Tournament MVP Noah Charles shoots for the first of two goals for Perry in the gold bracket final. (Kevin Rossiter/Special to Stars and Stripes)
Any solid soccer team with a strong chance at capturing a state-level championship has at least one central scoring figure on the roster.
For two-time defending Far East Division I Tournament champion Kadena and Division II tournament favorite and unbeaten Matthew C. Perry, the names Elijah Whipp and Noah Charles have come up frequently in the goal-scoring ledger.
Whipp, a senior, has 15 goals this season and 80 total over the last three seasons. Charles, a sophomore transferred to Perry last season, is a proven striker and playmaker, with 22 goals and 18 helpers.
“He says he is just a center-back, but he can play anywhere,” longtime Samurai coach Mark Lange said of Charles, whom he calls the “best player in D-II this year.”
“He has excellent vision and reads the game superbly. And he works very hard. He inspires the other players to work harder and to give their best whenever they are on the pitch.”
Three-time All-Far East senior Ren Spinosi and Charles “are two outstanding players on the Samurai and in D-II; they complement each other,” Lange said.
The Samurai, with two in-season tournament titles to their credit, will pit those two players and their 17-0-3 record against six other D-II foes in Far East, slated for Monday-Wednesday at Misawa Air Base in northeastern Japan.
Though the leader of the D-II pack through the regular season, the Samurai could get a tussle from Zama (9-3-5), with its goal-scoring tandem of Asher Morris (7) and Adrian Venable Jr. (6), plus goalkeeper Joe Stroud, son of a former Yokota High School player.
Yokota (6-8-2), with speedy striker Kysiem Banks (12 goals), could surprise. Reigning champion E.J. King is rebuilding but has shown promise in some matches.
Kadena's Elijah Whipp, playing the ball against Kubasaki's Jayden Villatoro, scored a hat trick against the Dragons. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Whipp and the Panthers (12-1) lost once earlier this season to island-rival Kubasaki. But they’ve righted the ship since, have one in-season tournament title on their ledger and, on paper, stand as the favorite to make it three straight D-I crowns.
Of Whipp, who’s been in the lineup for three seasons and also has 44 assists, “he’s very smart, along with being a talented player,” Panthers coach Abe Summers said.
“He knows where to be, where to make his runs and where to pass the ball. He has a very high soccer IQ. He’s also very calm. All of those things tied together to make him an amazing player.”
The Panthers will have their hands full with Christian Academy Japan, with 10 total Far East titles to its credit including four D-Is. Nile C. Kinnick (10-3-1), with strikers Gianni Stevenson (20), Koboyo Awesso (13 goals, 10 assists) and Jayden Horton (9 goals), will contend.
“When we stay focused and aggressive, we can be very dangerous on offense and very tight on defense,” Summers said. “The few times we’ve lost that focus this season, we’ve stumbled. But if we maintain that focus throughout Far East, I think we give ourselves a good chance.”
