Just For Kicks
TWO Hawaii youth soccer teams brought home championship trophies from mainland tournaments this summer. Hawaii teams find
success on mainlandThe Honolulu Soccer Club Bulls '85 red team won the boys Under-17 Division title last week at the Surf Cup in San Diego.
The Leahi Soccer Club '87 Under-14 girls team had a successful trip to Minnesota last month, coming home with its division championship trophy from the All-American Girls Tournament Cup, a first for a Hawaii team.
The Bulls are the first Hawaii boys team to win a title at the Surf Cup.
They tied the FWV Bullets (Federal Way, Wash.) 1-1, and beat the Colorado Rush (Denver) 1-0 and Sparta United (Sandy, Utah) 3-0 in bracket play. A 2-1 victory over Comets Red (Dallas) sent the Bulls into the championship game, where they beat the FWV Bullets in a rematch 5-4.
Max Anton, Stephen Carlson, Andrew Magyar, Bret Shimizu and Richard Higa scored Hawaii's goals.
Other members are Aaron Pang, Brandon Tario, Duke Hashimoto, Ryan Sakuda, David Semenza. Mitchell Fu, Satoshi Mitsuda, Shane McConnell, Christopher Rania, Makena Carr, Tim Picerno, Christian Marston, Scott Shiraishi, Christopher Major and John Garibaldi.
Phil Neddo, Ray Shiraishi, Jeff Carlson and John Semenza coach the Bulls.
Earlier this summer, Anton, Carlson, Higa, Marston, Mitsuda, Semenza and Tario were selected to the Region IV player pool at Olympic Development Camp. Semenza was awarded the "Golden Glove" Award for goalkeepers.
Leahi swept through its 24-team division in the All-American Girls Tournament at Blaine, Minn., with a 6-0 record. It defeated AZFC '87 Hammers from Arizona, 1-0 in the final.
Leahi also participated in the USA Cup and were placed in the top of three brackets. It went 2-0-1 in pool play and played Team Chicago Select, the three-time defending division champion in the semifinals.
After a scoreless tie in regulation and two overtimes, Chicago prevailed in the shootout, 5-3. Leahi rebounded the next day to win the third-place match.
The Leahi roster included Kelsey Baker, Jamie Benoza, Jenna Gabrio, Tehane Higa, Anya Ishida, Tobi Kanehira, Kelsie Look, Ashley Nakamoto, Alysen Ono, Jessica Oshiro, Keri Oyadomari, Shannon Tamura, Jordan Weeks, Chelsea Wong and Sarah Yoro.
Laurie Baker and Scott Keopuhiwa coached the team.
More ODP selections: Under-16 Boys -- Christopher Domingo, David Gualdarama and Kenshiro Uki; Under-15 Boys -- Lokahi Bounds, Ryan Bibilone II and Jim Oh, who is from Guam.
Under-16 Girls -- Allison Lipsher; Under-15 Girls -- Britta Bourne, Ashley Collins, Erin Kikumoto, Rachael Lau and Mariko Strickland.
THREE HAWAII PLAYERS, Kara Ishikawa (Iolani) Romy Trigg-Smith (Punahou) and Mele French (Mililani), attended the Elite Soccer Players Camp in Wilmington, N.C., in July.