Injury-plagued Chargers Still Win
By Jack Danilewicz
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The Pearl City girls soccer team didn’t have to wait until its Oahu Interscholastic Association Red West regular season to be put to the test.
Indeed, with three returning starters lost to injuries during their preseason, the Chargers were dealt a heavy blow. But from adversity springs the opportunity to bounce back in impressive fashion, as in their unlikely three-game win streak.
“It brings them together,” said coach Frank Baumholtz, whose undermanned Chargers opened their slate with wins over Mililani, Aiea and Leilehua.“So far, they’ve met all the challenges. It’s been fun coming to practice every day. There’s no dissension on this team. We’ve always worked on the team concept, and they’re all out there working hard together.”
With fullbacks Tami Hashimoto (broken forearm) and Erika Kim Seu (broken forearm) as well as goalkeeper Tiyana Arakaki (torn ACL) out of the lineup, they dressed only 14 and 13 players, respectively, in their games against Mililani and Aiea, making their victories all the more impressive.
“To play Mililani with one sub on offense and one sub on defense is not easy,” said Baumholtz, who has co-coached the girls team with Tracee Kono for five years. “Everyone else has been carrying the ball. Some of our girls have been playing 70 of the 80 minutes, but we haven’t suffered from it. Everyone is in great shape.”
Despite the injuries, the team has benefited from solid veteran leadership. In seniors Amy Tanaka and Meghan Fuller, the Chargers boast two of the Red West’s better players at their positions. Tanaka is a fullback, while Fuller rotates among all of the forward spots.
“Meghan is all fire - she has a nose for the ball - and she wants to score,” Baumholtz said of Fuller, who has tallied four goals in Pearl City’s first three games. “Mililani triple-teamed her, and she made some great passes.
“Amy, to me, is one of the best defenders in the state,” he added of Tanaka. “She always draws the best offensive player from the other team. I think she can play Division I (college soccer).”
To date, the Chargers have been able to win the close games, toppling both Aiea and Mililani by 1-0 scores in addition to a 5-0 rout of Leilehua.
“Having five seniors there on offense has really helped,” Baumholtz said.“They’ve been in our system a long time, and anytime you beat Aiea and Mililani you’re doing something right.”
Baumholtz is expecting Kim Seu to re-join the lineup this Friday when they play a road game at 5:30 p.m. against defending OIA champion Kapolei in a rematch of last year’s league championship game. In net, Pearl City has been going with junior goalkeeper Myra Yamamoto in place of the injured Arakaki. Along with the rest of the defense, she figures to be tested against Kapolei, which had scored 12 goals in its first two games.
“They have a lot of good team players,” Baumholtz said of Kapolei.“They’re a growing community, and they’ll be contenders now and into the future.”
Friday’s game also marks the end of the Red West’s first round, not to mention the beginning of a brutal four-game stretch for the Chargers that will also see them play Mililani (at home Dec. 18), Leilehua (away Dec. 21) and Aiea (away Dec. 26). Those matchups should go a long way in determining the Red West’s regular-season champion.
“After you’ve seen everyone one time (in the first round), you have to win again - and that’s the real challenge,” Baumholtz said.
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