Soccer Play Sparks Fan Interest in Kahuku Post Season
By Jack Danilewicz
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS | Share
Del.icio.usThe impact of Kahuku’s strong showing in the girls OIA Soccer Tournament last week may be felt further down the road. At least that’s the plan for second-year head coach Krisha Kai.
Indeed, in her quest to make Kahuku a major player in the soccer community, nothing generates interest and larger turnouts at future tryouts than wins.
“We’re not known for soccer, unless you throw my sister’s name in there (U.S. National Team member and former Red Raider standout Natasha Kai),” said Kai, whose team already has clinched a berth in next month’s State Soccer Championships. “It’s a good feeling to see soccer becoming more popular on the North Shore.”
While a player, Kai was a member of the 2003 Red Raider team that finished fourth in the OIA and made the quarterfinals of the state tournament. A similar post-season run would be a further boost to the program’s prospects, not to mention an ideal finish for a team that had entered last week’s OIA Tournament with a losing record (3-5-4).The Red Raiders looked like a far different team when the OIA Tournament opened last week, however, breaking through with wins over Aiea and regular-season East champion Moanalua on back-to-back days to advance to last Friday’s semifinal encounter versus Pearl City. The Red Raiders found themselves in good company among the Final Four teams - traditional West powers Mililani, Kapolei and Pearl City. Those teams entered last Friday with a combined record of 31-4-5.
Kai attributed “better communication” to Kahuku’s strong start to the OIA Tournament last week. They had entered as the No. 5 seed out of the East.
“The team as a whole is starting to trust each other more,” she said. “They’re playing their own positions instead of trying to run all over the place and play everyone else’s. They connect pretty well, and they’ve been communicating on the field well, and that’s been helping. They know how the other is thinking, so the mental part is better, and our confidence level has increased dramatically.”
Earlier in the season, she and the coaching staff had each player rate themselves. The coaches, in turn, rated them as well, and then scores were compared in an effort to help players understand better their capabilities.
“We talked with them as individuals, and the majority of the girls rated themselves lower than we did. One thing we’ve tried to do as coaches is to continue to try to build their confidence.”
Among those who’ve been hitting their stride of late is sophomore Zhane Santiago, who scored three times in the first two OIA Tournament games. A track and field standout, Santiago scored the game-winner versus Moanalua last Wednesday and provided the first two goals in the win over Aiea on Wednesday.
“Zhane is a character - we can always depend on her to make the other girls laugh,” Kai said. “She keeps us together as a team, and when it’s game time, she’s ready to play.” Older sister Tajana Santiago also is having a stellar year as a senior defender.
“She’s not afraid to be a leader. She’s confident, and she’s fast like Zhane. It would be a good competition if they raced.”
Freshman Jaclyn Johnson also has been an impact player as a stopper, despite it being her first year in the program. “She’s very disciplined and humble,” Kai said. “She’s the smartest and most natural soccer player I’ve ever seen.”
Kai expected a loose but focused team to take the field last Friday and Saturday as they closed out the OIA Tournament. Their underdog status for the state tournament also makes them more dangerous.
“There’s no pressure on us - we just have to do our best.”
Pairings for the Division I State Soccer Championships, which will run next Wednesday through Saturday at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Park, will be announced on Sunday.
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS
Most Recent Comment(s):
