|
Just For Kicks Al Chase |
College teams start
kicking the ball
around this week
College and university soccer teams across the land are putting the finishing touches on fall practice in preparation for the 2004 season that has many teams playing their first matches this coming weekend.
Two-a-day sessions revert to once a day in the afternoon when classes start. The Hawaii Rainbow Wahine will gladly experience this tomorrow when students return to Manoa.
Hawaii opens its season Friday night at 7 against Saint Mary's in the Ohana Hotels & Resorts No Ka Oi Tournament at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Park Stadium. The tournament schedule has Saint Mary's playing the Pacific Tigers Saturday and the Wahine meeting the Tigers Sunday at 5 p.m.
Last year 147 Hawaii players, 89 women and 58 men, were on four-year mainland school rosters. The number may not be exact but it is the result of checking 789 college web sites.
The 2003 season had 20 Hawaii players receiving league, regional or national recognition for their achievements on the field and eight being cited with academic honors.
The continued improvement of high school teams on all islands and the opportunity to refine skills year around on well-organized club teams has put a bigger recruiting spotlight on local players for mainland college coaches.
That fact is enhanced by the dedication and willingness of club coaches and parents to find the means to send youth teams to mainland tournaments. This only increases the exposure local players receive from college coaches.
Many of our players receive athletic scholarships. Others obtain financial aid packages or academic scholarships, especially to lower division schools that do not offer athletic scholarships. Every parent knows it is a blessing not to have to shell out the full cost of a college education.
Andrea Alfiler, an assistant coach at San Diego State and the NAIA Player of the Year her senior season at Azusa Pacific, said, after spending as couple of months in the islands during the last prep season, "There is so much raw talent here and there is a college out there for everyone at some level."
Last fall, local players competed at the NCAA Division I level, 21 men, 31 women, the NCAA D2 level, five men, nine women, in NCAA D3 programs, 22 men, 29 women and on NAIA teams, 10 men, 20 women.
Twenty-five seniors from Hawaii concluded their college eligibility last fall. Even though some underclassmen stop playing for various reasons, one can expect the number of local players competing for mainland schools to increase again this fall. This has been the case the last three years.
Prep news
Nicky Harris, a center midfielder from Mililani, is going to play for Northern Colorado.Kristin Chun, a Hawaii Baptist Academy graduate who played center mid for Pac-Five, is joining the Point Loma Nazarene (San Diego) team.
Three senior standouts have decided to wait a year before starting their college careers.
Justin Kim, a midfielder from state champion Mililani, goalkeeper Will Cooper from Kalaheo and Max Anton, a striker from Kalaheo, will spend the time improving their skills with the Honolulu Bulls Soccer Club.
Just for Kicks runs every other Sunday in the Star-Bulletin.
Al Chase can be reached at achase@starbulletin.com