Kimura Says Good Goalies, Experience Help Soccer Season
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usWithin the Kailua girls soccer program at least, good goal-keepers are made rather than born.
“We’ve been lucky,” said Kailua coach Wil Kimura, who is beginning his 17th season with the Surfriders.“We’ve had a lot of very good goalkeepers, and most of them came to us as untrained goalies.”
The most visible example was, of course, Johnnalyn Ilae, who earned Player of the Year honors in the OIA’s Eastern Division earlier in the decade for the Surfriders in just her first season of organized soccer.
As the Surfriders opened pre-season camp last week, much of the optimism centered around their projected goalkeeper, senior Lauren Merritt, who is cut from the same cloth as Ilae, according to their coach.
“Both are basketball players,” said Kimura, who has led Kailua to nine state tournaments during his tenure. “Their movements, their footwork, their hands, their ability to dive are excellent.
“Lauren has great hands, and she had a great playoff game last year against Kapolei. She had some spectacular saves for us last year. She has great instincts.”
If all goes according to plan, the team won’t have to rely merely on solid play in net to stay in the mix in the OIA’s White Conference. After suffering through a trying 2005-06 season in which freshmen dominated their lineup, those players are now entering their junior year having accumulated more mileage than most players at their age, giving Kailua a seasoned team overall.
“It can be a shock to freshmen - especially in the Red (Division I) - but they’re used to it (stiff competition) now,” said Kimura, whose team features 12 players who are entering their third year of varsity competition at Kailua. “The fact that they got that exposure has made them more competitive. I think we’re going to be a more cohesive unit. A lot of them had to start as freshmen, and they’re going to play very well together.”
Among the standouts in the junior class are defenders Taylor Mihara and Halissia Luhan-Hanawahine.
“Their foot skills are getting better all the time,” he said. “With both of them, their strength is primarily good speed, and both have developed some technique.”
Kimura also will count on senior Kalen Miyakawa to be his coach on the field.“She’s our only four-year senior. We’ll rely on her for leadership. She’s been working really hard. We’ll rely on both her and Lauren a lot.”
The Surfriders’ offensive output could receive a big boost with the return of junior forwards Ashley Kanoho and Tiffany Nakata, the latter of whom missed most of last season with a torn ACL.
“Ashley has speed and an excellent shot,” Kimura said.“We’ll rely on her pretty heavily. Tiffany is almost at 100 percent. She’s worked very hard to come back. Speed is her strength. She’s not necessarily the fastest, but in those first five steps ... she’s one of the quickest players we’ve had, and she has some offensive moves.”
Kimura also welcomed senior Tiffany Pereza to the program. Although she played soccer when younger, Pereza has been a key member of the Surfrider softball team in recent years.“We see a lot of potential there, too,” he said.
Kimura also envisions sophomores Cheyenne Kadooka and Ka’i Leandro and freshmen Sierra Kadooka and Jamie Galveso making a big impact as early as this season. “We’re looking at all of them as contributors,” he said.
Kailua, which was to open its preseason on Monday against Mid-Pacific, hosts Kalaheo at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the first meeting between the schools since the Surfriders were moved down to Division II. Even so, Kimura expects the intensity level to be as high as ever for Thursday’s matchup.
“Even if we’re not in the same division anymore, it’s a friendly rivalry, so the kids will be a little more pumped up. I’ve even had a couple of kids who are hurt right now say they want to play in the game.”
The Surfriders also are preparing for their annual trip to the Big Island, where they play in the Hawaii Prep Academy Pre-Season Tournament over Thanksgiving weekend. Punahou and three-time defending Division I state champion Kamehameha highlight the field.
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