Strong Starts May Spell Victory For Kapolei This Weekend
By Jack Danilewicz
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In the Kapolei girls’ soccer team’s case, it hasn’t necessarily been how they finish, but rather how they start a game.
Not that the Hurricanes haven’t been able to close games out. Their recent history is one built on success, after all.
“We want to get out to an early start and play like it’s the state finals every game,” Kapolei coach Brian Beck said. “We want to assert our will first and not allow other teams to dictate to us.”
The Hurricanes finished second to Mililani during the OIA Red West Conference regular-season recently and are hoping to carry over their momentum into today’s first round game at the JN Automotive Division I State Soccer Championships at the Waipio Soccer Complex. Pairings for the tournament, which runs through Saturday, were to be announced over the weekend.
Kapolei is coming off an appearance in last week’s OIA Tournament. The Hurricanes defeated Leilehua 5-1 on Wednesday to advance to the semifinals.
Kapolei is only three years removed from an appearance in the 2007 state title game, which the Hurricanes lost to Kamehameha. Understandably, Beck is hoping his current team also can enjoy such a state tournament run, and he called on senior captain Kristina Behrens and several former players home on college break recently to talk to his team about the experience of playing for a state title.
“They talked to the girls about how great of an experience it was,“said Beck, who led Kapolei to the OIA soccer title that same year.“I told the girls that we want to create 22 good memories (at states).We want everyone to have a good memory of it.”
As far as the 2009-10 Kapolei team goes, the Hurricanes might be playing their best soccer of the season. Beck called Kapolei’s 1-0 loss to Mililani in the regular-season finale “our second-best game of the year.”
“We’re playing some good ball right now,” added Beck, whose team entered last Friday with a 8-3-3 record.
Beck also acknowledged that defense has been his current team’s forte to date. Indeed, Kapolei gave up only six goals during its 12 regular-season games. Only Mililani and Moanalua fared better during that same time frame, yielding just two and five goals, respectively.
“Our team defense has been good this year,“Beck said. “We have some team speed we haven’t had in the past on the outside. That has carried our team.”
Stellar play from junior goal-keeper Kiana Kaiwi has helped the defensive cause, according to her coach.
“She’s been our rock in practices and in games - she’s developed into one of our strongest leaders,“Beck said of Kaiwi. “She’s tremendously focused on what we need to do, and she has the respect of all of our players.”
Beck also offered high praise for sophomore defender Hailey Berg and junior mid-fielder Taylor Dela Cruz.
“Hailey has played really well consistently,” he said of Berg.“She hasn’t had one bad game, and she’s been able to lock down on some of the best scorers in the OIA.
“Taylor has been bringing up the level of our team play the last three games. She’s become a playmaker,” he added of Dela Cruz.
While Kapolei finished third in scoring (30 goals) in the West during the regular season behind Mililani (56) and Pearl City (32),Beck is still hoping for bigger and better things during critical times in games.
“We haven’t had the really big goal yet,“he said last week. “Hopefully,that big one - the knockout goal - will come in the OIA Tournament.”
On that note, Beck worked with his team on being “creative"with the ball as they prepared for the OIA’s post-season early last week.
“The more I watch the better teams, I see that they are more creative,” he said. “Everyone knows a certain way to play.If you can come in with something a little bit different, it helps.”
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