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Just For Kicks
DAVID Gualdarama and Allison Lipsher spent six days training on the mainland recently with their Olympic Development Program West Regional teams. Youngsters enjoyed
trials on mainlandIt was an awesome, rewarding soccer experience for both although the weather they encountered was vastly different.
"It was cold and rained, but we had one sunny day," said Gualdarama, an under-14 participant at the national trials in Deerfield, Mass.
"It was hot and really humid. We had to practice at 8 at night and in the morning. We stayed inside during the day," said Lipsher, who went to Birmingham, Ala., for the under-15 trials.
"The training part in the morning was with our regional team. Our coach is pretty cool so we had fun games," said Gualdarama, a fullback/center midfielder beginning his freshman year at Kamehameha.
"After a couple of days, they mixed us up. The competition was good. I was right in there."
"As a goalkeeper, you can always play better, but I think I did pretty well," said Lipsher, a Punahou freshman.
Both will learn within the next four or five weeks if they have been selected for the national team pool.
The Hawaii Pacific University women's soccer team begins its season with five Pacific West Conference road matches in eight days.
The Sea Warriors start Sunday when they play at Seattle University, the team picked to win the PWC title.
"We need a few more days. I need every minute," said HPU head coach Mark Kane.
"Seattle is a tough team. We have experienced players and we have new players trying to fit in. The challenge is to do that on the road."
Four seniors who Kane looks to for leadership are goalkeeper Carissa Manangan, sweeper Tracie Ifuku, and midfielders Kolea Andreas-Feeney and Jannicke Snildal, the Sea Warriors all-time leading goal scorer.
Mytra DiLeonardo, a freshman from Kapaa High School, is expected to fill a defender spot.
Also returning in the midfield are starters Dawn Ifuku and Hoku Ornellas.
"The backfield and midfield will consist of nine returning starters that have experience with our system, and I'm confident we'll be tough to score on," Kane said.
The Sea Warriors have depth up front with the addition of Lucia Lianez, a freshman from San Francisco, Amanda Rodriguez, a sophomore from Maui High School, and Liane Watanabe, a junior transfer from the University of Hawaii.
"All three have shown explosiveness as attackers and are quick and athletic," Kane said.
He has been pleased with the communication level on the field, an indication that team chemistry is developing.
But to stay in the PWC race and give meaning to their two conference home matches in early October, the Sea Warriors need to return home from this testing trip with some victories
Two more Hawaii players joined the first-year University of Nevada women's soccer team, bringing the isle's contribution to the Wolfpack to six.
Moani Lau, a defender from Kamehameha, is an incoming freshman and Shanelle Piano, a sophomore defender, has transferred from Hawaii Pacific University.
Mariah Farley is one of three freshmen goalkeepers vying for the starting job at Portland State University, which has no returning goalkeepers. Farley is an Iolani graduate.
Freshman Andrew Brown (Mililani) is one of five goalkeepers on the Creighton Bluejays roster.
