All-Star Honors In East Soccer
Kalani’s boys soccer team was well-represented among OIA East All-Stars. It went 14-2-1 overall, placed a league-best five players on East’s First Team, and Michael Ching was named Coach of the Year.
Its two losses were to Mililani by 1-0 scores: in the OIA Red title game Feb. 7 and the championship game of the Division I state soccer tournament Feb. 28.
On the First Team are attacker Takahiro Kosins, midfielder Marc Teshima, defenders Toshiro Kosins and Kevin Costa, and goalie Michael Stafford. (Takahiro tallied 16 goals, and ranked fourth overall in the state.)
The Falcons went 9-0-1 to earn the top seed from the East for the OIA post-season tourney. Wins over Kaiser and previously unbeaten Kapolei (1-0 in a shootout) lifted them into the title game before it was defeated by Mililani.
At states, Kalani beat Moanalua 3-0, Kamehameha Schools-Maui 2-1 and Iolani 1-0 to make the title game.
Trevor Kakuda and Garrison Nakamura earned Honorable Mentions. • On the East’s Second Team, Kaiser placed attacker Cody Kuge, midfielder Giovanni Gloria, and defenders Chandler Furukawa and Matt Sai. Kuge scored eight goals, tying for the team lead with Kevin Anderson.
The Cougars finished 7-5-1 overall (6-3-1 in the East), and saw Noah Mokulehua, Motoki Sato, Justin Joe Takada and Hunter Yamanaka earn Honorable Mentions. • Kaimuki’s Honorable Mentions were Sin Huynh, Khang Nguyen, Ahn Pham and Seung Yeon Shin.
In girls soccer, Kaiser midfielder Noelle Mercado and attacker Kai Hasegawa made the East’s First Team. Mercado finished with 18 goals, and Hasegawa tallied 16 for the Cougars, who went 10-4-1 overall (8-1-1 in the East) and earned a berth in the DI state soccer tournament.
Midfielder Kailee Murray-Pasion and defender Brooke Arita made Second Team. Honorable Mentions went to Taylin Park, Tommi Hintnaus, Savanna Arakaki, Lina Takada and Torey Takahashi. • Kalani midfielder Tori Chinen made the First Team and was leading scorer with 16. Defender Megan Mararagan made the Second Team; Daysha Ann Solidum, Nicole Nakamura, Kylie Kimura and Rovi Porter were Honorable Mentions. • Kaimuki High’s Kyla Kawahara, Lovelyn Anton and Shylo Tong earned Honorable Mentions.
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