Geoff Zawtocki brings his heads-up play to the Tsunami this season.
Photo by Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin

Seven of the players who were greatly responsible for Hawaii's 19-4 season last year signed MLS contracts. These included division offensive and defensive MVPs, Billy Thompson and Samuel Ekeme, and one of the USISL's best goalkeepers, Mark Dougherty.

Any team that has lost so much, can use help. And that's where former Punahou and Dartmouth star Geoff Zawtocki comes in.

The 25-year-old, who not only starred in soccer at Dartmouth but set track records there, offers the Tsunami a definite speed boost.

"Get him open and boom! " said Bob Clague, Zawtocki's soccer coach at Punahou.

Zawtocki will make his USISL debut on Saturday night when the Tsunami take on the Philadelphia Freedom at Aloha Stadium. They play the Freedom again on Sunday afternoon at Honokaa High School.

"He might get double-teamed because he's going to be a big threat on the left side," said Jerry Proctor, a third-year Tsunami veteran, who was the team's third leading scorer last year.

"Geoff has a killer left foot, plays hard defense and he's real fast, with good control on the ball."

Proctor, a former Pearl City High all-star, learned to respect Zawtocki during two encounters in the state high school soccer tournament. The Buffanblu won both of those games.

"His assets are speed, acceleration, a great left foot, and he can accelerate and cross (pass) well" said Clague.

Clague said Zawtocki's powerful leg made him an effective free kick man. "He scored from 30 yards out against Kamehameha," he said.

Zawtocki played wing on two state champion teams for Punahou (1989 and 1990) before going to Dartmouth.

With the Big Green, he earned All-Ivy League honors in 1992 and 1993, moving to outside left midfield.

Dartmouth won the Ivy League in his freshman and junior seasons and went to the NCAA final eight both times.

"At Dartmouth, I learned how to have fun on the field and how to think," said the 5-foot-10, 168-pounder.

"Basically, my Dartmouth coach, (former Scottish pro) Bobby Clark, told us just to find a way to win the game. He said it may come in first 20 seconds, or it may come in the last minute."

Zawtocki said he began to look at soccer like a military battle or a chess game.

"As in a war, you try to out-flank your opponent. You get behind or surround your opponent, and try to find a weakness on the defense to exploit."

Zawtocki said college soccer taught him prudence.

"The game of soccer is not always who runs the fastest or who kicks the hardest," he said. "Some of the best players in the world are thinkers."

Zawtocki, who won three state sprint championships at Punahou, also made a name for himself on the track at Dartmouth's Hanover, N.H., campus.

During the Ivy League championships at Yale in his sophomore year, he set a school record of 47.20 seconds for 400 meters. In his junior year, he set an indoor mark of 1:02.9 for 500 meters at Boston University's track.

Zawtocki also ran legs on two 4x100 Ivy League championship relay teams.

His only sprint race since 1994 came on April 13 when he blasted through the first leg of the open division 4x100 relay for the winning team at the Punahou Relays. He also stood out in the 4x100 at Dartmouth.

Zawtocki has been concerned about maintaining his edge in speed, one of his most marketable assets. So he has spent time on the Punahou track with Dacre Bowen, a former Canadian Olympic sprinter who coached the Buffanblu to the state 1996 title, and Kelsey Nakanelua, two-time winner of the Hawaii's Fastest Human 100-meter race.

Zawtocki was drafted by the National Professional Soccer League's Buffalo Blizzard indoor team in 1994. But when he finally went to training camp last fall, he found it was not a very attractive opportunity and headed back home.

He has kept soccer-sharp the past several months by playing in the Ranger League.