Alejado, Gualdarama, Lopez In OIA First Team
By Jack Danilewicz
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Kapolei soccer layers Liana Gualdarama, Kristen Otsuka,
Jenna Wagner and Carly Vidinha practice their game.
Photo by Byron Lee, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
It’s not the destination that matters,as the old saying goes,but rather the journey.
That was certainly true for the Kapolei girls soccer team this season, when the Hurricanes reached new heights by winning their first-ever Oahu Interscholastic Association championship.
“The run was great,“said Kapolei coach Brian Beck, whose team also qualified for the state tournament for the first time in the school’s history. “Our season was a testament to the team and how much they believed in themselves. They started to believe that they were who we as coaches thought they were all along. We exceeded our goals this year.We thought if we could get to states,we’d have met our ultimate goal.”
Kapolei had defeated Pearl City 1-0 in two overtimes in the OIA title game last month and entered the state tournament the following week with an 11-2-3 record as well as the No.2 seed.From there,the Hurricanes went on to defeat Kaiser (1-0) and King Kekaulike (3-0) to advance to the title game,where they were defeated 2-1 by Kamehameha-Kapalama. Along the way, the Hurricanes emerged as the “feel good” story of the soccer community.
“The story became bigger than us, as I told the girls,” said Beck. “The biggest thing was our game-tying goal against Mililani on Senior Night.That game solidified us as a team and brought us together. From then on, we jelled.”
Last week,when the OIA released its All-Star lists, the Hurricanes were well-represented, as expected, with midfielder Chyanne Alejado,forward Liana Gualdarama and defender Chaney Lopez all making the First Team.All-league selections are made by the conference coaches.
“Chaney plays with a calmness that is just amazing,“Beck said.“She plays with such confidence,and she never gets rattled.She was our security blanket (on defense). Liana is a gamer. She lit it up and scored when she had to.
“I tell the girls that it’s (what you do in) the pressure situations that count,“he added.“More often than not,she delivered.We built the team around Chyanne. Her leadership, especially in the playoffs, was great. She was a huge part of it.”
Mililani senior midfielders Stephanie Yoro and Natalie Wong were named the OIA West Players of the Year. Yoro is a two-time winner of the award after being named the West’s Player of the Year in 2006. This season,the Trojans had five First Team selections in all with defenders Jasmine Pratt and Amanda Doi, and goalkeeper Joleen Realin joining Yoro and Wong.
OIA-runner-up Pearl City also had three First Team selections with forward Meghan Fuller (league leader in scoring with 19 goals), midfielder Carisa Calpo and defender Nestle Yamaguchi.
‘Aiea forward Jaimie Watkins was also named to the West’s First Team.
Wong,Yoro,Lopez,Alejado,Pratt and Yamaguchi were all First Team selections in 2006.
In Division II,midfielder Rosalie White was a First Team selection from Campbell, which compiled a 10-1-2 record en route to winning the OIA White Championship.
Like their female counterparts,the Kapolei boys soccer team also captured its first OIA title during the recently completed season. The Hurricanes, who were coached by Bryce Kaneshiro, had three First Team selections - midfielder Curtis Kiyabu,defender RJ Aglulub and forward Keoki Haole. Kiyabu led the West in scoring, tallying 16 goals.
Mililani junior Colin Lund,who had been a defender last season,finished second to Kiyabu with 13 goals scored and was named by the league coaches as the OIA West Player of the Year.He was joined on the First Team by teammate Sean Piano.
West regular-season champion Leilehua placed forward Syd Tom, defender Jacob Sego, and mid-fielders Charlie Pregoner and Ryan Wert on the First Team.
Pearl City midfielder Ikaika Makue, ‘Aiea defender Mason Puckett and Campbell goalkeeper Layton Gomez also made the First Team from their respective schools.
Haole,Tom,Kiyabu and Puckett are all repeat-selections, having earned the same honor in 2006.
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