Hurricane Girls Soccer Hosts Key OIA Games This Month
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usOn Wednesday night, Kapolei’s seniors will play their last regular-season home game when the Hurricanes host Mililani at 7:15 p.m. in a key Oahu Interscholastic Association Red West encounter.
The real Senior Night may come later in the month, however, if the Hurricanes have anything to say about it. To be sure, with the finals of the OIA girls soccer playoffs to take place at Kapolei once again, the Hurricanes are hoping to take advantage once again of the comforts of home.
“They don’t want to sit in the stands and watch another school win the OIA on their field,” said coach Brian Beck, who led the Hurricanes to their first-ever OIA championship last season. “That (mind-set) has been a driving force for us.”
The Hurricanes (6-1-1) entered last Friday’s game with Radford in third place in the West behind long-time powers Mililani (5-1) and Pearl City (5-0-1), making Wednesday’s matchup with the Trojans the biggest game of the year to date for Beck’s team. Mililani overcame a two-goal deficit in the Dec. 7 meeting between the teams en route to a 5-2 victory. The Hurricanes have given up only one goal (which came in a tie with Pearl City Dec. 14) in their other seven league games.
“We had some calls go against us, and the girls got a little down on themselves because they felt like they were the better team,” he said. “It was a rough game in the mud and muck, but it was a game we needed to lose because it really fired up the girls. It was an upset (loss), but it was a good upset. The girls have circled the date of that game on the calendar.”
Among those playing their last regular-season home game for Kapolei Wednesday will be goal-keeper Ashlee Dela Cruz and sweeper Chaney Lopez.Both are catalysts for one of the better defensive units in the state.
“Ashley and Chaney both command the defense so incredibly well,” said Beck, whose team finished 13-3-3 overall last year. “Defense has always been our focus, and it’s been real solid. I have yet to see a player go by Chaney, and I keep telling her that she’s far ahead of any goal-keeper we’ve seen.She’s a difference-maker.”
Dela Cruz’s season to date with the soccer team is made all the more impressive since she is also splitting time with the girls basketball team - “She’s holding up on both accounts,” he added. “She’s super solid.”
Offensively, there’s plenty of firepower in junior mid-fielder Kirsten Otsuka and junior forwards Liana Gualdarama and Chelsea Swann. Gualdarama, who scored both goals in the loss to Mililani, was Kapolei’s leading scorer last year with 22 goals. Swann is the current scoring leader in the OIA along with Kalani standout Tani Costa. Both have tallied 12 times, while Otsuka was the Hurricanes’assist leader last season.
Despite their strong start to the OIA season,the Hurricanes still find themselves in third entering the second half of the West slate, despite a better record than a year ago at this time. The top two seeds from the West receive first round byes, so Wednesday’s game and their Jan. 8 rematch at Pearl City on the last night of the regular season will likely figure big in Kapolei’s season.
“We know we’ll have to get through Mililani and Pearl City to get to the final,“Beck said.“It’s good to play them (often) - it gives us another chance to see how they play and to change things (for the post-season).
“The girls are confident right now. With the West being so tight this year, the girls are excited (about the upcoming games).”
Seniors Ariel Chun Ming, Jenna Wagner and J Abbondanza will also play their last regular-season home game for Kapolei Wednesday. Following the Mililani game, Kapolei will play at Leilehua at 7:15 p.m. Friday.
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