ore.) in what he termed a five-month decision-making process.

"One of the biggest pluses was the coach (Sean Bushey)," said Murakami, who will major in business marketing. "I have known him for quite a few years through (the Olympic Development Program). I see him every summer and the communication lines were established.

"Education-wise, Whitworth is a good school. I visited the campus and it is beautiful."

 

Pro update

Brian Ching, in his fourth professional season and third in Major League Soccer, is coming off the bench for the San Jose Earthquakes. The striker has played 55 minutes in three matches. He has taken one shot, scoring in San Jose's 3-1 victory over the New England Revolution on April 17.

Zach Scott has signed for a third season with the A-League Seattle Sounders. The defender hails from Maui and played his college soccer at Gonzaga.

Scott spent a week before Christmas working out with the Los Angeles Galaxy of the MLS.

"It went well. I hope that another season with the Sounders will get me more chances with MLS teams," said Scott, who plays on the left side despite being a natural righty.

"It's been quite a process to learn how to play the left side, but now I feel more comfortable there than on the right."

Scott also played indoor soccer for San Diego after the Sounders' season last year, but found the wear and tear on his body was too much and returned to Seattle. Fortunately, his contract with the Sounders is good enough that he can concentrate on soccer, although he does help coach youth players.

Iovo Stefanov, a defender who lettered four years at Hawaii Pacific, has been offered a contract by the Wilmington, N.C., Hammerheads of the Pro Soccer League, second in the pecking order in the United Soccer League picture.

Earlier this spring, Stefanov had tryouts with the Sounders and the Charleston Battery, 2003 A-League champions.

"I'm so happy and relieved. I can't describe it. I plan to make the most out of it," said Stefanov, a Sofia, Bulgaria, native.

Two groups of Hawaii's veteran soccer players took their talents on the road recently.

The Aloha United Soccer Club participated in the Supa Oldies Sports International Fun Cup, an event for players over 35, at Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, last week and compiled a 0-2-1 record, with their final match not yet reported.

Aloha United was the only coed team and only team from the United States in the tournament. The team was 1-2-1 in the same tournament in New Zealand a year ago.

The Aloha United players were Gary Bilyk, Ken Bogowitz, Dimitri Economou, Manny Fernandes, Yuji Ikeda, Frank Lee, Vic Peters, Joe Turban, Nan Alota, Manu Anana-Okamura, Pilahi Gregg, May Lapa and Pauline Lapa.

They tied Koala Green (Australia) 0-0, lost to Hungarian Budapest Old Guys 3-1, with Bogowitz scoring for United, and lost to Avoca Beach ParaAnimals (Australia) 2-1, with Gregg converting a penalty kick for United's goal.

The oldest and youngest Aloha United players, Lee and Turban, were chosen to play on the Pacific Team in an exhibition match vs. Team Europe. That match was a 3-3 draw.

Playing on the mainland, Hawaii Gold, an over-52 women's team, reached the championship match of the Friendship Tournament in Las Vegas last weekend before losing to San Diego 1-0.

Coached by Holly Lau and Cheryl Shimizu, Hawaii Gold compiled a 3-1-1 record heading into the title match.

College happenings

Megan Omura switched sports at Texas last fall after tearing her left meniscus during spring practice last year. She gave up soccer and joined the Longhorns' rowing program.

"I did not like being injured all the time and I figured my body couldn't handle that. Soccer turned into more like a job and it wasn't making my college experience fun," said Omura. "I definitely like the school and made a lot of friends there.

"I found that with rowing I could have the best of both worlds. I'm on the novice team and we travel with the varsity."

The Iolani graduate hopes to prove she is worthy of a rowing scholarship this fall.

Noe Kamelamela also made a switch, according to information sent by Kamehameha goalkeeper coach Bruce Omura.

Kamelamela was slated to be the starting goalkeeper at Massachusetts Institute of Technology last fall, but decided not to play soccer. Her decision was the result of the time demands of the sport and how that factor related to her academic pursuits. She also spent an eye-opening summer in Sweden.

In an e-mail, Omura wrote:

"Noe had a summer research internship at the Royal Institute of Technology for 10 weeks in Stockholm, Sweden, fending for herself and working on a research paper with a professor at the Royal Institute. It was a great experience for her as she had to learn to use the subway, shop, etc.

"She has become a mature worldly young lady. She plans to return to Sweden to get a PhD. She was impressed with their National Health Insurance, free public education thru college, the fact that all the people speak at least two and usually three or more languages, that there are no homeless people, and the open mindedness/tolerance of differences in people."

Laura Wilson was part of a 1-2 punch for the Marymount (Arlington, Va.) Saints, who compiled a 9-9-1 record last fall. The junior striker from Hilo led the team with nine goals on 52 shots in 16 matches.

She was a second-team All-Capitol Athletic Conference pick, completing a comeback from an injury that sidelined her in 2002.

"It's been four years since we had one individual score that many goals in a season," said Marymount coach Bob Meden. "This past year we were lucky to not only have one, but two good scorers. The other player had eight goals and an assist for 17 points. There is hope on the horizon.

"Laura is a very talented individual whose skills have not been fully utilized by her teammates or her coach."

Wilson has 11 goals in two seasons at Marymount, good for ninth place on the Saints' career list.

Vito Higgins started in the goal in 14 of Gonzaga's 16 matches, allowed 28 goals and finished with a 2.06 goals-against average. The freshman, who graduated from the Academy of the Pacific and played for Pac-Five, fashioned two shutouts and made 71 saves in 1,222 minutes of action.

Daniel Scott, a freshman defender from King Kekaulike, played in six matches for the 5-10-1 Bulldogs.

Jen Katres had a solid year as a defender in 16 matches for the Missouri Valley College (Marshall, Mo.) Eagles.

"Jen is a player that does very well off the bench. She is extremely intelligent. It is nice to have a player that can observe how the game is going and understand what I am asking her to do when she goes in," said Eagles coach Derek Burton.

The sophomore from Kalaheo had two assists.

"Jen is very much a stay-at-home defender, so any offensive production is a bonus," said Burton.

Brent Nakamura took nine shots and scored once in 15 matches for the Chapman Panthers, an NCAA Division III independent. Darren Lee played in six matches and did not score on his two shots. Both junior midfielders are Punahou grads.

Kyle Kagihara, a sophomore midfielder for the Union College (Schenectady, N.Y.) Dutchmen, played in three matches. The Punahou graduate had one assist for the NCAA Division III school.

Liane Tom, a freshman midfielder from Mililani, started eight of 14 matches for 8-12-1 Boise State and assisted on one Broncos goal.

Justin Green started nine of 15 matches for the NCAA Division III California Lutheran Kingsmen. The sophomore midfielder from King Kekaulike scored once on eight shots. Brandon Higa, a freshman midfielder from Punahou, played in 17 matches for the Kingsmen. He did not score on 11.

Freshmen midfielders/strikers contributed to Azusa Pacific's 13-4-3 record, although the NAIA powerhouse did not reach the national finals for the first time in five seasons after being upset by William Jewel.

Mari Kasamoto (Iolani) and Taryn Apo (Baldwin) saw action in 17 and eight matches, respectively.

Sheri Wilhelm put two of her five shots on goal for 12-5-2 Humboldt State. The freshman midfielder from Hawaii Prep saw action in 19 matches for the Lumberjacks.

Sunday, March 14, 2004

Ariola makes the most of his opportunity

KEONI Ariola, who said he was not that well known as a soccer player at Campbell High School, took matters into his own hands, made his own highlight video and sent it to a number of mainland colleges.

There were several responses, but the one that determined where he would spend the next four years, the best offer, came from Chris Luther, the men's soccer coach at York College in Nebraska.

"I needed a scholarship and it was late August. I was worried. When Coach Luther sent me the scholarship, I signed and everything worked out well," said Ariola, who survived snow and sub-zero temperatures knowing that Hawaii was home.

Fortunately for the secondary education major, York offers the option of doing student teaching in a student's home state. Ariola is doing his here and will graduate in May.

"Keoni was a fabulous player for us, had great ball skills," Luther said. "The biggest thing about Keoni was his work ethic.

"He demonstrated great leadership through example. Keoni wasn't a cheerleader, but he worked hard to protect his teammates from his defensive midfielder position."

Ariola started 64 of 71 matches for the Panthers during his four-year career. He scored 11 goals on 65 shots and had eight assists.

"The door opened for me and I want Hawaii players to realize there is a college out there for them. I think that's why I'm teaching. I think all Hawaii kids need is a chance because they can play," said Ariola, who will be a volunteer football coach at Kapolei next season.

"I would love to coach soccer too, but I will wait to see what happens."

Amber Waddle, who alternated between midfield and striker, played in 59 matches during her four-year career for the Vanguard U. (Costa Mesa, Calif.) Lions. The Makua Lani Christian graduate finished with nine goals and six assists for 24 points. A psychology major, Waddle maintains a 3.52 grade point average.

"Amber worked herself up from almost no time to one of our most dominant players in the middle, starting and playing every game her senior year," Vanguard coach Kerry McGrath-Crooks said.

"She also was voted team captain by her teammates and is highly respected for her work ethic, her humor and easy disposition."

Leisha Makinano, a senior defender for Nevada from Iolani, started all but two of the 71 matches she played for the Wolf Pack. She tops the career list for matches played and is the all-time assist leader with seven. The computer information science major finished her four-year career with five goals.

Kaula Rowe played in 68 matches, second best all time, for Nevada. The striker from Kamehameha is the all-time Wolf Pack leader in goals scored (18) and points (39). She is a political science major.

Adam Sthay, a senior goalkeeper for NCAA Division I Loyola Marymount and Punahou graduate, started four of five matches for the 12-6-1 Lions and posted a 2.03 goals against average.

In his junior year Sthay set a Lions single-season shutout record and led the Lions to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

This past fall he was named a captain and split time with the Shaun Kalnasy before Kalnasy earned the starting nod. Sthay is majoring in psychology.

Hawaii booters make most of redshirts

During the 2003 collegiate soccer season several Hawaii players found it necessary to take a redshirt.

This happens when a player suffers a major injury. It also occurs when a player needs a year to adjust to college life, academically and athletically, or to save a year of eligibility if the team is loaded with talent at a player's position.

Tiffany Taylor was a redshirt last fall at Boston U. after transferring from Washington State.

The Punahou grad realized a long-time dream last summer when she spent a month at a soccer camp in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. She was one of 12 women among the 65 Americans there. They were trained by Bolivian coaches who only spoke Spanish and played matches against teams in the nearby towns.

"I absolutely love it and plan on doing it again next summer," said Taylor who sat out this year after suffering a torn ACL in her right knee during preseason practice at BU.

Taylor had surgery Sept. 15 and expects to be ready for spring practice.

She originally chose WSU because it was Pac-10 soccer and close to home. After two years she needed a change.

"I was getting restless at Washington State. It's an awesome school, but it is in the middle of no where. I couldn't experience anything else but soccer. And, I just love Boston. There is so much to do here," said Taylor.

Ricky Shinn, a freshman defender from Pearl City, redshirted at Southern Methodist.

"Ricky is an outstanding young man with raw talent. We have discussed the season with Ricky and feel that it is in his and SMU's best interest if he were to be redshirted for the year," said Mustangs coach Schellas Hyndman.

Kyle Strickland, a junior midfielder, redshirted at UC Irvine. He pulled a hamstring the day before the Anteaters' first match. His recovery was so slow that head coach George Kuntz thought it was best the Kapaa graduate sit out a year.

Soo Lee, a freshman goalkeeper from Seabury Hall, and Shaina Sonobe, a freshman defender from Punahou, redshirted at Southern Oregon and UC San Diego, respectively.

Jayson Nakakura, a sophomore goalkeeper at Missouri Valley College, sat out the year. The Pearl City grad is recovering from an injury suffered in a postseason match last year.

Hunter Gradie (Mid-Pacific), a freshman goalkeeper at Delaware also redshirted as did another goalkeeper, Kealii Kuehu (Castle) at St. Mary's (Calif.).

Randi Kikuchi tore her right ACL in the San Francisco Dons' sixth match. That ended her season.

The sophomore defender from Seabury Hall was starting at an outside back position.

"We expect a complete recovery and hopefully have her back at the end of spring training," said USF coach Pamela Kalinoski. "Randi is a great kid. I have a tremendous amount of respect for her."

Freshman news

Erica Chong, a defender from Hilo, played in 14 matches for Long Island U. The pharmacy major started three matches.

Christina Hayduk, a goalie from Kauai H.S., backed up NCAA Division II first-team All-American Lindsay Blose at Mesa State. Hayduk allowed one goal and had three saves in three matches for the 15-5-3 Mavericks.

High schoolers sign to play on mainland

Wednesday was the first day Hawaii's high school seniors could sign a national letter of intent to play soccer for an NCAA school. The signing period runs through Aug. 1.

Several prep standouts made their decisions early and signed with the school of their choice. Others are still mulling over offers or deciding what part of the mainland they want to display their talents.

David Gualdarama signed to play for the New Mexico Lobos. A first-team Star-Bulletin all-state selection last year, the midfielder from Kamehameha also received interest from Santa Clara, but only made an official visit to UNM.

