Sept. 22, 2005

By Jeremy Herb
The Santa Clara

JH: What's caused your increased goal production this season?

KD: I think a little luck and a little just being an upperclassman, wanting the ball more and being confident on the ball.

JH: Are you looking for the ball when the score is tied late in the second half?

KD: Definitely. As a forward, your job is to score goals, and I'm looking to get the ball either to a teammate who can score or to take the scoring opportunity myself.

JH: Is scoring clutch goals a natural talent or something that's developed?

KD: Probably a little bit of both. I've been playing forward my whole life, so I feel comfortable in situations with the time running down.

JH: Do you see anything stopping your team from winning a conference title?

KD: The WCC is a really tough conference, and it's not going to be an easy route. But if we play how we can, we definitely should be able to win the WCC.

JH: Do you feel the men's team is overshadowed by the women's?

KD: I think the women's team draws a lot more attention, but I know people realize we're just as good and a respectable team nationally. I think our time will come.

JH: Is there a friendly rivalry between the two teams?

KD: I wouldn't say a rivalry. We love the girls team, they love our team. We go to their games and everyone on our team is pretty close with their team, so it's not really a rivalry, more of a family.

JH: Which team is going to advance further in the playoffs -- men's or women's?

KD: I'd say we're both going to the national championship.

JH: What sports did you play before deciding on soccer?

KD: I've played soccer my entire life, but in high school, I ran track and did tennis. Actually, last year, four of the soccer guys ran a college track meet with the track team here, which was pretty fun.

JH: Why did you choose to play at Santa Clara?

KD: I have a lot of family in the area and Santa Clara has a really good program. Both of those things enticed me to come here.

JH: How popular is soccer in Hawaii?

KD: It's rising in popularity. When I was 12-14, it wasn't that popular, but a lot of the Hawaii teams are doing a lot better and a lot of Hawaii athletes are starting to go to Division I programs.

JH: Do you have any soccer superstitions?

KD: Not really. I'm not really that superstitious.

JH: But you like wearing No. 13?

KD: That's a funny story. I walked onto the team and the walk-ons get last pick for what number they want. So the only numbers left were 13 and I think double zero. I took 13 and I've kept it ever since as a memento.

JHWhat foods do you typically eat before the game?

KD: We always go to Pasta Pomodoro for the pregame meal and I always get a Capellino chicken.

JH: What's the most interesting thing you did this summer?

KD: Me and my housemates had this really bizarre job. We were phone doctors, trying to fix people's phones. It was really bizarre, but we had a lot of fun doing it.