Steve McGehee was an assistant for Jeff Yamamoto at Mililani for 15 years and now he’s the Trojans boys soccer head coach.
And he’s loving the coaching part.
“The administration part is not something I enjoy and it’s also something I’m not very good at,” he said Friday after a 1-0 win over Campbell at Kauinana Stadium.
The Trojans were flying high, especially in the first half, and it was a surprise they did not come up with more goals.
“We have the hard part down, passing, keeping possession of the ball and organized defense,” said Kala Judd, who scored the lone goal in the early going, a portion of the game in which teammate Jarad Choquette also hit the post twice. “We had a lot of chances and we haven’t been very good at finishing. But that will come.”
That same problem of finishing plagued the Trojans (6-1) in a 1-0 loss to Kapolei on Tuesday, and now they’re looking up at Pearl City (6-0) in the standings.
Campbell coach Randy White said it’s hard to match Mililani’s speed, especially on the Kauinana Stadium turf.
“We don’t play on anything like that at home,” he said.
Judd admitted the turf helps the team with its touches and passing.
“On this field, it’s easy to kick it around with speed,” he said.
Sabers defender Chay Mattos knew it would be an uphill battle, but was proud his team held the Trojans to one goal
“They’re fast and they play so well together,” Mattos said. “They are a very close brotherhood and they’re hard to compete against.
McGehee and the Trojans have big games ahead, but none bigger in the near future than at Pearl City on Jan. 20.
The coach said that 18-to-19 of his 28-man roster got good playing time against the Sabers.
“That, to me, let’s everyone know that there is competition for their positions,” McGehee said. “That’s a good problem to have.”
And, if he needs help that he somehow can’t get among his players or his assistant coaches, there’s always Yamamoto.
“Jeff and I are still close,” said McGehee about the man he won multiple state titles with. “We still go over a lot of stuff together and he is at most games.”
So far, despite the addition of his administrative duties, McGehee has kept the Mililani brand of quality soccer going.
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