"The coaching staff is easy to get along with and it was cool hanging out with the players," said Gualdarama, who has a partial athletic scholarship.

Kamehameha coach Andrew AhNee said, "David has everything. Maybe the past two years he didn't take too many shots. We asked him to shoot more this year and he did that. It was the only thing missing from his game."

The Lobos were 8-9-3 last year but advanced to the championship game of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament, where they lost to San Jose State 3-2.

Stephen Carlson, another first-team Star-Bulletin all-state selection a year ago, made official visits to Duke, Santa Clara, Brown and Loyola Marymount before deciding to sign with LMU.

"I think it was the location of the school. I felt more comfortable there with the school and the atmosphere than on my other visits," Carlson said about the deciding factor.

The Punahou striker said the LMU coaches want him to play sweeper, a position he has played for the Honolulu Bulls Soccer Club.

The Lions finished 12-7-1 after bowing out of the NCAA Tournament in the second round with a 1-0 overtime loss to Santa Clara.

Allison Lipsher, a tri-captain at Punahou, committed to play for the Duke Blue Devils after also considering Stanford, Virginia and Santa Clara.

The Star-Bulletin all-state, first-team goalkeeper a year ago took official visits to all the schools except Virginia before making her decision.

"It was mostly the people I met at Duke. They were open and honest," said Lipsher, who will be on a partial athletic scholarship.

The Blue Devils finished 14-7-1 last fall after losing to Texas A&M in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Lipsher will battle two other goalkeepers, a junior and a senior, for playing time this fall.

Allison Tsuchida, also tri-captain for Punahou, signed with Boise State of the Western Athletic Conference and will receive a partial athletic scholarship. The midfielder considered UC San Diego and Loyola Marymount but only made an official visit to BSU.

Tsuchida said she was deciding whether to wait until her club team played in a mainland tournament during spring vacation to see if there were other schools interested, but made her decision after her visit.

"I just really fell in love with the place. I liked the small community and town. The team and coaches were really nice. I was there in October and it was cold," said Tsuchida. "I looked at their schedule and we come back to play Hawaii next year."

She may play center back for the Broncos, a position she plays for the Honolulu Bulls.

Hawaii players help
Mustangs almost make it

Duke Hashimoto and Adria Campbell made significant contributions to the success of the Southern Methodist men's and women's soccer teams last fall.

The Mustangs (13-6-3) were eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Tournament by Santa Clara on penalty kicks 4-1 after playing to a 1-1 draw through overtime. Hashimoto, a sophomore midfielder/striker from Iolani, set up SMU's goal with a pass to Colin Clark.

Hashimoto, who missed four matches with a strained knee, was SMU's third-leading scorer with four goals and five assists for 13 points in the 18 matches he played. He had one game-winning goal and put 16 of his 29 shots on goal.

Campbell, a freshman striker from Punahou, also got a taste of postseason action, but the Western Athletic Conference champion Lady Mustangs (17-3-2) were ousted in the first round of the NCAA Tournament by Texas A&M, also 4-1 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 double-overtime draw.

Campbell had one game-winner among her five goals and was second on the team with eight assists. Her 18 points was fourth-highest for SMU. She put 12 of her 19 shots on goal.

More honors

Kurt Kagawa is a member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America/Adidas 2003 College Men's Scholar All-West Region second team. A senior striker for the Whitworth Pirates, Kagawa majors in political science and has a 3.795 grade point average.

Shelly Suzuki has been named to the NSCAA/Adidas 2003 Division 3 Women's All-West Region first team and to the NSCAA/Adidas 2003 NAIA Women's All-Region VIII team.

The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps senior defender and Punahou graduate was selected Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Player of the Year in November.

Convention news

Phil Neddo, Honolulu Bulls Soccer Club director of coaching, was a key speaker at a panel on the development of youth soccer in America at the NSCAA convention that ended today. He also was on a panel that discussed developing a college program for youth players.

Coaching go-round

Tulsa has hired Rena Richardson to head the women's soccer program.

Richardson, 32, comes to Tulsa after spending the last three seasons as an assistant coach at Alabama, where she helped the Crimson Tide post a three-year mark of 31-21-5.

Prior to Alabama, Richardson spent two seasons as the head coach at the University of Louisiana-Monroe, where she undertook the difficult task of starting a Division I women's soccer program, and led the team to 10 wins.

Nevada did not renew head women's soccer coach Dang Pibulvech's contract.

Pibulvech was hired in 1999 to start the program from scratch. He had a reputation for building soccer programs at Colorado College, Washington and Texas, where he had a combined 188-97-1 record. In four seasons at Nevada, Pibulvech posted an overall record of 12-58-2 and a WAC mark of 2-27-2.

Sunday, January 4, 2004

Boxers’ roster is truly
pacific in soccer

The Pacific University (Forest Grove, Ore.) women's soccer team received 61 percent of its offense from former Hawaii prep players en route to an 11-8-1 season last fall.

The Boxers scored 38 goals and 23 of them were delivered by Hawaii booters.

Leading the way was senior striker Moani Lau (Kamehameha) with eight goals. Junior striker Joni Kaitoku (Iolani), freshman defender Brooke Hayashi (Moanalua) and sophomore striker Karley Peterson (Leilehua) each had three goals.

Two of Kaitoku's goals were game-winners.

Junior defender Jean Kasamoto (Mid-Pacific), back from a year studying in Japan, and freshman striker Stacy Sueoka (Kauai), each scored two times. Contributing one goal apiece were junior defender/midfielder Mariel Kim (Punahou) and Aiea redshirt freshman midfielder Christine Toyama.

Lau, Peterson, Hayashi and Kasamoto also booted game-winning shots into the net.

Stefanie Kawatomari, a freshman midfielder from Mid-Pacific, and Kaleinani Titcomb, a junior midfielder/striker from Kamehameha, each assisted on two goals.

Junior Kasey Chun (Maryknoll) was a force on defense, starting all 20 matches for the NCAA Division III school. Stephanie Kawamura (Aiea), a junior goalkeeper, started five of the six matches she played between the pipes, finishing with a 3-2 record, two shutouts and a 1.64 goals-against average.

The Pacific men's team roster included seven Hawaii players and five of them accounted for 10 of the 22 goals the 6-12-0 Boxers scored.

Bobby Shinn, a junior striker from Pearl City, tied for the team lead with six goals. Daniel Park, a sophomore midfielder from Pearl City, freshman defender Brett Asato (Aiea), Graham Enomoto, a freshman defender from Hawaii Baptist and junior defender Randy Shinn (Pearl City) each scored once.

Junior midfielder Elliott Hirai (Aiea) started 16 of 18 matches, had one assist, but did not connect on any of his 17 shots. Justin Davis, a freshman striker from Seabury Hall, saw action in nine matches.

Elsewhere

Bucky Jencks started seven of the 17 matches he played in for the 13-2-3 Bowdoin Polar Bears. The junior midfielder from Punahou took three shots but did not score.

Bowdoin was ousted in the first round of the NCAA Division III tournament by Wheaton (Mass.) on penalty kicks 9-8.

Dana Kagawa, a freshman defender from Aiea, had one assist in the seven matches she played for the 19-3 Notre Dame de Namur (Calif.) Argonauts, an NAIA team.

Brandon Tario played in eight matches for the 6-11-3 UC Irvine Anteaters, a NCAA Division I team. The freshman midfielder from Kamehameha took two shots but did not dent the net. Scott Shiraishi, a freshman midfielder from Iolani, saw action in four UCI matches and put in his only shot on goal.

Lori Sakai, a sophomore defender who transferred this year to Nevada-Las Vegas from Notre Dame de Namur to compete at the Division I level, played in 11 matches for the 9-9-3 Rebels. The Iolani graduate scored one goal on 13 shots.

Tiara Hong, a freshman defender from University, saw action in 11 matches for the 7-11-2 Oregon State Beavers.

Sunday, December 21, 2003

Iolani girls wrap
up college career

Shari Nishikawa and Jamie Shoma were teammates at Iolani and continued that distinction for four more years with the Loyola Marymount Lions.

"Shari and Jamie were fantastic players for us all four years here at LMU," Lions coach Gregg Murphy said. "Jaime played as an outside back and started for two of her four years. Jamie is an awesome kid with a great personality and attitude. ... We will miss her.

"Shari was first-team All-West Coast Conference as a freshman and as a junior and was second-team this year as a senior. She was our leading goal scorer this year as well as a team captain ... we will obviously miss Shari as well!"

Nishikawa's 10 career assists and 28 career points ties her for seventh place on the all-time LMU list. She scored nine goals in her career.

Nishikawa was a starter in all but two of the Lions' 76 matches during her career. She led the team in points (12) and goals (5) in 2003. Three of those goals were game-winners. In 2000 her teammates voted her rookie of the year. This year she was voted offensive player of the year.

Shoma saw action in 46 matches. Her defense helped LMU reach national rankings in team shutouts and goals-against average during her four years. She earned her first career assist as a freshman in a 3-2 win over Arizona.

Momi Markus was set to finally enjoy a banner season at Northern Colorado when she tore her left ACL the first day of practice. A 1999 redshirt with a torn ACL, she tore the graft in the right ACL and damaged the knee again early in the 2001 campaign that limited her to eight matches in 2002.

The Iolani grad was the scoring star during spring practice this year and coach Tim Barrera was expecting a lot from Markus in the team's transition year to Division I.

"Momi had the strength and touch to play in really tight spaces against bigger and stronger defenders," Barrera said. "She would have given us a legitimate target player to play balls into and let her hold it as we moved forward.

"She was poised to have a very productive year and take on a leadership role, which made it even tougher when she went down that first day, leaving a big hole in our front line.

"Momi has been one of the most-liked players on our team through her years here. It has certainly been difficult at times with all the injuries. She has been able to get out and help in the community, serving as the junior varsity coach/assistant coach for Greeley West High School last spring. In May, West won the 4A state championship, the first ever for a girls team at Greeley West.

"Although her career was not what it could have been here, Momi has definitely left her mark and we will miss her."

Duke honored

Duke Hashimoto has been named to the Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete Team. The sophomore midfielder/striker for Southern Methodist has a 3.58 grade point average with a major in pre-political science.

Coaching news

Damon Gore resigned as Tulsa's head women's soccer coach. In his five seasons the Golden Hurricane had a 42-45-8 record, 16-19-2 in Western Athletic Conference play. Tulsa was only 1-4 against Hawaii, being outscored 5-17. Rena Richardson has been hired to take Gore's place.

Sunday, December 14, 2003

DeHay helps dig
LSU out of mess

Jenny deHay played an important role in the Louisiana State women's soccer program's return to respectability. The Kamehameha grad started 34 of 75 matches for LSU during four seasons with the Tigers.

"I didn't recruit Jenny. She was part of the freshman class that was here when I took over the program, a program that was at rock bottom coming off 0-18 and 4-15 seasons," said LSU coach George Fotopoulos. "It was players like Jenny that made the difference in resurrecting this program. The contributions of her class were just phenomenal, to get to the SEC Tournament twice and have a national ranking last year."

DeHay split time at the outside right midfield position the last two years, coming off the bench in most matches, after being primarily a starter her first two seasons.

"I had the honor and pleasure of coaching Jenny," said Fotopoulos. "She did try to teach me some Japanese, which was a bust, but she did get me hooked on sushi, which is a lot different than Greek food."

DeHay scored five goals in her career, with a game-winner her freshman year and another her senior year. The mass communications major also had six assists. DeHay made the Southeastern Conference academic honor roll as a junior.

The Tigers compiled a 44-28-7 record during deHay's time in Baton Rouge.

Erin Sayegusa put together a solid, productive career during her four seasons at Fresno State. She started 61 of 75 matches for the Bulldogs. In her career, the striker from Kaiser took 133 shots and had 10 assists, good for third on FSU's all-time lists.

The liberal studies major is fourth all-time with 16 goals, seven of them game-winners, and her 42 points is fifth best in Bulldog history.

"I cannot say enough about her contributions to our program," said FSU coach Stacy Welp. "Erin was a captain this past season and has been a great leader on and off the field. She has done extremely well in school with over a 3.0 GPA. Erin was active in community service here with Little Heroes and Adopt-A-Player.

"On the field Erin started for four years and will be hard to replace. She has a great technical ability and she sees the game very well. She has scored some very important goals for us in the clutch. We will miss terribly all of those qualities.

"I couldn't have asked for a better person, student, and athlete to represent our program and our university."

Sayegusa is a three-time FSU and two-time Western Athletic Conference scholar-athlete.

Congratulations

Kim Unten, a Pearl City graduate, helped New Mexico Highlands (Las Vegas, N.M.) to a school-record eight wins in 2003. The freshman striker was the second-leading scorer for the Cowgirls (8-9-1) with six goals, three of them game-winners, and a team-leading eight assists in 18 matches. She was selected for the all-league second team and was seventh in the NCAA Division II Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in shots per match (3.39) and points (20).

