Raisa Strom-Okimoto is making up for lost time. The Aiea junior missed her sophomore season after tearing her ACL, and all she has done since is score 10 goals in her past two games.
Her next game is Jan. 3 at home against Leilehua.
The start that Strom-Okimoto is off to is Ruthian. She was held scoreless in her first game back, a loss to Campbell, but has not been held below two goals since. She scored a pair against Pearl City and Waianae before exploding for five goals against Waipahu and Radford.
She has scored more goals than 13 OIA teams.
"It’s not like we are feeding her the ball to pad her stats," Aiea coach Benji Villaflor said. "A lot of coaches like to see their girls make the extra pass; she gets the ball and she scores."
Na Alii expect the production to actually increase. Strom-Okimoto is still not 100 percent after her injury, and the team is in the middle of a change in scheme. For all of the excitement five goals a game can bring, Strom-Okimoto believes that all of the most exciting stuff is happening over her shoulder. Strom-Okimoto and Na Alii got the best of fellow UH commit Sonest Furtado and Waianae in an early-season contest when Aiea held Furtado to a single goal.
"The defense has been really good," Strom-Okimoto said. "Without them I don’t think we could have won a game. They work so well together in the back, they stopped (Furtado), who is also committed to UH, and you don’t do that without being really good."
Furtado led the OIA in scoring last year but suffered a knee injury in the first game at states. She rehabbed just as hard as Strom-Okimoto did, and they can probably expect to share the pitch at Waipio after Strom-Okimoto graduates.
The junior had inquiries from all over the country after her knee held up in the Thanksgiving Surf Cup. She listened to their pitches, but the island won out.
"I wanted to give back," Strom-Okimoto said. "I know how hard it is being a soccer player from Hawaii. You don’t get a lot of colleges wanting you to play. It’s harder for Hawaii kids to get noticed; it is a lot of time and a lot of money. A lot of girls can’t afford that even if they have the skill.
"I just want to be a part of UH, do clinics for little girls to help them learn soccer and the recruiting process. Recruiters are already starting with the 2017s; it would be really nice to be here to tell them about that."
Strom-Okimoto is just another piece of the local all-star team UH is building after bringing in Kama Pascua, Storm Kenui and T.J. Reyno last year. Having all of that local talent together appealed to her.
"Storm and Kama and Krystal (Pascua), Tiana Fujimoto," Strom-Okimoto said. "They are all players I kind of look up to. Even though we went to high school at the same time, I looked up to them. Ambree Ako, she went to UH, I looked up to her a lot."
So Strom-Okimoto’s future is set. Return to the state tournament this year and next year (Aiea missed it last year when her role was limited to moral support), and embark on her college career. As long as she doesn’t have to repeat the April day when the game was taken away from her in a club game. There was no contact, just a knee that gave way when she planted. After a year of rehab with Aiea’s trainers and a reminder from her grandfather not to baby it, the junior is finally playing without fear again.
"I’m sure anyone can get through what I went through," Strom-Okimoto said. "It is just how much effort you put into it and how much you want it. I really wanted it. Just to be out there to be with everyone and playing and make memories, do funny stuff sometimes and play around with everyone."
