‘No Mistakes’ Is Soccer Theme For Kalaheo Mustangs
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usAs he looks to Wednesday’s showdown at Kaiser, Kalaheo High soccer coach John Nakagawa has put the emphasis on his own team.
“We can know how another team plays, but we have to come out and execute and play the game the way we want to play,” he said. “It (the East’s encounters) has come down to who has made the fewest mistakes.”
As at the outset of the season back in November, defense was Kalaheo’s forte, perhaps a good omen with the OIA playoffs set to start Jan. 21 and the JN Automotive Boys State Soccer Championships to follow in early February. Wednesday’s game at 7 p.m. with Kaiser could help determine the East champion, in addition to the top seeds for OIA post-season play. The Mustangs, who entered last weekend’s game with Moanalua at 5-4-1 - just ahead of Kaiser (5-3) in the standings - are hoping to gain either a One or Two seed, which would give them a first-round bye and leave them two wins away from making the OIA title game.
Kalaheo was able to keep the score down in the first meeting between the teams Dec. 15, winning 1-0, and Nakagawa is expecting the Cougars’ best effort of the season on Wednesday.
“Collectively, as a team, our defense has been very, very good. In some cases we’ve been able to hold on in close games for either a win or a tie. Not just our defenders, but everyone has played a high-pressure game.
“Kaiser has great team speed,” he added. “They have very skilled players who can score. We have to find ways to break that down. It will be a very exciting, challenging game. Neither team dominated in the first game. Both teams are equal.”
The Mustangs are led by veteran mid-fielders Nathan Johnson, Kirby Kojima, Kord Walls and defender Garrett Ferguson. Johnson is tied with teammate Jonathan Rodriguez for the team lead in scoring with six goals apiece, heading into the weekend. The pair rank behind only Castle’s Blayne Muraoka (nine) and Danny Higa of Kalani (eight) in the East. How well Kalaheo can execute its game plan on offense could be critical on Wednesday, given the Mustangs’ ability to make other teams go the long, hard route against them.
“Our goal-scoring is at a point where we feel confident,” Nakagawa said, “and it’s taken us awhile to develop that. Hopefully, we’ll be very balanced (between offense and defense). Our younger players and the newer players are understanding each other’s style of play. Part of the reason it’s taken longer to come together is that we had a shorter preseason. We were young in the sense of both age and experience and playing together.”
With the separation into Division I and Division II prior to the season, the Mustangs and their East foes figure to be more than ready for the postseason after a brutal OIA West slate. Unlike before the creation of Division II, when teams met league opponents only once, each conference school now plays a home and away series with every school.
“Where we’ve won in the first round, it’s been very difficult to win (against) again, and where we haven’t won, we’re trying to figure out a way to win,” Nakagawa said. “It is very difficult to play a team twice.”
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