KAPA‘A — Big man Omar Perez found the goal twice on Saturday to lead the Kilauea Purple 14 and Under Coed team to a 4-1 edge over the Lihu‘e Teal in the American Youth Soccer Organization, Region 941 Coed Division championship match played at Bryan J. Baptiste Sports Complex.
Lihu‘e Teal, getting the services of Kaua‘i High School freshman Kobe Claussen who came home from the high school state cross-country championship, prevented a shutout when Oren Claussen found the net with about four minutes remaining in the first half.
The expensive Kilauea victory that was marred by two red cards and a yellow card, marked the close of the first AYSO Region 941 season following a long period of nonplay because of personnel and lack of players for both Region 940 and Region 941.
“We’re looking for coaches and officials,” said Region 941 Commissioner Nikole Pacheco. “We want to expand AYSO, but we can only grow if we get volunteers to help.”
Region 941 started play with about 600 young people ranging in age from 3 years old to 15 years old, and culminated with the Saturday championship play for the different age groups. The 600 young people were spread out over 70 participating teams from Lihu‘e to North Shore.
Lihu‘e, traditionally aligned with Region 940 for the purposes of balancing the teams, was absorbed into Region 941 after Pacheco figured out how to accommodate the extra teams and players.
“This is not bad, considering there are about 9,000 kids registered, statewide,” said Bob Strand, the AYSO Section Director, who flew in from O‘ahu especially for the daylong championship play.
American Youth Soccer Organization has been providing a world-class youth soccer program for more than 50 years based on its six philosophies, which are Everyone Plays (a registered trademark), Balanced Teams, Positive Coaching, Good Sportsmanship, Open Registration and Player Development, according to its website.
Built on the power of volunteer support, AYSO brings together community members to coach, referee and support their local Regions with the ultimate goal of creating a fun, family-friendly environment where a child can grow and develop not only their soccer skills, but leadership and social skills for life.
