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Just For Kicks Al Chase |
Hawaii teams look to end
Veterans Cup droughtTHE Hawaii Soccer Association is hosting the Veterans Cup for the second consecutive year this week at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Park complex.
The seventh annual competition conducted by the United States Amateur Soccer Association starts Wednesday. The opening ceremony starts at 10 a.m., with the first matches kicking off at noon. The championship matches are Sunday.
The women's divisions are over-30, over-40 premier, over-40 first, over-50 and over-55. The men will compete in over-40 premier, over-40 first, over-50 and over-55 divisions.
There are 58 teams entered, with 40 coming from 17 mainland states. Hawaii's entries are from Oahu, Maui and the Big Island. All the 2003 champions return to defend their titles.
Hawaii's 18 teams will be trying to keep at least one national title trophy in the 50th state. Last year, Aloha United's men's team reached the final of the over-55 before losing to Georgia Select 2-1 on a late goal.
It has been 12 years since Hawaii's only national adult title was brought home by Ke Koa, winners of the U.S. Women's Over-30 title.
The visitors are expected to pump $3 million into the local economy, according to projections from the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.
College bound
Satoshi Mitsuda (Punahou 2003), who took a year off before starting his college career, will attend Boston College after considering the U.S. Military Academy, Stanford, UC Davis and Loyola Marymount."I wanted to go east because it is completely different from Hawaii and California," the striker said.
Aimee Watanabe takes her soccer talents to the NCAA Division II Western Oregon Wolves in Monmouth, Ore. The midfielder from Castle visited the campus in May and enjoyed the experience.
"I met the team and the girls and coaches made me feel very welcome. The campus is really pretty," Watanabe said.
A Star-Bulletin second-team all-state selection, Watanabe wants to major in nursing.
Kaui Wong, who played all over (but prefers the midfield) for Roosevelt and was an honorable mention all-state Star-Bulletin pick, will walk on at the University of San Diego.
"I'm going to go to the fall camp and see what happens," said Wong, who has visited San Diego several times for tournaments with the Honolulu Bulls Soccer Club.
"San Diego is a school I'd go to even if I was not going to play soccer. I like the campus a lot. It's the closest I can get on the mainland to being in a warm place like Hawaii."
Kami Kapaku, a first-team Star-Bulletin all-state selection, will enroll at Oregon this fall. The midfielder from Baldwin also considered the Hawaii program.
Lipsher in showcase
Allison Lipsher was one of 18 seniors playing for the West in the third annual McDonald's All-America High School girls soccer match played last Sunday at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.Lipsher, the Star-Bulletin's first-team goalkeeper, is one of the top 50 recruits in the country, according to Soccer Buzz Magazine. The recent Punahou graduate will play for Duke this fall.
The West tied the East 2-2 in the girls match, while the West boys prevailed 5-2.
See the Columnists section for some past articles. Just for Kicks runs every other Sunday in the Star-Bulletin.
Al Chase can be reached at achase@starbulletin.com