Chela Gray is an All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference honorable mention pick. Gray, an Iolani graduate and a striker for NCAA Division II Western Washington, scored two goals and had one assist for the 6-13-1 Vikings.

Sunday, March 10, 2002

ILH pair off to Holland
for spring ball

Spring vacation will be here soon and that means it is time for some of Hawaii's outstanding young soccer players to gain international and national experience and recognition.

Richard Higa and Steven Carlson will join the Olympic Development Program Region IV for a trip to Holland.

"We going to Holland to play and train with the elite teams. The main purpose is to train with them and get better," said Higa who plays for Mid-Pacific Institute and the Honolulu Bulls Soccer Club.

Carlson, a club teammate and a striker for Punahou, will be playing right fullback for the region team. He missed all but one match of the recent Interscholastic League of Honolulu season with a broken left thumb.

"It happened in the last match of the Disney Showcase Shootout in Florida during Christmas vacation," said Carlson. "I was pretty happy when I was invited to go to Holland."

Both players have been in the region pool for three years. All their expenses are covered by the ODP program.

"That's one of the reasons I'm going," said Higa. "My dream is to go and play in the big leagues in Europe some day. This is my chance to show a little bit there."

Carlson traveled to Europe with a Bulls team two years ago and both players have competed for the Bulls in mainland tournaments.

Two Bulls teams will compete in the Nomads Tournament in San Diego. The Under-17 boys play March 22-24 and the Under-18 girls participate March 29-31.

This is a showcase tournament attended by 200-plus college coaches. There are six fields and the area between pairs of fields is restricted to college coaches.

"You can't miss them. They are all sitting there in their little chairs," said Phil Neddo, Bulls director of coaching, who will be assisted by Craig Nosse with the girls and Ray Shiraishi with the boys.

The boys roster includes Max Anton, Carlson, Makena Carr, Mitchel Fu, John Garibaldi, Duke Hashimoto, Higa, Kurt Kahui, Chris Major, Christian Marston, Shane McConnell, Satoshi Mitsuda, Timmy Picerno, David Semenza, Scottie Shiraishi, Brandon Tario and Dyrk Teramae.

The girls playing in San Diego are Ashlee Doi, Audrey Ehrhorn, Mallory Iha, Kara Ishikawa, Mari Kasamoto, Eryn Kishimoto, Allison Lipsher, Jennifer Loo, Charlene Lui, Kayla Oshiro, Jennifer Proudfoot, Lori Sakai, Tiffany Todo, Liane Tom, Romy Trigg-Smith, Seline Williams and Lindsay Yuh.

Villaflor to be a Don

Ben Villaflor Jr. has signed a letter of intent to play for the University of San Francisco Dons. He enrolled this semester after attending a junior college in the fall.

"He was playing for the Newport Slammers in the California Soccer League last fall. That's where I was able to observe and scout Ben," said USF coach Erik Visser.

"He strong, has good athletic ability, is calm in collecting the ball in traffic and distributes the ball well.

"My experience with Hawaiian kids has been great. They are hard working, dedicated and, if you care for them, they will go to bat for you."

Sunday, February 24, 2002

Mililani pulls off rare feat

Congratulations to James Uson and Jeff Yamamoto for guiding the Mililani High School girls and boys, respectively, to the Oahu Interscholastic Association and Hawaii High School Athletic Association state tournament soccer titles.

It is the first time a public school ever accomplished this and the first time since Punahou did it in 1998. Prior to that, Iolani in 1987 and Punahou in 1983, '85 and '86 were the only double winners.

Uson, who played for Leilehua when Wendell Staszkow coached the Mules, has been the Trojans head coach for six seasons. He served Mililani as an assistant for eight years after four years at Kaiser.

His assistants are younger brother John, Dennis Sanders and Ray Akiona.

Uson has a good core group returning led by state tournament all stars, goalkeeper Eryn Kishimoto and defenders Jen Loo and Mallory Iha.

Yamamoto played on the Seabury Hall club team in the Maui Men's League and collegiately for the Pacific (Ore.) Boxers. He has led the Trojans boys for eight years and sees more good things happening in the future.

"I think we will get better because of the youth programs outside the school. We have great leaders with the Mililani Soccer Club and work closely with them," Yamamoto said.

His assistants this year were Steve McGehee, Norman Beter and Joshua Rolf.

Yamamoto, who runs a conditioning program for any player interested during the summer, is an engineer with the Navy. Uson works for UPS at the Honolulu Airport.

Keeping in touch

Andrew Brown (Mililani) won the starting goalkeeper's job for the Creighton Bluejays as a sophomore. He gave up 26 goals in 1,598 minutes of action for a 1.46 goals allowed average, made 64 saves and posted for shutouts. The Bluejays qualified for their tenth consecutive NCAA Tournament.

The Western Oregon Wolves received solid contributions from four Hawaii players en route to the co-championship with Seattle University of the Great Northwest Conference.

Moani Mundo, a sophomore goalkeeper from Castle had a 1.72 goals allowed average in 17 matches with 96 saves and four shutouts. She missed three matches with a knee injury.

Erin Ota, a freshman midfielder from Maryknoll, scored three goals and had four assists in 20 matches.

Julia Takashita, a freshman defender from Kailua High School scored once and assisted on another goals in 145 matches.

Carly Mamizuka,a freshman defender from Kahuku High School scored one goal in the 10 matches she played.

Chris Pagoyo returned to the soccer field this year after playing football for four seasons for the Bethel College (Kansas) Threshers.

"He started about two-thirds of our games as a wing defender. Not having played much soccer in recent years, he was a bit rusty, but overall did a good job," said Bethel coach Gerry Sieber.

Doug Crowley, a junior midfielder from Punahou, played in 12 matches and found the net once for the 9-7-2 Emory University Eagles.

Jennifer Hall, a freshman striker from Kaiser, played in nine matches for the Whitworth Pirates (7-10-1), who tied for fourth place in the Northwest Conference. She took six shots, but did not score.

Sunday, January 27, 2002

Otagaki hopes to coach
to ‘give back’

ERIN Otagaki relaxes at home now, four years of soccer with the Washington Huskies behind her, a degree in English in hand and planning where to attend graduate school to obtain a master's degree in education.

Recruited by UW coach Lesle Gallimore following graduation from Punahou in 1997, Otagaki tore the ACL in her left knee the first day of practice her freshman season and redshirted. She recovered and slowly became a contributor.

"I was nervous my freshman year, being away from home and the comforts for the first time, but I got to know the players right away and they provided a lot of support," Otagaki said. "It made the transition easy. I can't tell you how much I loved the experience. UW has such a tradition of excellence in academics and athletics."

Coming off her best season as a junior, Otagaki was hit by the injury bug again this season, spraining her right ankle and not getting back into action until the final 12 matches.

Her career totals included 50 matches in which the 5-foot striker took 50 shots, scored 10 goals, including two game winners this past fall, and had six assists. She played on NCAA Tournament teams the last three years.

Otagaki says she wants to get into coaching after completing her education.

"I worked the summer camps at Washington. Coaching is a way to stay in touch with the sport and give back," she said.

Gallimore said, "Erin is a fun player to watch. Her craftiness on the ball, her innovation and creativity is unlike anybody's on our team."

Shaina Nishimoto, Otagaki's cousin and former Punahou teammate, finished four years of varsity competition for the Loyola Marymount Lions.

Nishimoto developed into one of the more solid defenders in the West Coast Conference. She started 46 of the 65 matches she played for LMU.

A psychology major and business minor, Nishimoto plans to pursue a career in law.

LMU sophomore teammates, midfielder Shari Nishimoto and defender Jamie Shona, both Iolani grads, saw action in 15 and 12 matches, respectively. Nishimoto scored twice on 12 shots and had two assists.

MOMI MARKUS redshirted this year at Northern Colorado after having ACL surgery last spring. The Iolani alumnus has three years of eligibility left. As a freshman, Markus played in 16 matches, scored seven goals, and her shooting percentage (.212) was second-best for the NCAA Division II Bears.

Lynnsey Ho, a freshman striker from Aiea H.S., played two matches for the Cal State Hayward Pioneers before a reoccurring injury to her right knee forced her to redshirt.

"Lynnsey fit in really well with the team and she made leis for all our graduating seniors," said coach Amy Foreman.

Kristin Masunaga began the season injured at Colorado College. The junior goalkeeper from Iolani was not able to regain the starting job she held as a sophomore, playing just 28 minutes in one match.

Sarah Rothbaum, a sophomore from Punahou, missed the season at Pepperdine after suffering her second consecutive ACL tear in the right knee.

Sunday, January 13, 2002

Sword leaves AYSO
bigger than ever

Max Sword stepped down as the State Director of the American Youth Soccer Organization last May, but all that meant was he glided into semi-retirement.

Hawaii is hosting the 2002 AYSO National Games July 8-14 at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Park.

This is the "semi" part of Sword's retirement. He receives e-mails daily from mainland teams indicating they are ready to spend a week in the 50th state.

"Unfortunately, each AYSO region is guaranteed so many berths in the National Games, so I have a waiting list a mile long," said Sword.

There are 192 tournament slots for teams in the Under 12 to Under 19 age brackets. Sword said this is the first time every slot is filled.

Teams committed to coming are from Alabama, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin.

Because of the overwhelming interest by mainland teams, Sword dropped the idea of inviting international teams.

During his six-year tenure as director, AYSO registrations increased 3 to 5 percent each year with the total number of registered players increasing from 19,000 to about 25,000.

The first region was established on Lanai, an additional region began operating on Maui and two new regions were set up on the Big Island.

Sword instituted section meetings on all islands so the neighbor island region leaders would have more of a say in planning.

This led to a more cohesive and united organization dedicated to Hawaii's youth and the sport of soccer.

At a time when such a move is unheard of in some states, Sword established a working relationship with the Hawaii Youth Soccer Organization by offering to coordinate schedules and field use and meeting to discuss common concerns.

They Moved On

Kelly Keohen transferred to Cal State Fullerton for her senior season after three years with the Hawaii Wahine. She started 19 matches for the 13-7-0 Titans, Big West Conference title holders. Keohen took seven shots, but did not score.

Amanda Orand and K.C. Cornett transferred to Oregon and Oklahoma City, respectively, after two seasons at UH.

Orand played in 11 matches as a reserve and recorded one assist for the 8-8-2 Ducks.

Cornett scored 12 goals and had one assist in the first 12 matches for the Stars, then became ill and withdrew from school but returned this semester.

Stephanie Pearson, Wahine backup goalkeeper as a freshman in 1999, was the third-string 'keeper for San Diego State this year, playing 24 minutes, 46 seconds in one match.

Congratulations

Kaleo Benz is the Hawaii State Referee of the Year.

Benz was selected for his organizational work with the Men's Island Soccer Organization. He has been the assignor since the league was formed.

Benz encountered numerous difficulties and many times was at the field all day officiating several games himself. Today, the league is viable, competitive and Benz's perseverance and hard work paid off.

Sunday, December 30, 2001

Local players found
success on mainland

THE parade of accomplishments by Hawaii's soccer players competing for mainland schools continues this week as we head into the new year, one I hope is better in some way for everyone in our community.

Christine Gouthro played in all 17 matches for the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Fightin' Engineers. The senior midfielder from Kauai High school scored twice and had two assists.

In 52 career matches, the mechanical engineering major scored six goals on 34 of 67 shots on goal and recorded seven assists.

Gouthro's last assist in the final match of the season came on the game-winning goal as Rose-Hulman beat Sewanee, 1-0, in double overtime. It was the Fightin' Engineers eighth win of the season, the most in their three-year history.

"Christine was the perfect captain for a young team and led by example. She worked hard and always finished first in conditioning drills and fitness tests," said Rose-Hulman coach Brad Hauter. "She kept things light and fun, but we were a much different team when she was on the field."

Erin Sayegusa picked up the offensive slack for the Fresno State Bulldogs after top scorer Jill Pearson graduated.

Sayegusa (Kaiser) led the 8-10 Bulldogs with 13 points on five goals and three assists. Her 29 shots on goal and 41 attempts were team bests.

Jenny deHay, a sophomore defender from Kamehameha, started 14 of 18 matches for the 7-8-3 Louisiana State Tigers. She took 12 shots and hit the back of the net once.

Twin sister Robyn, a striker, played in nine matches for 15-4-2 Stanford. She had an assist and scored one goal, a game winner on a head shot against Arizona.

BUCKY JENCKS (Punahou), a freshman defender for Bowdoin College, scored a goal and had four assists for the 10-5-1 Bears.

Nate Adams, a senior from Iolani, posted four shutouts and had a 1.33 goals allowed average as the goalkeeper for the 12-7-1 Bradley Braves.

Alon Rohter (Waldorf School), a senior midfielder for Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn., scored five goals and had two assists for the 12-4-2 Scots, who won the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title with a 10-0 record. The Scots were ousted in the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Michael Semenza started all 15 matches for the 7-8 Willamette Bearcats. The junior striker from Punahou was the second highest scorer with five goals, including two game winners. His shots on goal average (.571 on 16 of 28) also was second best.

Tiffany Sabado, a striker from Castle, ended her career at Arizona playing 50 matches in which she scored seven goals and had three assists for the Wildcats.

