She’d spent the past three seasons living in the shadow of the Kadena girls soccer team’s scoring weapons, keeping other opponents’ shots out of the Panthers’ net.

On Saturday, senior Helen Schrock scored the first goal of her high school career. Playing center-forward for the first time, she tapped in a rebound of Cassie McDonald’s shot just before halftime of Kadena’s 2-0 victory over Naha Commercial, a Japanese school.

“Finally,” Schrock said, crediting her teammates for helping set up the goal, just as they’d helped her amass a 59-2-4 record as Kadena’s netminder since 2005. She also has three career assists.

“I could not do it without the team. I work hard. The team works hard. From defense to midfield to forward … I’m proud of how we’ve come out over the years. Everybody contributes. That’s how we roll.”

“She’s been wanting to play up front for three years,” coach Hoa Nguyen said. “She’s been a force in the net. But we don’t have the scoring weapons we used to have, so I’m playing people where I need them.”

Saturday’s match was the first played by Kadena since the 2002 Class AA Tournament championship without a player named Abel in the lineup.

From 2003-07, Dianne and Jen Abel paced the Panthers to three Far East Class AA Tournament titles, a third- and a fourth-place finish. They combined for 370 goals, most by sisters in Pacific history.

Schrock, the reigning Class AA Outstanding Goalkeeper, almost did not play this season for Kadena. She chose to try out for softball, but the sport she’s been playing since kindergarten won out in the end.

“I do love softball,” Schrock said. But four days before Kadena’s opener, “something just clicked inside my head. I said, ‘What are you doing?’ I’m going to regret it if I don’t play my senior year.

“I’m a soccer player. It’s the love and the heart I have for the game. I missed the team. I missed everything.”

Kadena’s next test is Tuesday at defending Class AA champion Kubasaki, and likely Schrock will find herself in the net.

“Hopefully, I’ll get another goal soon,” she said. “Hopefully, we’ll keep that passion for the game as a team.”

Seoul American, Daegu, Osan girls get off to strong startsLori Rogers has good reason to smile these days.

Her junior center-midfielder Sarah Eades, a transfer from defending Class A Tournament champion Daegu American, scored five goals and had an assist in Seoul American’s two weekend victories.

“I’m very pleased,” Rogers said. “She’s stepped into this offense. It fits her like a glove. I have somebody who can hit those corner kicks and cross the ball.”

That comes as no surprise to Daegu coach Ed Thompson, who despite losing Eades has watched his Warriors match the Falcons’ 2-0 start. “We’d love to have her back,” Thompson said of Eades.

Osan American’s girls are also unbeaten, improving to 5-0 with two weekend victories behind the scoring of Gina Bosworth (nine goals, four assists) and freshman Jasmine Pressley (seven goals, three assists).

Setting the pace on the boys side of the Korean-American Interscholastic Activities Conference is Seoul Foreign at 4-0. Pacing the Crusaders is senior Remco Rademaker, with 14 goals this season and a Pacific-record 126 for his career.

E.J. King’s boys didn’t enjoy the same success in their first two matches as did Daegu American’s girls. But despite tying Nile C. Kinnick 1-1 on Friday and losing to the Red Devils 4-3 on Saturday, Cobras coach Mike Erickson called the weekend “productive.”

“They (Kinnick) took advantage of their shots. We attacked and attacked and just couldn’t find the back of the net.”

Jumping out to a 2-0 DODDS-Japan League start were Zama American’s boys, with two goals each from Daniel Polaski and Zach Woods and three assists by Spenser Clark and two by Britt Southard.

“I’m quite happy,” said coach Michael Pope, the Trojans’ assistant last year under Ron Geist. “We have a lot of returners. I kind of know what I have. I expect good things from my guys this year.”

Kubasaki baseball picks up where it left off last MayKubasaki beat Kadena twice in the first four seasons of Okinawa Activities Council baseball. After Saturday’s doubleheader sweep, the Dragons now hold a four-game winning streak over the Panthers dating back to last May’s OAC championship series.

Kaleb Robinson went 6-for-7 with a grand slam and eight RBIs, Michael Fulwiler was 4-for-5 with six RBIs, and Patrick Duffy homered and drove in three runs as Kubasaki pounded Kadena 19-0 and 8-1.

Kadena’s girls softball team had to come from behind, taking advantage of four seventh-inning errors to score seven runs and rally past Kubasaki 9-5.

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