HIGH SCHOOLS
Got to start somewhere

By Leila Wai
Special to The Advertiser

Sara Wakabayashi, left, is coaching what is believed to be the first Farrington girls varsity soccer team, which has been winless and scoreless this season. But Wakabayashi said she wants the girls to play hard and have fun. "I told them the score doesn't reflect anything," she said. Photographs by Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

These are the basics of soccer.

The basics that most of the Farrington High School girls soccer team did not know when they started their season.

That's because, until this year, Farrington didn't have a girls soccer team, according to athletic director Harold Tanaka.

"I didn't know anything about soccer at all — just that you kick the ball, probably," said senior Irene Domondon.

"There are so many things that I didn't know about, all the tricks you have to do with the ball, the positions, stuff like that. I didn't know anything about the game."

Domondon is not alone.

The Governors' roster of 20 has only two players with soccer experience, and only one with more experience than just high school.

Senior defender Johanna Naumu has played in youth leagues since she was 5. As a result, she said, her teammates ask her for advice often.

"Am I doing it correctly?" is her most frequently asked question, she said.

Off to an 0-8 record in the O'ahu Interscholastic Association's Eastern Division, the girls have yet to score a goal. However, according to coach Sara Wakabayashi, there are more important things in soccer than scoring.

"I told them we have three goals: just play hard, have fun and learn something," Wakabayashi said. "I told them the score doesn't reflect anything."

Roosevelt's Kelli Kuwamura, left, battled Farrington's Chantell Goldones during the first half on Dec. 29. The Governors, who are competing in their first varsity season, lost to the Rough Riders, 9-0.

"A lot of them have never played on a team before," said Wakabayashi, who also teaches English at Farrington.

"They had to learn that they have to be a team, and they won't enjoy themselves if they don't get along. As long as they are having fun that is the best thing for them."

One player who did have team experience but no soccer experience is junior goalie Racquel Rivera, who played junior varsity basketball for the Governors.

As a goalie, she may be one of the busiest players on the field, but she is up to the task. "I like the running," Rivera said. "You get to challenge and push other people around."

This year was one step toward a successful future for the girl's program. Although 12 seniors graduate, leaving a large vacancy for Wakabayashi and Tanaka to fill, they are optimistic.

"We're trying to build the program up and hopefully get a JV program next year," Tanaka said.

Leila Wai, an Advertiser sports department clerk, is a former University of Hawai'i soccer player.