West Oahu Teams Prepare For 2015 Soccer Post-season
For Aiea, Campbell, Kapolei, Pearl City and Waipahu, the next few weeks will be about generating momentum for the upcoming OIA girls soccer post-season.
Aiea Na Ali‘i
Record to date: 5-1
Must-see game: versus Mililani at home Jan. 16
Na Ali‘i at a glance: For all its offensive firepower, Aiea’s defense has been the most impressive with four straight shutouts (Radford, Nanakuli, Waipahu and Nanakuli) to begin the season. Aiea’s ability to win the low-scoring games was a huge factor in its memorable state tournament run last February. On the offensive side, Sara Olanda has been huge for Aiea with 12 goals through her first six games — tying her with Mililani’s Tia Furuta for first in the state. As a team, Na Ali‘i scored 33 goals through its first five games. Aiea’s only loss among those games was to Campbell 2-0 Dec. 30.
Campbell Sabers
Record to date: 4-1
Must-see game: Friday at Mililani
Sabers at a glance: A surprising quick exit from last January’s OIA tournament undermined some of the program’s momentum, but the Sabers rebounded with a 4-1 start this season, highlighted by road wins at Aiea 2-0 Dec. 23 and Kapolei 1-0 Dec. 30.
Defense has been its forte so far. The team already posted three shutouts; its only loss to date was a 1-0 setback to Nanakuli Dec. 12.
Kapolei Hurricanes
Record to date: 3-1 Must-see game: versus Pearl City Jan. 16 at home
Hurricanes at a glance: Perhaps no team in the West has a more favorable schedule than Kapolei, which recently had an 11-day layoff before beginning its most demanding stretch of games. The team beat Nanakuli, Radford and Waialua before the break and was to return to action in the middle of last week against Campbell. A road trip to Mililani was set for Tuesday with a huge home date with Aiea Friday. The outcomes of all three could go a long way in determining the league champion.
Pearl City Chargers
Record to date: 5-0
Must-see game: Jan. 16 at Kapolei
Chargers at a glance: Pearl City began the season looking very much like the Charger team that captured the OIA Red conference post-season tournament last January, outscoring its first four opponents 25-1.
Perhaps no team has a more demanding schedule on the back end of the slate than Pearl City, which closes out its season at home Jan. 13 against Aiea and has back-to-back road trips to Kapolei Jan. 16 and Mililani Jan. 20.
Waipahu Marauders
Record to date: 1-4
Must-see game: versus Nanakuli at home Jan. 13
Marauders at a glance: No OIA team had a tougher first half of the season than Waipahu, whose first six games included the league’s elite.
The slate is more manageable down the stretch, as Waipahu’s final four opponents (Leilehua, Waianae, Nanakuli and Radford) were a combined 1-12-6 at press time. The Marauders will play the last three at home: Waianae Jan. 9, Nanakuli Jan. 13 and Radford Jan.16. jackster.1969@yahoo.com
