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Just For Kicks Al Chase |
Kagawa does it all
for WhitworthKurt Kagawa concluded his senior year at Whitworth (12-5-1) as the Pirates' second-leading scorer with four goals and six assists, then was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 College Division men's soccer team. The midfielder from Mililani has a 3.795 grade point average as a political science major.
"Kurt has been an outstanding student-athlete for us. His passion for soccer is unmatched and he has been one of the hardest workers we have ever had in our program," said Whitworth coach Sean Bushey.
"Kurt continued to make himself better. He is one of the most creative dribblers in our league and has missed just two games due to injury.
"He is committed to earning his degree. Kurt will sincerely be a huge loss for us on the field and off. His character, intelligence, personality and soccer ability will all be missed."
Kagawa's career statistics show nine goals and 15 assists. The Pirates won 10 or more matches all four seasons Kagawa has played for them.
Shelly Suzuki has been named the 2003 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Player of the Year. The Punahou graduate is a senior at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and anchored the Athenas defense the past three years. She played at San Diego State her freshman year.
Moani Lau was named to the All-Northwest Conference second team, the first Pacific (Forest Grove, Ore.) women's soccer player to be named to an all-conference team in three consecutive seasons. The striker was a first team All-NWC selection in 2001 and an honorable mention in 2002.
Lau tied for the team lead in goals (eight) and points (17) in 2003 to conclude her three-year career. She had two hat tricks, the first Boxer to accomplish that feat in a season.
"Moani has been a valuable part of the success this year. Her energy and aggressive style of play set an example for our other players to follow. I will miss her as a player, but more important, as a person," said Pacific coach Jim Brazeau.
The Kamehameha graduate, who helped the Boxers to school records for wins (11) and goals (39) in 2003, ranks No. 3 on the all-time Pacific scoring list.
Bobby Shinn, a junior striker from Pearl City, was an All-Northwest Conference men's soccer team honorable mention selection.
"Bobby is a wonderful addition to the Boxer program," Brazeau said. "He is always a threat to opposing defenses and scored some great goals for us this year."
Shinn, who transferred from Nebraska's York College where he was an All-Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference second-team pick in 2002, tied for the Pacific scoring lead with six goals and four assists.
Chelsea Wallis finished her career for the Oberlin (Oberlin, Ohio) Yeowomen as a three-year starter on defense. The Hawaii Prep graduate was cited as a team leader by coach Jane Wildman.
"Chelsea has been a tenacious defender. She anchored our defense for the past three seasons with skill, speed and aggression," said Wildman.
"We will miss Chelsea next year for her contributions to our program both on and off the soccer field. She had a fantastic soccer career here at Oberlin."
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
