HANAPEPE — Winless and scoreless Waimea High School may have lost to Kaua‘i High 3-0 yesterday, but the boys team is rebuilding fast. “We’re trying,” said head coach Ken Morikawa. “We’re just getting used to all the players. A lot
HANAPEPE — Winless and scoreless Waimea High School may have lost to Kaua‘i High 3-0 yesterday, but the boys team is rebuilding fast.
“We’re trying,” said head coach Ken Morikawa. “We’re just getting used to all the players. A lot of them are only second-year players.”
Waimea’s last strong team came when they took third in states last year.
“The last game we were working on our defense,” he said. “This time we worked on our offense. It feels good. I’m just waiting for the moment when they get their first goal.”
Their offense improved from last week’s showing against Kapa‘a, this time taking at least eight shots.
Kaua‘i outshot Waimea with 26. Goals came from Kyle Mira, Tyler Yee and Gerry Rayray. But Waimea’s improvements haven’t gone unnoticed.
“They’re definitely improving,” said Kaua‘i head coach Mark Brandeburg.
His team had to step up its play.
“We came out stronger and didn’t play as flat as we have been playing in the past,” he said. “But Waimea is getting better.”
This meant that Kaua‘i’s goalkeeper, Kainoa Lemke, was seeing more action that usual.
“That 26, Cody, he took some shots at me,” he said. “Last time we played against them, it wasn’t like this. It’s keeping busy.”
Kaua‘i’s girls, on the other hand, were busy scoring, defeating Waimea 7-0.
As soon as the whistle blew, they went straight to work, with Ashlyn Ubongen scoring within the first few minutes.
“They’ve always had speed,” Waimea’s head coach Dan Agan said about Kaua‘i’s team. “That’s where they beat us. Hopefully we can start the next year better, maybe make a few changes.”
Kaua‘i head coach Blanche Arakaki made a few changes of her own.
“I wanted to give every body a chance to play different positions,” she said. “I moved some players around. I moved Tiffany from the back to the front.”
That was a smart move for Arakaki, as Tiffany Ikeda-Simao scored two goals. Ubongen and Megan Vento also scored two goals apiece. Skye Shimabukuro scored one.
Vento said she was aiming for a hat trick.
“I was trying,” she said. “But it’s cool. I like both of my goals equally. They were gnarly.”
Kaua‘i plays Kapa‘a this Saturday at Vidinha Stadium.
• Lanaly Cabalo, lifestyle writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 237) or lcabalo@kauaipubco.com.
