Speedy Team Key To Waialua Soccer Wins
By MidWeek Staff
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Del.icio.usOne in a series of prep soccer previews.
John Rosa prefers to think of his soccer players as generalists rather than specialists. Indeed, as he looks over the Waialua roster, he’s hard-pressed to link any one player exclusively to one position.
“We have a bunch of all-around players who can play any position,” said Rosa, now in his eighth year as the boys coach and his 30th overall.“They’re well-rounded and well-disciplined. I put them in, and there’s no questions asked. They all go in and do their best, and that’s all that we ask. They always work hard in practice.”
With only five players completing their eligibility from last year’s team, Waialua will have one of the more experienced teams by the time of its OIA White opener next month. Adding further intrigue is the fact that the Bulldogs moved to Division II this season after spending 2007-08 in the Red Conference battling bigger schools and the high-profile programs of Mililani, Kapolei and Leilehua, among others.
“It opened our eyes to see what that level of competition is like,” admitted Rosa. “I don’t know about (predicting) wins or losses, but I’ll say this: We’ll be competitive this year. We had an awesome team last year. We just didn’t play up to my expectations.”
While veterans return to most positions, it’s a pair of sophomores, ironically - Kamalei Rosa and Connor Prindle - who should give them a big boost.
“Kamalei’s explosiveness is his strength,“John Rosa said of his son. “He’s only 5-foot-4, but he has the heart of a dragon. He can play offense or defense, and he always attacks. He has good field of vision and good foot skills, and he’s excellent at finishing.
“Connor has good foot skills,too, and he’s an excellent defender.”
The most visible returnee is four-year captain Kainoa Rosa,Kamalei’s older brother and the Bulldogs’ leading scorer a year ago with four of the team’s 12 goals.
“He brings good leadership,“said John Rosa, who is assisted by wife Lori Avilla-Rosa.“He knows what we expect from him, and we ask a lot from him, and he gets it done. He’s a lefty, and he’s a good finisher, also.”
Rosa also is expecting seniors A.J. Hernandez, Kaleo Lopez, Johnny Tago, and Xavier Aki, a transfer from Thompson Academy, to be impact players.Asked to declare the strength of his team, Rosa said “speed,“which he hopes will allow it to secure more possessions.
“We want to hang onto the ball as much as possible. We’re working on possession, patience, execution and timing - everything is timing. We also work a lot on our foot skills. That’s how you have good ball control.”
Waialua opens its preseason slate Saturday against Kaiser at 6 p.m. in Hawaii Kai. Their home-opener is at noon Nov. 22 versus
Leilehua before hosting the inaugural Waialua Soccer Invitational Nov. 28-29. Nanakuli, Mililani and Kahuku also will take part in the tournament. Waialua then hosts a soccer clinic Dec. 30 in conjunction with the Honolulu Bulls Soccer Club.
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