By Reagan Paz
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The girls varsity soccer team has been undefeated, remaining as the top seed for the entire league season leaving their record close to perfect. After their final game on Jan. 18 at Kaiser High School, the girls dribbled past the Cougars and secured their 14th overall Oahu Interscholastic Association (OIA) title with a score of 2-0.
“We never lost a game yet; we never got scored on yet, even with (penalty kicks). Winning the OIA, we did good,” expressed Senior Tierra Reyno. Head coach Ray Akiona added, “It’s very fulfilling for the coaching staff to see all that hard work pay off and they were able to obtain that level of championship.”
At their championship game, the Lady Trojans held down their opponent for the entire game, never allowing them to score. “We just got the ball in the net two times, and that’s just how you win soccer. We just had a lot of combinations and set plays so we all worked together to get it in,” Reyno explained.
However, these outcomes did not come easy as the girls needed to push aside their differences to come together as a team. “It’s always a competition for your position. We are such a competitive team so at practice we get so mad at each other but after a while, after a minute or two it’s all over,” said Senior Shyani Terukina.
Other setbacks that they encountered were the switching of positions, which forced the players to play in a spot they weren’t used to. “I start as a forward which is my main position, but the coaches put me as center-mid,” said Reyno, adding, “(But) as long as I played I always had fun.”
The girls’ successes were a result of not only their practicing, but their teamwork as well. “I felt that the strength in not just the numbers but the unity among them really helped make the team really cohesive,” said Akiona. Terukina added, “We work really well together and no matter what we know that we’re always going to be together, and every year it gets better and better.”
Overall, as a result of their success, the team is proud of what they accomplished. “When you win a championship, everyone’s happy, but I’m kind of very ecstatic. I’m very proud of my team, we supported each other,” Reyno stated. “It was exciting, and we did it, it was a very big accomplishment,” Terukina added.
Although they didn’t win the state title, the girls look forward to another successful season.