Midfielder Nicole Garbin (Baldwin) finished her freshman season at Oregon with five goals (four game winners) and five assists.

Jessica Catekista started 18 matches for the 18-1-1 Regis Rangers. The senior midfielder from Kamehameha put 10 of her 17 shots on goal, scoring once. She also had two assists. Regis' lone defeat came in the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament.

Sunday, December 16, 2001

Dydasco was pioneer for
Hawaii in pros

Millie Dydasco holds a distinction I unknowingly attributed to another female soccer player a few columns ago.

The 1982 Castle High School graduate was the first woman from Hawaii to play professional soccer, first in Japan and later in Brazil.

Dydasco played four years for San Francisco State University, returned home for several years and returned to San Francisco in 1991. She played club soccer and became quite involved in coaching elite youth teams.

A club teammate had played in Japan, so Dydasco inquired about the possibilities and was intrigued when she received a positive answer.

"I paid my own way to Japan, tried out, then returned to California and waited for a telephone call," Dydasco said.

Shiroki Serena called and Dydasco spent a season playing for a first division team.

"They paid my way over and reimbursed me for my ticket when I tried out," Dydasco said. "My year there truly was an experience for me at age 30.

"They asked me to play another year. But, we lived in the team clubhouse, a lot of things were repetitious and I knew when I started looking at my watch, it wasn't fun anymore."

Knowing she could make a living coaching in California, she returned. A couple years later she was spotted by a Brazilian scout while practicing with her club team.

The University of Sao Paulo needed someone to play the second half of the season because of injuries.

"I told myself, 'why not,'" Dydasco said. "Brazilian soccer is the most appealing style of soccer and it was my opportunity to be a part of it. It was day and night compared to Japan. If practice was supposed to start at 1 p.m., it could be anywhere from 1 to 3 p.m.

"There were a lot of unwritten rules. It was an eye opener, but a lot of fun. I loved it."

She played against some Brazilian National Team members, including Sisi. One of her teammates was Nene.

Dydasco still coaches select and Olympic Development Program teams in California.

"I enjoy giving back. I'll never forget what (Castle coach) Mark Kane has done for me," Dydasco said.

College booters

Striker Dana Dydasco, Millie's niece, overcame nagging foot injuries to play in every match her senior year for the 5-11-2 Cal State Sacramento Hornets. The Mililani graduate scored twice and put 10 of her 18 shots on goal.

Redshirt freshman Karalee Narimatsu and true freshman Jennifer Iha, both former Trojan midfielders, performed well in 16 and 18 matches, respectively, for the Hornets.

Noelani Kamelamela was a backup to Massachusetts Institute of Technology starting goalkeeper Connie Yang this season. Kamelamela, a Kamehameha graduate, saw 120 minutes of action over several matches, allowing just one goal for the 16-6 Engineers.

"She has been a tremendous addition, improved in her first season with the team, and my guess is she has a good chance of challenging the starting goalkeeper for the job next year," coach Melissa Hart said.

Alisa Sato, who sat out her freshman year with injuries, got into eight matches for Harvard. The sophomore striker from Iolani took three shots without scoring for the 11-5 Crimson.

Sunday, December 9, 2001

Alfiler becomes the
best in NAIA

Andrea Alfiler, a midfielder for Azusa Pacific, capped her collegiate soccer career by being named the NAIA Women''s Player of the Year.

It is the third time she has received first-team NAIA All-American honors.

The Kapaa High School grad has been invited to participate in 2002 Umbro Select All-Star Classic featuring the top collegiate women's soccer players from around the nation.

Alfiler also was named to the all-tournament team at the 18th annual NAIA National Women's Tournament. She tied for the assist lead with two and was second in total points with six. Azusa Pacific was eliminated by Oklahoma City in a semifinal match on penalty kicks after a double overtime 2-2 tie.

The senior started 86 of 88 matches for the Cougars and finishes her career with 22 goals on 137 shots and 21 assists.

Alfiler, the 2001 Golden State Athletic Conference Player of the Year, is not the first player from Hawaii to win that award.

Jennifer Wills, an Iolani alumnus, was named GSAC Player of the Year in 1995 while playing for Westmont College. She was an all-GSAC pick in 1994 and 1997, but was slowed by a severe ankle injury in 1996.

Wills also was an honorable mention NAIA All-American and was named to the NAIA All-Tournament team in 1997.

She is sixth on Westmont's career lists for goals (36), assists (21) and points (93).

More honors

Starr Johnson (Punahou), has been named to the Pacific-10 Conference All-Academic first team for the second consecutive season. The four-year letter winner from Kailua has a 3.70 grade point average and is majoring in ethnic studies. Johnson anchored the Ducks defense and scored her only two collegiate goals this year.

Chalise Baysa, who was born in Honolulu and spent her early years on Kauai, concluded her career as Oregon's all-time leader in points (69) and goals scored (31). She was an all-Pacific 10 Conference second team pick as a freshman, sophomore and senior.

Chelsea Akimoto, a midfielder for the Notre Dame de Namur University Argonauts in Belmont, Calif., was an NAIA All-American honorable mention selection. She is a freshman from Iolani.

Micah Sadoyama, a senior defender for the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags, is a first team all-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection. Sadoyama is an Iolani graduate.

Gary Cabanilla, a senior striker for California Lutheran and Kamehameha graduate, was chosen for the all-SCIAC second team.

Leilani Green from Maui High School, also was a second-team pick on the all-SCIAC women's team. She is a senior striker for California Lutheran.

Gabby Ahmadia has been named to the 2001 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Women's Academic All-Star Team. The junior midfielder from Waiakea High School maintains a 3.40 grade point average as a biology major.

Shaye Anderson (Parker), a junior goalkeeper, played 18 matches for the Western Washington Vikings. She had a 1.26 goals allowed average for the 9-10-1 Vikings and was a second-team, all GNAC selection.

Sunday, November 4, 2001

3 local players finish
careers at Cal Lutheran

Gary Cabanilla, Leilani Green and Tiffany Kayama concluded their collegiate careers for California Lutheran last weekend and men's and women's coach Dan Kuntz wants the Hawaii connection to continue.

"The cultural aspects Hawaii players bring to a team are special," Kuntz said. "They are sincere, kind hearted, committed, loyal to who they come to play for and work very hard."

Cabanilla, a senior striker from Kamehameha, led the Kingsmen (8-10-0) in scoring this year with 10 goals.

"Gary worked harder than ever to get prepared for the season," said Kuntz.

"He is very dangerous on set plays because he is so strong and tall (6-foot-2). He has a wicked throw in, about 55 yards. It's like getting a corner kick from any where in the offensive half of the field."

Kuntz said Green, a senior striker from Maui High School, as an extremely intelligent soccer player who creates confusion in the defense and runs well with or without the ball.

"Lani is a diamond in every way she projects herself, no not only in her playing but the way she interacts with her teammates. She is there when needed most. We were very fortunate to have her," said Kuntz.

Green, a second team all-Southern California Interscholastic Athletic Conference selection as a sophomore and junior, scored three goals and had three assists for the Regals (10-8-1), who finished second in conference play.

Kayama, also from Maui high School, split time in the goal with Pam Clark.

"Tiffany is one of the most dedicated players I've ever had. I don't think she missed more than 15 minutes of practice in her four years here," said Kuntz.

"She isn't as tall or as dominating as some goalkeepers, but she is agile and intelligent. Her distribution of the ball was consistent. When we needed her, it was often in critical situations."

Alana Souza, a freshman midfielder from Baldwin, sat out the early part of the Regals season with a strained right knee, but was impressive when cleared to play.

"That one is 'wow.' We knew Alana could play, but we were being very cautious. It was hard for her," said Kuntz.

"When she began playing she was on fire, first-touch passing as good as we have on the team. Being a left-footed player make her even more dangerous. She is a wonderful talent for the future."

Cal Lutheran is an NCAA Division II school in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

Elsewhere

Senior defender Trisha Barbosa had as assist as Williams College defeated Framingham State, 9-0, Wednesday in an NCAA Division III tournament first-round match. Barbosa is a Punahou graduate.

Jessica Catekista, a senior midfielder from Kamehameha, scored her first goal of the season last Sunday to preserve the Regis Rangers undefeated season. She scored at 52:18 in a 1-1 tie with Colorado Christian.

Sean Akamine saw action in all 19 matches for the Puget Sound Loggers (11-7-1). The freshman striker from Punahou scored two goals with 17 shots and recorded two assists.

Sunday, October 21, 2001

Miller takes head
spot for Mililani

Ric Miller says it is his job to keep the ship sailing straight as director of coaching for the Mililani Soccer Club.

Miller ascended to the post when Bob Barry, his high school coach and long-time mentor, resigned to assume the same position with the Volcanos Soccer Club in Kailua.

It was a natural move for Miller, a 44-year-old stock broker who has lived in Mililani for some time.

"Bob Barry did a terrific job and put a lot of things in place. Every Mililani SC coach is licensed. I want to continue that process and encourage our coaches to obtain more advanced licenses," said Miller, who holds an advanced national coaching license.

"I'm impressed with how much the parents sacrifice."

The club has over 500 players and 33 teams which are broken into competitive, recreational and developmental to meet the needs of players with varying degrees of skill.

Miller learned soccer in Germany where his father was in the military.

This early start gave him an advantage over local players when he helped Iolani claim the first two state titles while winning Interscholastic League of Honolulu scoring crowns.

He went to Seattle Pacific, playing for the legendary Cliff McCrath, and was part of the 1978 NCAA Division II national championship team.

Drafted by Seattle in 1980, he played a season for the Sounders in the North American Soccer League, then a year for the San Francisco Gales in the American Soccer League, before finishing his degree in business finance.

Returning to Hawaii, Miller continued to play in the local adult leagues for several years.

He began coaching when a co-worker asked him to help her husband's youth team.

"I found out just because you played your whole life, it doesn't mean you can coach," Miller said. "I called a lot of people I respect, Bob Barry, Bob Clague, McCrath, to find out about coaching.

"A couple of weeks later, Bob Clague asked me if I want to coach at Punahou. I thought about the Iolani-Punahou thing and what my classmates would say, but it was great for me.

"My goal is to help improve the quality of soccer in Hawaii to the point where we can compete with any other state and to have one of our teams win a national championship."

College update

Cherif Guirguis, a senior striker from Iolani, is the leading scorer for the Cal Poly Pomona Broncos with eight goals and for assists for 20 points.

Gary Cabanilla, a senior striker from Kamehameha, has scored seven goals for the California Lutheran Kingsmen.

Shanon Hopkins (Hilo) beat goalkeeper Ryan Stanley (Kaiser) in a one-on-one situation last Saturday to give the Linfield Wildcats a 1-0 victory over the Pacific Boxers.

Moani Lau (Kamehameha), a sophomore defender, is the leading scorer for the Boxers women's team with three goals and two assists.

Gabby Ahmadia (Waiakea) is the second leading scorer for the Humboldt State Lumberjacks. The junior midfielder has scored eight goals and assisted on four others.

Ben Swan (Konawaena) has 12 goals and six assists in nine matches for the 13-0-1 Arcadia University Scarlet Knights.

 

Sunday, October 7, 2001

Hawaii wins bid to host
2003 Veterans Cup

WHAT a way to start the week!

Hawaii Soccer Association chairman Donna Fouts arrived home from work Monday night, turned on the answering machine and heard the message she had been waiting for.

Tim Busch, the Veterans Cup National Chairman, had called to say the Hawaii Soccer Association had won the bid to host the 2003 tournament.

"We at the HSA are extremely excited about this," said Fouts. "It gives us an opportunity to showcase how well soccer is played in the islands and how well we can run a tournament."

The Veterans Cup, an annual event started in 1998 by the United State Soccer Federation, has operated with four, 16-team divisions for men and women over 40 and over 50.

Busch said a men's over 40 international division will be added for the 2002 tournament.

"I think that would have real possibilities in the Pacific Rim," Busch said.

Hawaii bid for two years, but was awarded just one year.

"We thought it might be a strain to go to Hawaii two consecutive years, but I anticipate Hawaii being a regular stop," Busch said. "Who doesn't want to go to Hawaii. I know I do."

The HSA benefited from the recent successful bids submitted for national tournaments by the American Youth Soccer Association and the Hawaii Youth Soccer Association.

"Basically, the bid was done by telephone. The Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau put together a wonderful package. Michelle Nagamine at Outrigger Hotels and Resorts came up with a great room rate," said Fouts. "Frank Doyle went to the annual USSF meeting and he was told there was no need to discuss our bid because it was so comprehensive."

The 2003 event will be held in June. Colorado and North Carolina also submitted bids.

Coming back

Tiffany Sabado says she will be ready for the start of Pac-10 play in another week after missing the first half of the Arizona Wildcats season following surgery to remove two cysts from her pelvic region.

The senior striker from Castle High School was expected to be a key component in the Wildcats offense this season.

"I found out two days after I got back. It was a health issue I knew I had to take care of," Sabado said. "It was a disappointment because I had trained hard all summer in Hawaii and that was lost. I've finished with rehab and have been cleared to play. I think I'm ready, but probably need another week."

