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Just For Kicks
THE Hawaii Pacific University men's soccer team opens its 2000 season next week with new challenges and goals. HPU eager to tackle
new challengesThe Sea Warriors were 6-5-1 overall and 3-2-1 in the Pacific West Conference a year ago.
But that won't do this year. The PacWest granted official status to men's and women's soccer, meaning there is a conference title at stake.
"This is going to be great. It's the first time we're playing everybody and the first time we've had an opportunity to shoot for the conference championship," saidHPU men's head coach Frank Doyle.
The Sea Warriors' top two scorers, sophomore Darren Juliano (seven goals) and senior Tony Stephanov (six goals, two assists), return.
Striker Leonardo MacKnight and Olav Fryileiv, a midfielder turned striker in the off-season with Vaiete of the Ranger League, are being counted on to put the ball in the net.
Doyle recruited two freshmen strikers, Andrew Ponce from Baldwin and Jamison Cosier from Kauai.
"I might redshirt both and we might not. It depends on how things are going and injuries," Doyle said.
"We're better defensively because we have an excellent goalkeeper. Federick Andreasson is a freshman from Sweden who is tenacious."
The heart of the team is the midfield led by captains Elie Sauma and Walea Kalama.
"Iovo Stefanov returns for his final season. He's a tremendous worker. He covers more ground than anyone and does his job very well," Doyle said.
"And we will use Jordan Inouye of Kaiser more this year.
"We'll be absolutely ready to go to Seattle and we've got to win every one of those matches," Doyle added..
HPU plays four of its first five conference matches in the Seattle area at the end of September and early October.
The final two PWC matches are here the first week of November against Montana State-Billings and Humboldt State.
"We've played Montana once and beaten them, but we've beaten Humboldt in three matches," Doyle said. "We would like to do that."
HPU also plays two conference matches against Brigham Young-Hawaii because they are travel partners.
The Sea Warriors open Aug. 19 against Sonoma State at 4 p.m. at the Windward campus.
The College of Notre Dame (Calif.) is supposed to be here Aug. 17, but hadn't purchased airline tickets as of Monday and Doyle doubts the team is making the trip.
DAVID Gualdarama waited anxiously for weeks after returning from the Olympic Development Program camp. He knew there was a possibility of being invited to the Under-14 national team tryouts.
The letter arrived Monday. He leaves tomorrow for the week-long tryouts at Deerfield (Mass.) Academy.
"I was nervous waiting to hear because this is a big opportunity," said the 5-foot-8 fullback/center midfielder. "I just want to make the national team now."
Gualdarama will be a freshman at Kamehameha this fall.
STRIKERS Joe-Max Moore and Brian McBride, who did not play for the United States men's national team in last month's World Cup qualifying matches due to injuries, have been added to the roster for next Wednesday's match against Barbados at Foxboro, Mass.
The U.S. is in last place in its group and would benefit greatly by picking up three points in each of its next three matches, all on American soil.
U.S. coach Bruce Arena also added defenders Gregg Berhalter and Carlos Llamosa, and midfielder John O'Brien.
