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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 i