The Oahu Interscholastic Association East Player of the Year as a senior, Sabado has scored seven goals and recorded three assists in 45 matches for Arizona.

She is majoring in speech and hearing, maintains a 3.5 grade point average and will graduate in May. After that, she plans to travel.

Way to go

Kyle Fukuchi (Mililani) came off the bench and scored the game-winning goal, his first of the year, as Washington edged Air Force, 2-1, last Sunday.

Sophomore midfielder Kurt Kagawa (Mililani) scored an unassisted goal at 33:35 to lead Whitworth to a 1-0 victory over Linfield, Sept. 22.

 

Sunday, September 23, 2001


Adams, Swan honored with awards

Nate Adams waited four seasons to be in a position to earn honors. Ben Swan picked up right where he left off last year.

Adams, the Bradley Braves starting goalkeeper, was named the Missouri Valley Conference defensive player of the week (Sept. 3-9). Swan was cited as the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference player of the week.

In Bradley's two wins, Adams faced 44 shots. He allowed only one goal, registered 13 saves and had a shutout. In a 2-0 upset at then-No. 12 Santa Clara, Adams made a career-best nine saves for his second consecutive shutout. In his next match, the Iolani graduate had four saves in soggy conditions as Bradley beat Northern Illinois 2-1.

Never losing sight of his goal to be Bradley's starting goalkeeper, Adams persevered and remained motivated for a redshirt freshman season and three years of little activity.

"It certainly wasn't from lack of talent. He was in my first big recruiting class, but sat behind an All-American for two years," said Bradley coach Jim Derose.

"Nate was like a backup quarterback on a football team. You simply can't get the reps you need in practice. If he had been the fourth midfielder, he would have played 60 minutes a game. His learning curve has occurred in games.

"He's so mature, just safe and solid and steady. Our team is so confident in him."

Adams, at 5-foot-11, isn't as tall as many Division I goalkeepers, but he plays to his strengths and avoids his weaknesses.

He handles himself extremely well 6-to-8 yards from the goal line but knows its folly to get caught in heavy traffic 14-to-18 yards from the net.

The previous week, Adams was named the league's Prairie Farms Scholar-Athlete of the Week. He maintains a 3.39 cumulative grade point average. A business management major, he will graduate at the end of the fall semester.

Swan is off to a strong start for Arcadia University in Glenside, Pa., after an outstanding sophomore season for the Scarlet Knights.

The 5-foot-10 striker was honored after scoring three goals and assisting on another as Arcadia opened its season with a 2-0-1 record.

Swan, a Konawaena graduate, was PAC player of the week twice last year and earned first-team all-PAC honors. In 2000, he set Arcadia's single-season scoring record with 21 goals, added eight assists for a total of 50 points, second-best in the school's history.

After high school, Swan joined the Air Force, then spent a year at Burlington County College before transferring last year to Arcadia, an NCAA Division III school.

Takekawa has hot foot for St. Mary's team

Sarah Takekawa won a starting position at St. Mary's and has become an impact player for the Gaels. The freshman striker from Kailua has scored four goals in five matches, three of them game-winners.

The Gaels (5-0-0) host Hawaii, Sept. 28, in the first of three road matches for the Wahine.

Kenji Treschuk, a freshman defender from Moanalua, has won a starting job with the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Shelly Suzuki (Punahou), who played for San Diego State last year, has transferred to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps where she is a sophomore defender for the Athenas.

Sunday, September 9, 2001

Marti goes pro with soccer team in Spain

CRISSY MARTI became the first female soccer player from Hawaii to join the professional ranks when she signed a contract last month to play for Levante in Valencia, Spain.

Levante is the defending Spanish champion, competing in the 12-team Honors Division.

Marti, a center midfielder or striker on the left side because she is naturally left footed, helped Kapaa High School to a runner-up finish in the 1998 Hawaii High School Athletic Association State tournament.

She went on to the University of Portland, annually a top 10 team, redshirted a season and played the last two years.

Her father Sal, a native of Spain, was in that country last March and had a conversation with Spain's national women's coach, who was looking for American players.

When Sal returned to Kauai, he worked up Crissy's resume. Two weeks later, the coach called and said he was interested, but Crissy had to play for a club team.

Sal's father and grandfather were members of Levante and he has a lot of family in Valencia, so that matchup was a natural.

The only hitch was Crissy would have to pay her way to Spain.

Levante wouldn't pay her way until she signed a contract and she could only do that once she arrived in Spain. So she worked all summer to raise the $2,000.

Crissy and Sal arrived Aug. 17. She played five exhibition matches before Sal returned home, scoring three goals and adding two assists.

"We're real proud of her," said Crissy's mother, Aggie. "She will try it for a year and see how it works out. She is applying for dual citizenship. That could take six months, a year or a week, depending on how soon they want her for the national team."

"She has my complete support," said Sal. "And, in two weeks there, her Spanish improved 100 percent."

The college scene

Kenji Treschuk has joined the Penn State men's team as an invited walk-on.

He delayed entering a four-year college for a year to work on his game with the Honolulu Bulls Soccer Club while coaching a Bulls youth team.

Treschuk met Barry Gorman, PSU coach, during a National Soccer Coaches Association sponsored coaching clinic here earlier this year, then visited the Penn State campus in April.

Santa Clara and Wake Forest also were interested in the 5-foot-11 midfielder from Moanalua High School.

Moani Lau (Kamehameha), who played for the University of Nevada last year, has transferred to Pacific University in Forest Grove, Ore.

Kerry Miike (Mililani), who saw extensive playing time as a defender for NCAA Division II Southern Colorado last year has transferred to Gonzaga.

Natalie Ah Sam scored the winning goal as St. Andrews Presbyterian College (1-3-1) in Laurenburg, N.C., won its first match of the season last Sunday, 2-1 over Baldwin-Wallace.

Ah Sam, a graduate of Mililani High School, is a junior and a striker for the NCAA Division II Knights.

Sunday, August 26, 2001

Freehan moves to Region IV job in Las Vegas

RICK Freehan never played soccer, but became involved when his daughter began playing for the American Youth Soccer Organization 18 years ago. He started off as a referee.

Since then he has coached, been on more committees than he cares to remember and served as treasurer of Hawaii Youth Soccer Association twice, sandwiched around a stint as president. Most recently, he served as treasurer of U.S. Youth Soccer Region IV.

Freehan was the one who nurtured and guided the proposals through U.S. Soccer Federation's officialdom maze that resulted in a $50,000 grant that provided the goal posts and corner flags for all the fields at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Park.

Freehan's next assignment is at the national level. Friday, he left for the Region IV headquarters in Las Vegas, where he will tackle new duties as the region's marketing coordinator.

"This is a national program that generates millions of dollars from sponsors. One of my jobs will be to make sure the sponsors get value for their contributions," Freehan said.

Region IV encompasses 14 state associations in 13 Western states (California is divided into north and south). Freehan will work with each state association to help them to grow, increase the numbers and retain their youth players.

He noted in many sports, including soccer, youngsters at about age 13 or 14 find different peer groups, attend different schools and drop out of sports.

"We'll be developing new and interesting ways to keep those children involved in the game," he said. "In particular, I want to work with the beginning parent and explain to them what U.S. Youth Soccer has to offer.

"I want kids to know the players they see in Major League Soccer and on our national teams are products of U.S. Youth Soccer. We have about 3 million youngsters registered. I'm sure many of the players in HYSA don't realize they are part of U.S. Youth Soccer."

The Olympic Development Program is the development arm of U.S. Soccer. Freehan likes to refer to ODP as the SAT test of soccer.

"We had over 100 college coaches at our Region IV ODP camps this summer and the first thing they look for is how a player did in ODP. That's their first screening process," Freehan said. "It's an opportunity for a youngster to see if he or she can play college
soccer, because the time requirements are immense. Even making the state ODP team is a big thing."

FREEHAN SAYS the relationship in Hawaii between AYSO and HYSA, organizations with different philosophies, is good and different from the mainland.

"Here you have Max Sword, the president of AYSO, coaching a HYSA team and Scott Keopuhiwa, HYSA president, coaching an AYSO team. They find that hard to believe on the mainland," Freehan said.

"What the two organizations have said is, this game is for the kids, so let's do what we can to make sure they get every opportunity to play."

After 18 years as a volunteer, Freehan's new position comes with compensation.

"It won't pay me a whole bunch, but it is a full-time position," he said.

Sunday, August 12, 2001


Hawaii teams find success on mainland

TWO Hawaii youth soccer teams brought home championship trophies from mainland tournaments this summer.

The Honolulu Soccer Club Bulls '85 red team won the boys Under-17 Division title last week at the Surf Cup in San Diego.

The Leahi Soccer Club '87 Under-14 girls team had a successful trip to Minnesota last month, coming home with its division championship trophy from the All-American Girls Tournament Cup, a first for a Hawaii team.

The Bulls are the first Hawaii boys team to win a title at the Surf Cup.

They tied the FWV Bullets (Federal Way, Wash.) 1-1, and beat the Colorado Rush (Denver) 1-0 and Sparta United (Sandy, Utah) 3-0 in bracket play. A 2-1 victory over Comets Red (Dallas) sent the Bulls into the championship game, where they beat the
FWV Bullets in a rematch 5-4.

Max Anton, Stephen Carlson, Andrew Magyar, Bret Shimizu and Richard Higa scored Hawaii's goals.

Other members are Aaron Pang, Brandon Tario, Duke Hashimoto, Ryan Sakuda, David Semenza. Mitchell Fu, Satoshi Mitsuda, Shane McConnell, Christopher Rania, Makena Carr, Tim Picerno, Christian Marston, Scott Shiraishi, Christopher Major and John
Garibaldi.

Phil Neddo, Ray Shiraishi, Jeff Carlson and John Semenza coach the Bulls.

Earlier this summer, Anton, Carlson, Higa, Marston, Mitsuda, Semenza and Tario were selected to the Region IV player pool at Olympic Development Camp. Semenza was awarded the "Golden Glove" Award for goalkeepers.

Leahi swept through its 24-team division in the All-American Girls Tournament at Blaine, Minn., with a 6-0 record. It defeated AZFC '87 Hammers from Arizona, 1-0 in the final.

Leahi also participated in the USA Cup and were placed in the top of three brackets. It went 2-0-1 in pool play and played Team Chicago Select, the three-time defending division champion in the semifinals.

After a scoreless tie in regulation and two overtimes, Chicago prevailed in the shootout, 5-3. Leahi rebounded the next day to win the third-place match.

The Leahi roster included Kelsey Baker, Jamie Benoza, Jenna Gabrio, Tehane Higa, Anya Ishida, Tobi Kanehira, Kelsie Look, Ashley Nakamoto, Alysen Ono, Jessica Oshiro, Keri Oyadomari, Shannon Tamura, Jordan Weeks, Chelsea Wong and Sarah Yoro.

Laurie Baker and Scott Keopuhiwa coached the team.

More ODP selections: Under-16 Boys -- Christopher Domingo, David Gualdarama and Kenshiro Uki; Under-15 Boys -- Lokahi Bounds, Ryan Bibilone II and Jim Oh, who is from Guam.

Under-16 Girls -- Allison Lipsher; Under-15 Girls -- Britta Bourne, Ashley Collins, Erin Kikumoto, Rachael Lau and Mariko Strickland.

THREE HAWAII PLAYERS, Kara Ishikawa (Iolani) Romy Trigg-Smith (Punahou) and Mele French (Mililani), attended the Elite Soccer Players Camp in Wilmington, N.C., in July.

Sunday, July 29, 2001

International Xcel
tourney set for Waipio

THE Xcel Games International Soccer Tournament, featuring men's teams from around the world, will be held at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex, Aug. 10-12.

Eleven men's teams will join the Hawaii Xcel Select team in the three-day tournament. The Hawaii team, coached by Phil Neddo, Frank Doyle and Augustine Mendez, has been preparing for the past month.

Europe is represented by teams from Italy, France, Germany and England. These are club teams and the rosters are filled out with players who could afford the trip but might not be club members, according to Casey Cho, Hawaii Xcel athletic director.

Three teams are coming from Asia --the Taiwan national team, a professional team from South Korea known as Sky Soccer Club and a team from Japan that will have pro players from that country's second and third divisions.

There is one team from Canada and club teams from Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago.

There will be four pools of three teams, according to Cho. The pool matches will be 40 minutes each half with the semifinals and championship matches the full 90 minutes.

Previous tournaments have been held in Europe.

The Hawaii roster includes goalkeepers Adam Sthay and Agustin Mendez; defenders Chono Fernandez, Matt Snyder, Arno Reynolds, Michael Cooper, Jordan Inoyue, Gabriel Jaramillo, Kyle Lenahau and Bryan Martin; mid-fielders Paul McElroy, Zak Kahirane, Nick Paraskevopoulus, Tioni Hackney, James Nebrija, Aaron Delbex-Smith, Diego Yemal and Hee Young Woo; and forwards Orlando Suazo, Elie Sauma, Nick Chapin, Darren Juliano and Alika Cosner.

