The Kealakehe girls soccer team opened preseason play on Friday at the 44th annual Ka Makani Soccer Classic. The first day of the tournament lived up to its name, as the wind howled with a mix of sunshine and rain, making any ball hit into the air unpredictable and hard to locate.
The Waveriders took on Kapaa in the early afternoon, losing 6-0 in the debut of new head coach Kim Evans.
Evans has been coaching soccer for 15 years, mostly with AYSO.
“I have been very involved in community soccer, but this is my first time coaching a high school team,” Evans said. “I always thought I could coach at the high school level, but I wasn’t always ready and never really had the opportunity.”
Evans credits coaching her three girls — one who is in college, one a senior at Hawaii Prep and the other a seventh-grader — with helping her gain the experience she felt she needed to finally jump on an opportunity to coach at the high school level.
“I love coaching girls and I am very excited to be in a position where I can help make a difference in their lives while making this a positive experience all around,” Evans said. “Kealakehe has a good mix of experienced and new players and I look forward to the challenge of bringing them together and building a cohesive unit on and off the field.”
Kealakehe will enter the 2016 season with both a varsity and JV squad after getting 38 girls at tryouts. The Waveriders did not have a JV squad last season. Evans narrowed the varsity squad down to 20 a week ago and the list includes several returning starters such as Tiara Conn, Brittney Prados, Alysha Prados, Mia Richmond, Noelani Gonzalez and Helen Remke.
Conn, a four-year starter, is a very positive player on the field, according to Evans. She has quick feet and is playful moving the ball. Brittney Prados is also a senior, and though she is smaller than Conn, she is very quick and aggressive.
Alysha Prados is a junior and another returner expected to see time at goalkeeper and in the field this season.
“I want her to be proficient at both field play and keeper,” Evans said. “She has very good skills on the field and I want her to build on them while letting some of the new girls play goal.”
Gonzalez was not able to attend the first day of the tourney on Friday but is expected to be a big part of the Waveriders team. She will play mostly defense.
“She is a very positive player and reads the game well,” Evans said.
Remke, a junior, plays sweeper, though she is capable of playing in the midfield. She played both spots on Friday.
“She reads the game very well in the back, and she stays calm and talks to the girls,” Evans said. “She helps keep us organized.”
Richmond will play defense and midfield.
“We have girls that can play multiple positions and nothing is really set as of now,” Evans said. “These girls are versatile, we just have to figure out how take those returning and bring in who is new to make the best lineup we can.
Evans expects growing pains and says this will be a building season.
“Right now they just have to keep their heads up, stay positive, and focus on the goals,” she said. “This will be a long term process but if we can make each individual player the best they can be then the team will benefit in the end.”
