Waiakea’s girls soccer team has ended each of the past two seasons at the school of hard knocks, but maybe this time the Warriors have gotten those trying times out of the way early.
Coach Jason Nakayama used the word “lucky” to describe Waiakea’s invitation to Kamehameha-Kapalama’s preseason tournament. Though the outcomes weren’t necessarily positive, the experience of bumping elbows with the best of the best in the state was invaluable.
“I saw what I wanted to see,” Nakayama said of a Oahu slate that saw Waiakea take on teams that finished Nos. 1, 3, 5 and 7 at the 2016 HHSAA tournament. “Not with the results, but the girls were working together and learning.
“That will definitely help us out.”
Maybe as early as Saturday, when Waiakea visits Hilo in the first of a home-and-home series between the BIIF rivals in the upper-tier Red division.
If there is a Big Island soccer team that deserves a little karma, it’s probably Waiakea, which is still without a league title to its credit.
That’s not for a lack of trying in the past two BIIF finals.
In 2015, the Warriors were denied by Konawaena in penalty kicks, and last season it fell 2-1 to freshmen-charged Hilo – oh, the indignity of it all.
“That should just make the girls work harder,” Nakayama said.
At 2-0 in the BIIF and with a victory at Konawaena already under its belt, Waiakea is debuting its own standout group of experienced ninth-graders, giving the Warriors an intriguing blend of high school veterans and rookies.
“What I really like about this team is there is a lot of youthful energy,” Nakayama said. “That makes the older kids pick it up because they feel challenged.”
Junior striker Ki Serrao was a challenge to mark last season, and she’s picked up where she left off, recording hat tricks in Waiakea’s first two regular season matches. After accounting for all of her team’s goals in a 3-1 win against the Wildcats, she and junior Kiana Corpuz scored three apiece Wednesday in a 9-0 victory at Keaau.
Corpuz is a key playmaker at midfield who is enjoying a budding chemistry with Serrao, and she has two sisters on the team, senior Talia and freshman Caneel.
Both play on the backline, and Caneel Corpuz is the player Nakayama thinks can fill the void left by Tori Teanio, the reigning co-BIIF Player of the Year in Division I.
“Just a lot of club experience and impressive,” Nakayama said.
The same could be said for the other freshman center back, Maluhia Kekuawela.
Senior Kaylee Valentino-Fergerstrom and junior Evyn Prine each played inclusive roles for Waiakea last season, sophomore Kalena Kekaualua can help out at midfield or fullback, and Nakayama also is working freshmen Nanea Moke-Rabang and Xailynn Moke-Lyman into the lineup.
Sophomore Nayah Robertson got seasoning at goalkeeper last season, and Nakayama also feels comfortable using senior Kaira Chang and sophomore Tiani Kow.
“Since I don’t have a club team that all plays together, it just takes us some time to get things going,” Nakayama said.
The Warriors will get a progress report Saturday.