Academics rule: Two high school senior standouts have chosen to pursue exciting academic challenges that precludes them playing soccer.

Kristin Hamada, a co-captain and sweeper at Punahou this year, considered playing collegiate soccer, but was accepted into the honors program at the University of Colorado and will concentrate on academics.

Blaine Murakami, a Star-Bulletin all-state, first-team striker from Mililani High School, originally intended to play soccer at the University of San Diego.

However, he was awarded a University of Hawaii Regents Scholarship and will pass on soccer to remain home to continue his education.

Less driving: Bob Barry has resigned as the director of coaching for the Mililani Soccer Club.

Barry cited the travel time, including a rush-hour commute to Mililani from Honolulu, where he teaches at Iolani, and then a trek back to his home in Kailua.

He has been appointed the Kailua Volcanos Soccer Club's director of coaching and player development. He starts Sept. 1.

Barry expressed in a letter to club members that he was pleased with the club's progress: "We continue to move toward a total integration of club system teams, the coaching staff is overall a better staff and new coaches have received coaching licenses.

"We have improved our technical and physical areas and the only weak area is tactics. I would have liked to work more with certain teams to improve this part of our game. However, this was impossible as a part-time DOC."

Sunday, July 15, 2001
Waipio Complex adds
amenities, 4 more fields

THE target date for completion of renovations at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex is just before the University of Hawaii Wahine open their season Aug. 31.

Four fields are being added, bringing the number to 23.

The capacity of the main stadium is being doubled to approximately 5,000 seats. Another parking lot by the main stadium will add 100 spaces.

Some $300,000 worth of trees will be planted. This will provide some welcomed shade for spectators at all the fields.

Fencing, hedges and other shrubbery will be used to enclose the main stadium. This will allow organizations that wish to charge admission to do so and control stadium access.

A concrete slab is being installed behind the press box to accommodate the control truck for television productions so hundreds of feet of transmission cable won't have to be laid from the parking lot.

The problem with the sight lines from the press box -- being able to see the entire playing field -- are being corrected.

Lights are being installed at two fields outside the stadium.

A ticket booth built near the stadium entrance will house restrooms and a large storage room for equipment that is used on the outside fields.

The area behind the scoreboard end of the main stadium has plantings that will provide a better backdrop.

Signs directing fans to the facility have been installed on Kamehameha Highway where cars exit from H1 and at the left-hand turn by Waipahu High School.

Two plans have been devised for additional restrooms throughout the complex. But, since that portion of the facility that is leased from the Navy is in what's known as a "blast zone," approval of subterranean restrooms must come from the Pentagon. The alternative is to set up small, portable restrooms.

Mainland bound: Erin Ota, the Interscholastic League of Honolulu player of the year, will attend Western Oregon University on an academic/athletic scholarship.

A Maryknoll graduate, Ota tied for the ILH regular-season scoring title with seven goals.

"I might move to midfield or fullback. They say strikers don't like to lose the ball and like to push up," Ota said.

Said club coach Phil Neddo: "She has great speed, a great attitude and is hard to rattle."

Ota also received letters of intent from Oregon and Oregon State and considered the University of San Francisco.

Randi Kikuchi, a midfielder from Seabury Hall and a Maui Interscholastic League first-team all-star, will continue her career at USF.

Off to camp: This is the month Hawaii's top young players head to the mainland for the Olympic Development Program camps.

Seventy-seven boys will attend camp in Nampa, Idaho, and 42 girls from the 50th State make the journey to hone their skills in Moscow, Idaho.

The players have a week of instruction and play matches as a Hawaii age group team.

The top players in each group form the region pool and stay an extra four days.

Players are selected for national tournaments and foreign trips from the pool throughout the year.

Sunday, July 1, 2001

Everybody loves the referee

YOUTH referee programs have flourished here for the past 10 years, coinciding with the expansion of soccer statewide.

Connie Young, the section youth referee coordinator for the American Youth Soccer Organization, estimates there is a pool of 150 youth referees. She notes many of the graduates of the program who have gone on to college continue to referee on the mainland.

"With the growth of soccer, the focus is on the development of youth players all the way to the national team level. That necessitates the growth of refereeing," Young said.

"I see youth soccer development synonymous with the development of future referees. Not every player will become a World Cup player, but a lot will take their knowledge of the game and use it in refereeing."

The late Lem Limahi, whom Young called "the great referee father," asked her to be the section coordinator in 1995. He wanted someone to run a summer pro camp like those operating on the mainland.

The summer pro camp includes youths from around the state. The three-day affair has been held at Camp Erdman on the North Shore. The site not only affords the future referees the chance to concentrate on learning, but provides fun recreational activities.

AYSO starts youngsters at age 11, and once certified with a regional badge, they can officiate matches involving players 10 and under. An area badge can be obtained at age 14 and a sectional badge at age 16.

Those who wish to can cross-certify with the United States Soccer Federation. That involves an 18-hour course and a test. AYSO referees also can go for a national badge.

The AYSO program is hands-on training, with an adult mentor at each match. There is instruction on how to handle "difficult" adults and comments from the sidelines. The course is the same taken by adult referees.

"We stress teamwork and communication with the assistant referees. It's important that they have fun doing it. There is a lot of reinforcement. The mentors stay with the youth referees throughout the season," Young said.

"I've never had anyone I've trained say they wouldn't do a volunteer game because of a paid game."

Each AYSO region in the state also has youth referee programs.

"Wouldn't it be great to see a referee from Hawaii doing a Major League Soccer or World Cup game?" Young said.

Disappointment, but ...

The Hawaii teams made a statement at the U.S. Veterans Cup in Beckley, W. Va., but didn't bring home a championship trophy.

"No other area had the support we did. We had leis and gifts for everyone. I think we did Hawaii soccer proud," said Donna Fouts, Hawaii Soccer Association president and a member of the Hawaii Five-O Over-50 team that finished 0-1-2 in pool play.

He Kini Popo reached the semifinals of the Over-40 Division before falling to Seattle on penalty kicks after playing a 1-1 draw. He Kini Popo fashioned a 2-1-1 record. Seattle went on to win the division title.

"We grieved when we lost the semifinal," said He Kini Popo coach Pinsoom Tenzing. "Seattle only had one shot on goal, but the gal hit it as hard as any man."

Sunday, June 3, 2001

HSA bids for U.S.
Veterans Tournament

THE HAWAII Soccer Association has submitted a bid to the United States Soccer Federation to host the United States Veterans Tournament for two years.

The tournament would be held either the third or fourth week of June in 2003 and 2004.

The event has four divisions: men's and women's over 40 and over 50. Each division can accommodate 16 teams with competition scheduled for four days --Thursday through Sunday.

Teams play three matches in pool play, followed by the semifinals and final.

"All the matches are 90 minutes and there are two 10-minute sudden-victory overtimes in case of a tie," said Donna Fouts, HSA president.

Fouts is optimistic about Hawaii's chances and expects to receive the selection committee's answer toward the end of the summer.

The two-year bid designates Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex as the tournament site and Outrigger Hotels & Resorts as the host hotel.

College choices

Nicole Garbin, the Star-Bulletin Player of the Year, will play for the University of Oregon after considering Hawaii, the University of San Francisco and Washington State. She also will play basketball for the Ducks.

"I decided Oregon would have the best level of academics and the highest level of soccer, being it's the Pac-10," Garbin said.

Oregon head coach Bill Steffen said: "We're tremendously excited about her potential. We lose some players in the central midfield position and Nicole is an extremely capable player in that role."

Garbin was a four-time Player of the Year in the Maui Interscholastic League, leading Baldwin High School to the HHSAA state championship the past two seasons.

Teammate Alana Souza, a Star-Bulletin all-state, first-team member, is a midfielder whose forte was setting up goals for the Bears. She will continue her soccer career at California Lutheran in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

Souza also visited Hawaii, Sonoma State, Portland and Pacific (Ore.) but decided school in California --where she has friends -- was her best choice.

Two members of the Iolani Raiders also will take their soccer talents to the West Coast.

Chelsea Akimoto, an attacking center midfielder, will attend the College of Notre Dame in Belmont, Calif.

Joni Kaitoku, a striker from Iolani and second-team Interscholastic League of Honolulu all-star, will play for Pacific University in Forest Grove, Ore. She should feel right at home, because the Boxers have six returning players from Hawaii.

Sunday, May 6, 2001

Players of all ages
off to Mainland

Congratulations to the players and coaches of the six girls and seven boys teams that won Hawaii Snickers SYNC State Cup age division titles. They will represent the 50th State in the Far West Regional at Albuquerque, N.M., on June 24-30.

The girls teams are the Under-12 National Soccer Academy '89 coached by Jose "Peep" Balloon, the U13 Honolulu Soccer Club Bulls '88 Red coached by Steve Watanabe, the U14 Riggers Athletic Club coached by David Mena, the U15 HSC Bulls '86 Red coached by Michael Guidry, the U16 Mililani '85 Gold coached by Norman Beter and the U17 HSC Bulls '84 Red coached by Craig Nosse, Morris Oshiro and Phil Neddo.

Hawaii also received a wild-card spot in the girls U14 division, filled by Kailua under coach Chris Nied.

"We were offered a wild-card spot in the U15 girls division, but we didn't have another team to send," said Scott Keopuhiwa, Hawaii Youth Soccer Association president. "We're holding our breath that we'll be offered a wild-card spot in the U16 girls division because we have a team that can go."

The boys teams are the U12 HSC Bulls '89 Red coached by Jose Dydasco, the U13 HSC Bulls '88 Red coached by Michael Guidry and Jose Andres, the U14 Mililani Illusions coached by Tony Hart, the U15 HSC Bulls '86 Red coached by Paul Soufl, the U16 HSC Bulls '85 Red coached by Phil Neddo, Ray Shiraishi and Jeff Carlson, the U17 Windward Soccer Club Volcanoes coached by Matt Houar and the U19 HSC Bulls '82 Red coached by Jeff Lau and Jeff Carlson.

The U17 HSC Bulls '84 girls and U16 HSC Bulls '85 boys will participate in a college showcase tournament in Seattle prior to the Far West Regional. During this event, seminars detailing the recruiting process are held for players, parents and coaches.

A decade of dominance

The He Kini Popo over-40 women, coached by University of Hawaii head coach Pinsoom Tenzing, made a successful journey last month to Las Vegas where they won the Friendship Cup tournament.

With a couple of roster changes, He Kini Popo will participate in the United States Veteran's over-40 tournament in Beckley, W. Va., on June 21-24.

This is basically the same team that won the United States Open over-30 women's championship in 1991 in Dallas. That team also was coached by Tenzing.

Team members that played in Las Vegas are Stella Allen, Laurie Baker, Kathy Carey, Martha Chock, Kathy Farley, Alma Ho, Lee Kalama, Patty Kim, Holly Lau, Kiki Lau, Corinne Mewhirter, Cheryl Shimizu, Lois Tiedemann, Cathy Todd, Maris van der Lee and Isabell Kurt.

He Kini Popo posted a 6-0 record in the tournament, outscoring its opponents 16-1. Shimizu scored 12 of those goals.

In the championship match against Camp Springs, Md., the score was 1-1 after regulation, but He Kini Popo easily claimed victory in the shootout, 4-1.

"It was one of those games where we hit the post, hit the bar, did everything but score. But, we smoked them in the shootout," said Holly Lau.

Camp Springs is the defending national champion.

Sunday, April 22, 2001

Hawaii teens
score for U.S.A.

THREE HAWAII PLAYERS selected to their respective Olympic Development Program Region IV team pools last summer recently made foreign tours.

Brent Murakami and David Gualdarama spent 10 days in Costa Rica at the end of March. Kara Ishikawa traveled to Italy and Switzerland earlier this month.

The Americans came back from Costa Rica with a 4-1 record.

Murakami, playing right midfield, assisted on the goal in the first match, a 1-0 win. Gualdarama, also playing right midfield, scored the first goal in a 2-0 victory in the second match. In the final match, Murakami scored after pouncing on a loose ball in the box. That tied the match at 1-1 and the Americans went on to win, 2-1.

After each match, head coach Tim Schultz made brief comments on the Region IV Web site about each player.

For Gualdarama, Schultz said "good endurance on the flank, shut down the right side, got behind the defense two or three times in the five minutes he played, and great speed and presence at left back."

On Murakami's performances, Schultz noted "played tough second half, solid defense on the left flank" and after the final said, "best match of the tour."

"We got to stay in a nice hotel, did some shopping and drove three hours to get to a beach one day," said Gualdarama, a freshman at Kamehameha. "The best time was the parade we marched in before the final match. We got to carry the American flag into the
stadium and there were a lot of people there."

Murakami, a freshman at Mililani High School, also mentioned how good it was to represent the United States.

The last match was at Estadio Grescia and the match was part of the city's Olympic Festival.

"The Costa Ricans came out and cheered us on as well as their own team. The kids wanted our autographs, on their hands, shirts, anything," Murakami said. "It was so much fun.

"They scored and I tied the game with 20 minutes left. That was the best feeling in the world. Then, the person who subbed in for me scored the winning goal."

