Division I State Soccer Tourney Kicks Off At Waipio Complex
For the Aiea, Pearl City and Kapolei girls soccer teams, no week is as anticipated as this one, as all three are competing in the Division I state championships. Pairings and game times for the tournament, which runs Wednesday-Saturday at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex, were to be revealed after press time. Previews for all three teams follow.
Aiea High
Record: 10-4 overall (8-2 during the season)
Key wins: Over Pearl City 3-2 Dec. 6, over Mililani 2-1 (on penalty kicks) Jan. 7, over Roosevelt 1-0 Jan. 21, over Campbell 3-1 Jan. 23
Na Ali‘i at a glance: The team undoubtedly deserved a far better result than a sixth-place finish at the recent OIA Red tournament, considering Aiea gave up just four goals in four games. Na Ali‘i went 2-2 in the tournament, posting impressive wins over Roosevelt and Red West co-champion Campbell to qualify for states. Aiea was only a couple of plays away from defeating both Castle and Mililani as well, losing by a single goal to each. With that in mind, they could very well be in the mix of contenders at the state tournament if they can maintain their level of play. While defense has been among Aiea’s strengths to date, it also has done plenty of damage on the offensive side, tallying 45 goals in 14 games. That places Aiea fifth overall among OIA Red teams (they rank third among Red West teams behind Mililani and Pearl City). Aiea’s Raisa Strom-Okimoto added two more goals in the OIA tournament to her total, giving her 22 for the season. She trails only Waianae’s Sonest Furtado among the state’s scoring leaders.
Kapolei High
Record: 11-2 overall (tied for first with Campbell in the OIA Red West during the season with a 9-1 mark)
Key wins: Over Mililani 1-0 Dec. 20, over Pearl City 1-0 Jan. 3, over Aiea 2-0 Jan. 14, over Moanalua 2-0 Jan. 22, over Castle 1-0 Jan. 24
Hurricanes at a glance: You can’t blame Kapolei if it enters this week with the mindset of finishing some unfinished business — hav ing been moments away from winning the OIA semifinal with Kaiser before losing 2-1. A fresh slate awaits. “The girls were a little dejected the first couple days back at practice, but I told them the Big Show is coming, head coach Brian Beck said. “(Embracing) that mindset has been key for them.”
The Hurricanes always can count on their defense, and the 2014 edition may be one of the best of the Beck Era, led by veteran goalkeeper Arielle Stoyanow and center-mid-fielders Jenna Tomei and Kelli Fryxell. Even so, how they fare on offensive should go a long way in determining how far they advance at the state tournament, where low-scoring, close affairs are the norm. Kapolei owns an 8-0 record this season in games when it scored two or more goals. Freshman Alyssa Yoshida currently leads the team in scoring with 10 tallies.
“Alyssa is a gamer — she goes into a different world when she’s on the field — and the other girls feed off of that,” Beck said.
Pearl City High
Record: 10-4 overall (6-4 and fifth overall in the OIA Red West)
Key wins: Over Mililani 1-0 Dec. 20, over Pearl City 1-0 Jan. 3, over Aiea 2-0 Jan. 14, over Campbell 1-0 Jan. 22, over Castle 1-0 Jan. 24
Chargers at a glance: Pearl City comes into state tournament play with as much momentum as any team in the state, having posted four straight wins over Kahuku, Campbell, Castle and Kaiser to capture the OIA Red tournament recently. Add on a win over a good Waianae team in its season finale and Pearl City’s win streak currently stands at five. Defense remains the Chargers’ forte, as they yielded only one goal in four games in the OIA playoffs. Tasha Inong has come up big on offense for Pearl City all season, most recently in the OIA playoffs when she tallied against Campbell and Kaiser to help drive the Chargers across the finish line both games. Inong is currently Pearl City’s leading scorer with 18 goals, while teammates Randi Fontes (10) and Caila Fabro (8) have also contributed big to the Chargers’ offensive output. jackster.1969@yahoo.com
