“Come on, Will”
“Come on, Will”
“Go, Will”
“Give it to Will”
With fans, teammates and would-be defenders, Will Soares was the main attraction Sunday at Hilo Bayfront. Running down one throughball after another, Soares scored a hat trick to lead Hilo’s Armadillos to a 5-4 win against the Kona Storm in the under-14 final at the Volcano International Soccer Tournament.
“It was a simple game plan,” Armadillos coach Troy Keolanui said.
Hilo was conspicuous by its absence in the two-team U19 boys field at the year-end American Youth Soccer Association tournament, but future BIIF talent was on display in the younger division.
Soares is set to begin his freshman year at Waiakea High.
“He can run,” Keolanui said. “There is nobody faster than him on the field. Pure left-footer, too. He catches people off guard.
“An outstanding basketball player as well.”
But soccer is the sport Soares has been playing since he was 2.
Any time the Armadillos had the ball on Kona’s side of the field – and often before that – all eyes turned to Soares.
“I’m getting used to it more and more,” Soares said.
The Armadillos avenged a 3-1 loss to the Storm on Friday in a back-and-forth final. Hilo secured the game-winner late in the match when Preston Ferry’s corner kick was knocked in for an own goal.
Patterson Young scored twice and Harry Hill and Bryson Guanio collected a goal apiece for Kona, which took a quick 2-0 lead. Keolanui responded by moving Soares up to striker to play alongside Ferry, who finished with two goals.
“It was OK (on defense),” Soares said. “I like offense better. I’m not the best at defense.”
Kona coach Steven Okoji said a lot of his players were going to high school at Kealakehe, with a few attending Kamehameha-Kapalama.
In the U12 final, West Oahu beat Hilo’s Clash 3-2.
In U10, Honokaa High boys Maurice Miranda entered a North Hawaii squad in the division at Volcano for the first time in more than a decade. The previous group grew up together and went on to win consecutive HHSAA Division II soccer titles with the Dragons in 2011-12.
“It goes in cycles,” Miranda said. “If you start out with 10, when you get to high school you have four or five left, if you’re lucky.”
He was surprised that no Hilo-area school entered the U19 boys division, nor the summer league, which consisted of Kealakehe, Konawaena, Kohala and Honokaa this year.
“It’s a great developmental league,” he said.
His U10 team shrugged off three losses and finally clicked to finish with a victory.
“Poor coaching,” he said. “I couldn’t figure out what to do with only six players on the field.”