There is no shame in finishing second to Hawaii Prep, but the numbers don’t lie.
There is no shame in finishing second to Hawaii Prep, but the numbers don’t lie.
Kamehameha’s last BIIF title in girls soccer came in 2009. Six years might not be considered a title drought at some schools, but it’s an eternity when compared with the Warriors’ other programs, most of who have collected multiple crowns since then.
It’s a fair talking point surrounding girls soccer, but for now second-year coach Gene Okamura is only worried about the product he’s honing at the Warriors’ spacious turf field at Paiea Stadium.
It’s clear he likes his lot.
“The level of practice at high school, it’s quality here,” Okamura said. “It’s at a high level.”
Okamura knows the score when it comes to Big Island soccer. He played at Waiakea and UH-Hilo, and now he’s assistant coach for both Vulcans programs and has a club team.
Of course, settling the score with Ka Makani is another matter, but on paper the deep and seasoned Warriors, who need to replace just one starter, appear to have their best chance at doing so in quite some time.
“I have seniors and a lot of girls who are capable of possessing and scoring,” Okamura said. “Our freshmen and sophomore classes are quality, too.”
His club team could provide a valuable feeder system in the future, but the present is bright as well.
The senior headliners are Kekai Wong Yuen, Cyrene Andaya, JC Kerr, Layn Taylor Glenn and Bryana-Marie Ebbers.
Wong Yuen flourished after moving to striker last season and is the team’s leading returning scorer, and Okamura anticipates another solid campaign from Andaya at goalkeeper.
“She put in the work in the offseason to make help her be successful this season,” Okamura said. “A lot of the girls did.”
The six-time defending BIIF Division II champion Ka Makani dominated the all-league voting, but Kamehameha’s Hevani Haunga cracked the list at forward as a freshman.
“Her technical ability is strong and she’s athletic,” Okamura said. “A lot of the girls have the technical ability and they’ve been playing soccer long enough where they have the awareness.”
Cayli Farias, Kaila Aiona, Faith Aurello and Hiwa Brown trotted out as freshmen last season at fullback in the BIIF final and held up well in the Warriors’ 2-0 loss to Hawaii Prep. That was Kamehameha’s fourth consecutive runner-up finish.
Glenn is slated to play fullback this year, with Brown moving to midfield.
Okamura expects to go about roughly 18 deep this season, targeting freshman Kaila Ambrosio as one “who will be in the spotlight.”
If the Warriors can somehow tackle the Hawaii Prep hurdle this season, it could open the door at states as well. Mid-Pacific, losers to HPA the past two seasons in the state final, is making the move to Division I, and Kamehameha took perennial power Kapaa to overtime before losing last season at states.
“The girls have been on the stage before and know what to expect,” Okamura said.