The purpose of the tours for the Under-14 players is to introduce them to the international environment. The coaches expect the players to take in all the international game has to offer and to learn from it quickly. While that is the main theme, the coaches also expect the players to learn to get positive results on foreign soil.

Sanchez to grad school

University of Hawaii Wahine goalkeeper Demarre Sanchez, who graduates next month, will continue her education as a graduate student in speech pathology at the University of New Mexico in her hometown of Albuquerque, N.M., this fall.

Honors for Suzuki

Shelly Suzuki (Punahou), a freshman defender for San Diego State, earned academic All-Mountain West Conference honors. The business major has a 3.79 grade point average.

Shimamura to UNLV

Shawna Shimamura, a striker for the state champion Baldwin Bears, will attend the University of Nevada-Las Vegas where she plans to study sports medicine with a goal of becoming a trainer.

"They aren't giving me anything, so I'll be a walk on. When I was accepted, I called the coach, said I was coming and would be trying out," Shimamura said.

Sunday, April 8, 2001

Soccer Start program keeps kids busy

THE HAWAII Soccer Start Program provides youngsters in three areas of the city an opportunity to learn about and participate in a sporting activity after school, when there might be nothing else to do.

The program, known as the Keiki Rec League, also sponsors Saturday tournaments and clinics on a regular basis.

No one even keeps score. The idea is to have fun while providing a healthy activity for any youngster who shows up.

Originally started in Palolo about six years ago, the program has joined with the Parents and Children Together program at Kuhio Park Terrace and the Kokua Kalihi Valley program at Kam IV Housing to expand to those areas.

The program's age groups range from under 6 to under 14.

Last year the organization received $10,000 from the United States Soccer Federation, which helped provide soccer balls, scrimmage vests, cones and other equipment.

The American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) also contributes equipment, and the Hawaii Youth Soccer Association (HYSA) provides coaches to conduct clinics and includes the program under its insurance umbrella.

High school players do most of the coaching at the three sites.

"These high school players are working with youngsters on a weekly basis," said Michele Nagamine, who has run several clinics. "I think it's so admirable that (the high school players) have the vision to see that a little bit of time now can mean a lot later."

Nagamine, director of training and coaching development for the National Soccer Academy, wasn't sure what to expect the first time she ran a clinic, but was pleased with the reception.

"At first, they didn't know what to think of me because I have a lot energy and I'm very direct," she said. "But they saw I was interested in what they had to say.

"I can see what the alternatives are for these kids. They all have choices to make. The high-school-age girls who have stuck it out made a choice to make their lives better. The young kids are little balls of energy. They all come with their own dose of excitement."

THE PLAN IS to run mini-tournaments on Saturday that involves youngsters from all three areas.

They will be assigned to teams but mixed by age, gender and neighborhood.

"We try to promote having respect for other people," said Susana Helm, who serves the program as a girls' coach.

"At each neighborhood, the kids are starting to get the hang of the game. Now we're getting returning players, which indicates the interest is growing. It's rewarding to see how much fun they have."

Helm also said the program has received support from the Kaimuki-Waialae YMCA.

She noted none of what's been accomplished would have been possible without the help of the staff at the Palolo Recreation Center, Kuhio Park Terrace and the Kam IV Recreation Center.

"Working with kids from different backgrounds is an eye opener, but they appreciate everything," Nagamine said. "All a child can give is his heart, and that's a reward and they should be rewarded."

Thursday, March 29, 2001

Kick Butts teaches
kids not to smoke

KICK BUTTS has nothing to do with an illegal boot to the posterior of an opposing soccer player. It's a program to educate youngsters on the dangers of smoking and to ask parents not to smoke when attending youth games.

The Hawaii Youth Soccer Association and the American Youth Soccer Organization both subscribe to having the fields they use for matches be smoke free.

Hawaii was one of 10 states to receive a $25,000 supplemental grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to expand the SmokeFree Kids and Soccer Program. This is done through community based soccer and health groups.

The Hawaii State Department of Health is involved through it's Tobacco Prevention and Education Program.

With the annual Kirk Banks Tournament starting today at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex, the dangers of smoking and the benefits of participating in organized sports will be emphasized.

Next Wednesday is "Kick Butts Day" and the program will be offered to 6th graders at Washington Intermediate School. There will be a contest to design a T-shirt incorporating the Kick Butts theme with a healthy activity.

"The program in Hawaii is ongoing. We have an option for another $25,000 grant to continue the program for another year," said Michele Nagamine, Kamehameha Schools girls coach and a club coach.

"It's our job to protect our kids. The point is to get children not to start a habit they can't kick.

"What we're trying to do is raise awareness and reach out to the whole family. We gave informational brochures, posters, banners and we have sessions for coaches, referees and administrators."

The program also sponsors a "Soccer Saturday" once a month where any youngster can come, register and compete in three-on-three matches. This is affiliated with and sanctioned by HYSA.

In 1996 the State House of Representatives passed a resolution urging all youth athletic leagues to adopt policies discouraging tobacco and alcohol use by coaches, parents and family members during league practices and games.

Nagamine remembers only one instance where an adult was smoking at a youth tournament, and she said that person was embarrassed when asked if he knew the field was a smoke-free field.

THE FALL SEMESTER was very successful in the classroom for the University of Hawaii women's soccer team. Nine Wahine were named to the Academic All-Western Athletic Conference team, the most of any league soccer program.

Last year, UH had eight players named to the team.

This year's honorees are led by four-time Academic All-WAC members Megan Lytle, a political science major with a 3.53 grade-point average, and Lei Wai, a journalism major with a 3.89 GPA.

The other Wahine academic standouts are Camille Kalama, 3.88, majoring in geography; Wanette Miyashiro, a secondary education major with a 3.63 GPA; Amanda Orand, 3.71, majoring in zoology; Demarre Sanchez, 3.30 in liberal studies; Erin Schremser, 3.91 in elementary education; Noelle Takemoto, 3.46 in general arts and sciences, and Lea Wakabayashi, 3,24 in civil engineering.

Thursday, March 22, 2001

Three commit to
Wahine soccer team

The University of Hawaii women's team has received letters of intent from Natalie Groenewoud, Kristalyn Ontai and Jennifer Churchill.

Groenewoud is a member of the Under-19 Canadian Junior National Team pool and will play for the British Columbia provincial team in this year's Canada Games.

She attends Handsworth Secondary High School in North Vancouver, British Columbia, and plays for the North Selects provincial team. In February, Groenewoud attended a five-day camp intended to expose youth players from Canada's four western provinces to the same style of play as Canada's Women's World Cup team.

"Natalie is tremendously conditioned. Her comfort with the ball is exceptional and she's a very speedy player," said Wahine head coach Pinsoom Tenzing.

Groenewoud can play the midfield or a striker position.

Ontai considered going to the mainland, was accepted at American University, but chose to sign with UH.

"I didn't get a chance to see the Wahine play last fall, but I've lived here all my life and it's not a small thing," said Ontai, presently a point guard with the Kamehameha girls' basketball team.

"It's a big deal. Everyone is rooting for UH. I warmed up to that kind of atmosphere. I couldn't see anything I didn't like on my recruiting visit. The only thing is UH is so big."

Ontai played up front, in the middle and on the back line for Warriors coach Michele Nagamine.

"I like to play fullback. I think there is something kind of noble about defending the goal. It appeals to me," Ontai said.

Churchill is the second goalkeeper signed for next season. She will transfer from De Anza Community College in Cupertino, Calif.

"I saw Jennifer play extensively, in the Nomads Tournament in San Diego and in the U19 regionals at Pleasanton, Calif., last summer," Tenzing said. "She's not a goalkeeper who plays underneath the bar. She plays way out, reads the game well, has very soft hands and is exceedingly brave."

THE GONZAGA UNIVERSITY men's soccer team has signed Charles Rania, a striker from Punahou, continuing the pipeline to the Spokane, Wash., school. The interest in Hawaii players actually began when Zags head coach Einar Thorarinsson was head coach at Whitworth College.

Rania led the Interscholastic League of Honolulu in scoring his sophomore and junior years. He also competes for the Buffanblu track team and finished second in the 100-meter high hurdles and third in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles in the state meet.

"He has a knack of being in the right place and is pretty good in the air around the goal," Punahou coach Bob Clague said. "Charles is good if you hit him with a through ball and he can use both feet. One thing I've always liked is he stays after practice to work on things.

"I really appreciate someone who gives Hawaii kids a chance. Einar has had good success with players from Hawaii. Not too many Division I men's coaches are willing to give Hawaii players a chance."

Bucky Jencks, part of Punahou's state champion tennis doubles team last year, is headed to Bowdoin College in Maine where the coaches see no problem with him playing soccer and tennis.

"He played center midfielder for us this year, but he might be better at fullback. He played outside fullback for us as a sophomore," Clague said.

Thursday, March 15, 2001


Hawaii an easy sell as host
for regional tournament

Hawaii is a whole lot easier to sell when the special things the 50th State is known for are part of any presentation, especially on the mainland.

That tactic worked for Hawaii Youth Soccer Association representatives last month in Las Vegas.

The 19-member U.S. Youth Soccer Region IV board voted 17-2 to hold the 2003 regional tournament in Hawaii.

Hawaii was bidding against Spokane, Wash., whose representatives were selling the idea that it's cheaper to go there.

Herb and Michelle Schreiner, Michelle Nagamine and Ron Hata headed up Hawaii's delegation.

"We put on such a show. It was fun," Herb Schreiner said. "We had three girls from a hula halau dancing in front of the door when the members went in to the lunch meeting.

"We set up a table, about 20 feet long, that was packed with stuff. We decorated the place with 50 orchid plants."

The Schreiners wore matching Hawaiian outfits from Hilo Hattie. Michelle added another touch -- a haku lei.

All the board members received an orchid lei.

Hata offered everyone chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, Kauai cookies and Hawaii Convention and Visitors Bureau brochures.

There was a bulletin board with the architectural plans for the Waipio Complex, huge banners showing a panoramic view of the complex and a poster portraying the aerial view.

Michelle Schreiner made Hawaii's presentation.

She told the group that Hawaii had supported the regionals all these years, how much Hawaii's soccer community appreciated their hospitality and now Hawaii was asking to be their host.

"She basically sold the complex and that's basically why we got it," Herb Schreiner said. "That was important, because places have received bids in the past, but the fields weren't ready. Spokane is building a complex, but it's not finished. Everyone was amazed at how the (Hawaii) complex looked.

"We heard there was a lot of lobbying going on about the price of going to Hawaii, so we spent a full day telling them that was bull."

They played two videos. One was of the grand opening ceremonies at Waipio and adult and youth matches there. The other, with the song "Hawaiian Style" as the background music, focused on the people of Hawaii.

The Hawaii group then made baskets from lauhala leaves and stocked them with an orchid plant, a Hawaiian calendar, two T-shirts related to the complex, macadamia nuts, two bags of coffee, guava jam, cookies and an invitation to attend the regionals, June 23-28, 2003.

Montana did not vote for Hawaii, citing cost, and Washington voted for itself.

"Now the work begins," Herb Schreiner said. "We've seen opening and closing ceremonies at other places, and we want Hawaii's to be the best ever."

Approximately 250 teams from 13 Western states will be entered in the tournament.

Busy month in Waipio

The Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex will be busy the last week of this month.

Hawaii's Olympic Development Program camp will be held March 25-28 with approximately 300 players attending.

AYSO's annual Kirk Banks tournament follows March 29-April 1, with 170 teams representing every island competing in five age divisions.

There is a VIP division for the physically and mentally challenged players.

The finals for the Under 12, 14, 16 and 19 will be held in the main stadium April 1.

Thursday, March 1, 2001

Tournament welcome
relief for Wahine

SPRING practice reaches the halfway point for the University of Hawaii Wahine soccer team this weekend. The players will enjoy a change from the drudgery of drills, drills, drills.

The Wahine are hosting a 6-a-side tournament Saturday at the campus practice facility. Eighteen teams are entered, including sides from the College of William & Mary.

The Wahine will have a one-hour scrimmage with the Tribe on Monday and a regulation match Tuesday.

UH head coach Pinsoom Tenzing says the practice sessions have been productive.

"This is a learning process for everyone. It's where we learn how to play the game the way we want to play it in the fall," Tenzing said.

"We'll be in serious trouble if the players don't come back in shape. Hopefully, last year was a learning experience for everyone in that regard."

There has been one negative incident. Liz Lusk, the speedy sophomore-to-be defender, suffered a third degree tear of the ACL in her left leg when she jumped and landed awkwardly last Friday.

She is scheduled for surgery next Thursday and is expected to be ready for fall practice.

Goalkeeper Dana Ong, who joined the Wahine last season after transferring from Pacific University, has decided, after having off-season knee surgery, not to compete at the college level any more.

The William & Mary women's team was 15-6 last fall and went to the NCAA tournament.

Last month, the school received a $500,000 challenge grant from W&M graduates Mr. and Mrs. Jim Ukrop to build a proposed $1 million dollar natural grass field that will be used for men's and women's soccer and lacrosse.

