The Chaminade University men's soccer team experienced a youth movement in 2023 with 15 newcomers including 10 freshmen.
Natrually there were some difficult times. But there were also some positives for second-year head coach
Joshua Woodard that could help elevate the program to contender status.
There were nine different goal scorers during the season, the most since 2019. Four of them were Silversword rookies.
Although he didn't lead the team in goals, sophomore midfielder
Owen Caba (West Linn, Ore./West Linn) had a team-leading eight points, thanks in part to four assists, tied for the second-highest in a single season. His efforts put him in a tie for sixth in program history with 17 career points while his six goals moved him in a tie for eighth and five assists in a tie with fourth.
Another returnee,
Kainoa Carpenter (Kahului, Maui, Hawai'i/Kamehameha-Maui), was the actual leading goal scorer with three.
Among the CUH newcomers,
Owen Malone (Carlsbad, Calif./Univ. of Saint Katherine/Carlsbad HS), a transfer from Saint Katherine's in California, was the team's third multi-goal scorer with two.
Oliver Horgan (Reno, Nev./Cal Poly Humboldt/Galena HS), a Cal Poly Humboldt transfer, had a goal and two assists.
Meanwhile,
Brandon Yasue (Honolulu/Kaiser) wrapped up his playing career near the top of most of the program's goalkeeping records. He is second in saves (217), saves per game (5.17), goalkeeper games played (42), goalkeeper starts (40) and goalkeeper minutes with nearly 3,541.
Fittingly, in his final game, Yasue recorded 16 saves, the second-most in single game history, against the University of Hawai'i Hilo.
Yasue's backup, and possible 2024 successor,
Jonah Valmonte (Poolesville, Md./Robert Morris University/Poolesville HS), played well in his four appearances, with 19 saves and a goals against average of 2.49.
With several closes losses and a pair of draws in the first half of the season, injuries began to mount, pressing newcomers into service resulting into several one-sided results. The 'Swords managed to keep competitive including a 5-3 loss to Westmont were they were down by two scores before rallying to tie it early in the second half.
Collectively, the Silverswords' 38 points ranks ninth in single season team history while their 12 assists are tied for fifth.
Yasue and
Ryan Anderson (Carlsbad, Calif./Cal State Monterey Bay/San Marcos HS), who had three career goals and one assist in his two years after transferring from Cal State Monterey Bay, were the team's two seniors.
