By KEVIN JAKAHI
By KEVIN JAKAHI
Hawaii Tribune-Herald
It’s been a long journey for UH-Hilo senior Keani Shirai to experience her ride off into the sunset on a soccer field.
The Vulcans defeated Chaminade 2-1 to close their season on Saturday at Kamehameha’s Paiea Stadium, snapping a six-game losing streak.
Tiera Arakawa scored in the first half, and Jaimie Salas added the game-winner in the second for UHH (7-9-1, 4-8-1 PacWest), which produced a nice sendoff for seniors Jenna Hufford, Kayela Santiago, Milana Wolsleben, Astrid Perez, Sophie Satterlee, and Shirai.
For the men, UHH beat Chaminade 3-2, playing a man down for 76 minutes after Jake Sagami was issued a red card and ejected.
Jesus Ortega scored two goals and Jack Stonehouse one for the Vuls (2-14, 2-11). Makoto Shoji scored twice for the Silverswords (3-10-2, 2-9-2).
It looked like it would be another woebegone game for the Vuls when the Silverswords (3-11-2, 2-9-2) scored just a minute into the contest on Nicole Nishiki’s header.
Chaminade took a free kick near midfield, the ball bounced in the box and nobody cleared it. That proved costly when Cierra Toledo-Muragin, a 2016 Waiakea graduate, tipped the ball to Nishiki, who knocked it in.
But the Vulcans showed patience, stamina, and a bit of toughness, after losing possessions and chasing balls in the first half.
In the second half, UHH won battles to the ball, connected on combination passes, switched fields and wore down the Silverswords.
One of the smallest Vulcans, Santiago at just 5 feet, set an early tone midway through the first half that her team wouldn’t get pushed around.
In an act of intimidation, frustration or both, Chaminade’s Brianna Hernandez, who is four inches taller and much bigger, grabbed the little one by the shoulders and threw her down.
If it were judo, that would qualify as an ippon and automatic win. It’s soccer and only led to a Vulcan free kick, not a yellow card or even a warning.
Santiago got up, walked into Hernandez and bumped her shoulder pretty hard. That was a loud statement all on its own.
One of the reasons Chaminade looked gassed was Shirai’s work in the first half at forward. She didn’t put up any stats (goals, shots, or shots on goal), but she made hard charges and, at the very least, taxed the defense.
Shirai graduated from Waiakea in 2014 and played basketball. She competed during Konawaena’s dynasty, so the feeling of winning a BIIF championship is foreign to her.
But the Warriors finished runner-up during her tenure, and she knows what winning feels like.
During the BIIF winter season, basketball and soccer run at the same time, so she had to choose one.
As a UHH freshman and sophomore, the 5-4 Shirai played basketball. But she eventually found her way back to the soccer field.
Her boyfriend is UHH goalie Cassidy Dixon, and when she hung out with him on the soccer field an old feeling came back.
She grew up playing soccer, as a defender, with the Haaheo club team and also traveled to Oahu to join the Honolulu Bulls.
Shirai was missing in action from soccer for six years. But hard work can conquer a lot of things, even major rust.
“She’s competitive and can play with the best in the conference,” UHH coach Gene Okamura said. “That’s because of her work rate. Overall, she’s a role-model as a student-athlete on and off the field. She leads by example, and her work rate and attitude are always top notch.”
Shirai is a double major in biology and communications and holds a 3.89 GPA. She’s set to graduate in December.
She aspires to be a pediatrician. And if she becomes one, it’ll be due to her work rate. Shirai works in the UHH athletic department and hopes to save money for graduate school.
As Shirai stood with a bunch of lei piled on her, she looked back at some of the best memories during her time at UHH.
An unforgettable one was playing at Point Loma’s soccer field, which sits near the Pacific Ocean and has a sunset that glorifies a campus named the fourth most attractive by Newsweek.
But nothing beats senior day, going out with a win and smiles all around for the half-dozen Vuls.
“Coming into our senior game, after losing six in a row, to win is a great feeling,” Shirai said.
Forever a Warrior
Toledo-Muragin holds a special place in her heart for her old school, Waiakea, one reason she calls Ken Yamase Memorial Stadium her favorite.
The 5-7 sophomore forward and nursing major, who had a 3.6 GPA last year, points to her time at Waiakea as a life-changing moment.
“It changed me as a person, and it was a great school to prepare me for college and on the field, too,” she said. “I had great teachers and made great friends. My whole college career started from Waiakea.
“Every year, my P.E. teacher Michael Smith would tell me, ‘You’ve grown so much. You’ve changed so much.’ He was my No. 1 supporter, always encouraging. I’d listen, and he’d give me advice.”
Not too long along, the Silverswords were the conference doormats. They finished last in 2008, ’09, ’11, ’12, and ’15, and second-to-last in 2010 and ’13.
But they’ve made slow gains under fifth-year coach Michelle Richardson.
“We’re getting better each year,” Toledo-Muragin said. “It’ll take teamwork, commitment, and overall hard work to succeed as a program.”