The athletic department hopes to raise the additional $500,000 necessary to reach the $1 million dollar goal. Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin May 1, 2002.

Starr Johnson, a junior defender for the University of Oregon, has been named to the 2000 Pacific-10 Conference All-Academic First Team.

Johnson boasts a 3.74 grade-point average in ethnic studies.

Allison Hamada, a senior defender at Oregon State, and Erin Otagaki, a junior striker for the Washington Huskies, were honorable mention picks.

All three players are Punahou graduates.

A student-athlete must have a minimum 3.0 overall GPA and be either a starter or significant contributor to the team in order to qualify for the All-Academic teams.

Johnson was also cited as an All-Pac-10 honorable mention selection.

Brian Ching scored his first professional goal last Friday, but the Los Angeles Galaxy suffered a 3-2 exhibition loss to Tokyo Verdy 1969.

Ching, a Kamehameha and Gonzaga University graduate, scored in the 53rd minute off Sebastien Vorbe's assist.

The goal by the Galaxy's second-round draft pick gave L.A. a 2-1 lead. Ching played the whole match.

Tokyo Verdy 1969 scored three minutes into injury time for the victory after knotting the match in the 90th minute on a penalty kick.

The Galaxy beat China's national team, 3-1, earlier on their Far East tour. Ching played the final four minutes of that match.

The Fox Fab 50 winter high school soccer rankings have Hawaii state girls' champion Baldwin at No. 24.

The Mililani girls' and boys' teams and the Hilo boys' team are in the 26-to-50 group where schools are listed only by state.

Six states hold the soccer season during the winter.

Thursday, February 22, 2001


Mathis, U.S. gear up
for qualifying

THE final round of qualifying for the 2002 World Cup begins Wednesday for the United States men's national team.

The Americans play Mexico at Columbus, Ohio, in the first of 10 matches that will determine if the U.S. joins 31 other national teams in South Korea and Japan next year.

Costa Rica, Honduras, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago also are in the North and Central American and Caribbean region (CONCACAF). The top three teams advance.

Clint Mathis, who comes to Hawaii each winter to work the soccer clinic at Waialae Iki Field, played the midfield in January's friendly matches against China and Columbia.

"Mexico has a lot of hard workers. The defense is talented and sound," Mathis said. "It will be important to score early, stay on top, get in their heads and take them out of their game."

Mathis said scoring the first goal, whether it's in the first minute or the 90th, is crucial.

"Scoring first gets a team up mentally. It gives a little edge, but that's not all. You have to stay in the game for the full 90 minutes. A game can turn so fast."

This happened to the Americans twice in the previous qualifying round when Guatemala forced a draw and Costa Rica took a victory with goals in the final five minutes.

With this in mind, U.S. coach Bruce Arena has recalled 11 European-based players for the Mexico match. Those players are in-season and match-tested while Major League Soccer players just began training Feb. 1 for their season.

Mathis has seven caps (appearances) with the national team and one goal. That goal was the first against Barbados in a 4-0 win last November that assured the U.S. advanced.

In January's friendly matches, Mathis played the offensive midfield position where captain Claudio Reyna most likely will start Wednesday.

Reyna, who plays for Scotland's Glasgow Rangers, has indicated he may retire from the national team after the 2002 World Cup. His backup, Tab Ramos, retired last year.

Mathis isn't sure if he is being groomed to eventually take Reyna's position, but says, "either way, it's a good situation to be able to learn from a player like Claudio.

"Claudio is the center midfielder, the playmaker. Maybe Bruce is experimenting a little bit in case we don't have him."

How much Mathis plays may depend on what system Arena decides to use, a 3-5-2 or a 4-4-2.

The 5-foot-10 University of South Carolina product does not mind coming off the bench.

"You see who is having a good day. Sometimes it's tough with the speed of the game, but you have to know your role. It's great to step in and make an impact," Mathis said.

For this qualifying round, Mathis said the U.S. has to win its home matches to take some of the pressure off, then try to pick up a point (tie) or three (win) on the road.

The two-time All-American said Honduras has a young team that is playing very well and Costa Rica is always tough.

Mexico is the highest ranked team of the six finalists in the FIFA ratings. Mexico holds a 27-7-9 edge in the all-time series with the Americans, but has won just four of the last 12 matches between the countries.

The Americans take a 16-match home unbeaten streak in World Cup qualifiers into Wednesday's showdown.

The next qualifying match is at Honduras, March 28

The New York-New Jersey MetroStars want to build a stadium for the 2003 MLS season, but have not chosen a site or found backers to fund the facility which is expected to cost up to $60 million.

Thursday, February 15, 2001

Mainland recruits
sign with Hawaii

TWO mainland recruits have signed national letters of intent to play for the University of Hawaii Wahine soccer team next year.

Sasha Araya-Schraner from Mt. Carmel High School in San Diego, and Tasha Rowe from Boulder High School in Boulder City, Nev., bring the number of recruits signed for this fall to five.

Araya-Schraner has been a defender, midfielder and striker. The 5-foot-6 versatile player helped her team to two Palomar League championships.

"She is a clever player. Her experience will definitely help us out," UH head coach Pinsoom Tenzing said.

Araya-Schraner also was recruited by Baylor, Cornell and Washington State.

Rowe made recruiting trips to Idaho State, the University of San Francisco and visited UH in December.

"I liked the place and I heard Hawaii has a great engineering program," Rowe said.

"If something happened and I couldn't play soccer anymore, that's where I would want to finish school."

Rowe has been in the Nevada Olympic Development Program for four years and attended camp the past two summers.

She plays club soccer with the NFC Tabagators, winners of five consecutive state titles. She can play the midfield or operate as a striker.

"Tasha is a front runner with good quickness and she's a good finisher," Tenzing said.

Earlier high school recruits signing were Kahuku striker Natasha Kai, Moanalua goalkeeper Erin Chow and Aiea midfielder Joelle Sugai.

Kim Sandhoff was named to the All-Southeast region third-team by Soccer Buzz Magazine, as voted by NCAA Division I women's soccer coaches. It is the second consecutive year the senior striker was named to the All-Southeast third-team.

"Kim is very deserving of this award and had a great career at East Carolina University," Lady Pirate head coach Rob Donnenwirth said. "She set the benchmark for new players and toppled all of the school's offensive records."

Sandhoff (Pearl City High School) shattered school season and career records for goals, assists and points.

She also finished in a tie for fifth in assists (15) and fourth in assists a game (0.79) among NCAA Division I schools during the 2000 season. The Waipahu resident also notched six goals (two game-winning goals) and had a school-record 60 shots.

Soccer Buzz Magazine cited two other players from Hawaii. Shari Nishikawa (Iolani) was named to the West Region All-Freshman team. She was a midfielder/defender for the Loyola Marymount Lions. Shanelle Piano (Mililani), a sophomore defender for the Nevada Wolf Pack, was a first-team pick for schools with first-year programs in 2000.

Ticket sales for the 2002 World Cup, the most complex in the history of the event, start today. Sales begin simultaneously on the international market and in the host countries, South Korea and Japan.

The Olympic Stadium in Munich, Germany, host for the 2006 World Cup opener, could see no action at all after its designers objected to plans for its $180 million renovation.

The stadium, which was built for the 1972 Olympics, is landmarked and needs the approval of its designers for any changes.

Bayern Munich and TSV 1860 Munich share Olympic Stadium and want it made into a modern soccer arena. But residents in the area, track and field supporters and national heritage officials say the stadium would lose too much of its original character and design if it became a purely soccer arena.

Thursday, February 8, 2001

Two sign to
play for Wahine

TWO Hawaii high school players who made early verbal commitments to play for Hawaii -- Erin Chow and Noelle Sugai -- signed national letters of intent last night.

Another, Natasha Kai of Kahuku High School, was so focused on yesterday's state championship game, that she waited until today to sign.

Sugai, a center midfielder for Aiea, scored eight goals for Na Alii during the regular season.

She decided to play for the Wahine her junior year. Although she received recruiting letters from mainland schools, she didn't bother to answer.

"I just wanted to go to UH. I wanted to stay home and play in front of the home crowd," Sugai said.

Last summer she played for the Leahi 83 team that reached the quarterfinal round of the Surf Cup.

Sugai thinks she will be moved to left outside midfielder in college.

Chow, a 5-foot-11 goalkeeper from Moanalua High School, also cited staying home as an important factor in her decision.

"The incoming players get to play with players they know. It's a program that can be built up," Chow said. "It's a new defense, but I can learn it."

The Menehunes use a sweeper in their defense while UH has employed a flat back defense the past two seasons.

Chow plans to major in computer science.

"Erin understands defense, cuts off the angles well and is strong against the close-in attack," Moanalua head coach Joseph Rutkowski Jr. said.

Kai scored 18 goals during the regular season this year to lead the Oahu Interscholastic Association East.

"I thought about going to Loyola Marymount, but I'd rather stay closer to home," Kai said.

Blessed with outstanding speed, the Red Raiders' striker played primarily on the right side, but switched to the left at times.

Sarah Takekawa, a striker for Kailua High School, signed a national letter of intent yesterday to play for St. Mary's.

Takekawa visited the Moraga, Calif., campus on her own last summer and was taken with the lush surroundings, the relative seclusion and the peaceful atmosphere. Later she talked with Chelsea Montero, a defender for the Gaels from Kamehameha.

"Chelsea said she really loved the girls, how much it was a family and how my coach (Paul) Ratcliffe watched over them athletically and academically," Takekawa said.

"Sarah is a real good student, in the running to be valedictorian," said Surfriders head coach Wil Kimura. "She has track speed, in the low 12 seconds for the 100 meters and is a very hard worker."

Takekawa scored 10 of the Surfriders' 28 goals during the regular season.

"She can shoot pretty much with either foot, has a great sense of the goal and the drive to succeed," said Phil Neddo, who had Takekawa on his Honolulu Bulls team at last summer's Surf Cup.

At the Surf Cup, Neddo used Takekawa as a marking back and this not only surprised Ratcliffe, but convinced him to offer her a scholarship covering full tuition.

Takekawa has been an OIA East soccer first-team pick the past two years. She was the Surfriders' outstanding track athlete the last two springs.

Takekawa's GPA is 4.050 in the honors program and she plans to do something in the field of medicine.

The first two USA World Cup home final round qualifying matches, against Mexico Feb. 28 at Columbus, Ohio, and Costa Rica April 25 at Kansas City, will be televised by ESPN2.

Thursday, February 1, 2001

2002 AYSO national
games boon for state

THE awarding of the 2002 American Youth Soccer Organization National Games to Hawaii is a feather in the local soccer community's hat.

It also provides further justification for the building of the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex, the only site in the state that could accommodate such a large event.

The week-long Games are expected to attract between 7,000 and 8,000 players, coaches, referees and family members to the 50th State.

"The amount a person will spend is between $1,200 and $1,500 and that is a fairly conservative estimate," said Max Sword, AYSO state director.

"This is a huge triumph for Hawaii. It should be treated like any other large convention that comes to town which generates revenue for the state."

Mainland teams are invited based on a certain number of slots granted each AYSO region. Since all AYSO regions can not be accommodated, a lottery is held to determine those receiving invitations.

Most of the teams coming here will be region champions.

The Games include the under 12, 14, 16 and 19 age groups. Four slots in each age group are reserved for foreign teams.

"I have sent letters to Japan, Taiwan, China, Australia and New Zealand," said Sword.

Hawaii's region winners are guaranteed a spot in the tournament. Should an age group not fill up with invited teams, more Hawaii teams will get the chance to compete.

Fifteen committees have been established to handle the logistics.

The day before the tournament begins, there is a Soccerfest where players are all mixed up from the different teams in an age bracket for 30 minute matches.

"It's a chance for them to get to know each other, find out about where they live, kind of a cultural exchange," Sword said.

Megan Inouye and Erin Otagaki have been named to the 2000 National Soccer Coaches Association Women's Scholar Athlete West Region third team.

Inouye is a senior defender for Northern Colorado University. A graduate of Mililani High School, she maintains a 3.61 grade-point average. She is a communications major.

Otagaki, a Punahou graduate, is a striker for the nationally ranked University of Washington team. The junior has a 3.36 GPA while majoring in English.

The West Region includes Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. The selections include all NCAA Divisions (I, II and III) of soccer.

NSCAA Far West Region teams cited two Hawaii players. Brian Ching, a senior striker for Gonzaga University, was picked for the NCAA Division I first team. Cherish Kaaa, a senior striker for Linfield College, was named to the NCAA Division III third team.

Spain will host this year's Club World Championships, July 29-Aug. 12. Twelve teams are entered, four more than during last year's inaugural event staged in Brazil.

South Korea and Japan will host the Confederations Cup, May 30-June 10. FIFA wants Korea and Japan to host the Confederations Cup to make sure everything is running smoothly before they jointly host the Men's 2002 World Cup.

The field includes the national teams of South Korea, Japan, Australia, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, France and Mexico.

FIFA also announced recently that the Women's 2003 World Cup will be held in China.

FIFA also favors expanding the Women's Olympic soccer field from eight teams to 12.


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