Just For Kicks
Swan leaves with
career goals recordBEN Swan missed nine matches after suffering a concussion in a head-to-head collision, but returned to score the goal that sent the Arcadia U. Scarlet Knights of Glenside, Pa., into the elite eight of the NCAA Division III tournament last fall.
The senior striker from Konawaena, who graduated with a business degree, finished with nine goals and four assists. Swan leaves Arcadia as the school's all-time leading scorer with 49 goals. He is third all-time with 22 assists and is No. 1 in points with 120.
"Ben played with sheer determination and was technically gifted. He did a lot of tricky things to created scoring opportunities," said Arcadia coach Tom Carlin.
During Swan's three seasons at Arcadia, the Scarlet Knights compiled a 56-11-1 record, won the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference title and went to the NCAA tournament each year.
Natalie Ah Sam, named to the 2002 Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference Presidential Honor Roll, finished four years of varsity play for St. Andrews Presbyterian (Laurinburg, N.C.) College. The Knights struggled through a 1-15-2 season, but the striker from Mililani led the scorers with two goals and one assist in 18 matches.
To qualify for the honor roll, a student-athlete, while participating in their respective sports during the course of the academic year, must achieved a grade point average of 3.0 or higher on a 4.00 scale.
Tina Gonsalves, a junior midfielder from Sacred Hearts, played in 18 matches and scored one of the eight goals the Knights managed in 2002.
Hawaii's three players on the Knights (1-15-1) men's team also were named to the CVAC Presidential Honor Roll. They are junior midfielder David Miyamoto (Mililani), sophomore striker Charlie Chiswick (Castle), and sophomore midfielder Jarret Razon (Mililani).
Miyamoto saw action in 14 matches, but did not score. Razon recorded a goal and two assists in 15 matches. Chiswick tallied three goal and three assists in just eight matches before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
Jodie Tanga started 15 of 18 matches for the 8-10-1 San Francisco Lady Dons. The Iolani graduate moved to striker this year after playing in the midfield for three seasons. Tanga scored one goal, a game winner. She had five goals and three assists in her four-year career.
ODP camp
Hawaii's youth players selected for the Olympic Development Program Camp, March 24-27 at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Park, have the benefit of improving their performance under the guidance of visiting college coaches.The men's coaches are Bob Grey, Marshall; George Kuntz, UC-Irvine; Erik Visser, San Francisco; Einar Thorarinsson, Gonzaga; Barry Gorman, Penn State; Steve Rammel, St. Mary's; Seamus McFadden, San Diego; Dan Kuntz, Cal Lutheran; and Sean Bushey, Whitworth.
The women's coaches are Marine Cano, UC-Irvine; Jillian Ellis, UCLA; Lori Walker, Ohio State; Jim Millinder, Southern Cal; Kit Vela and Jorge Vela, New Mexico; Bill Steffen, Oregon; and Chris Volk, UC-Irvine.
Mike Haas, U.S. Soccer staff coach, and Mike Parsons, from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, also will be here.
Just for Kicks runs every other Sunday in the Star-Bulletin.Al Chase can be reached at achase@starbulletin.com