BY JOE FERRARO | WEST HAWAII TODAY ADVERTISING Hawaii Prep accomplished its biggest goal of the season Friday at Oahu’s Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex, advancing one step further than it did last year at the Hawaii High School Athletic Association
BY JOE FERRARO | WEST HAWAII TODAY
Hawaii Prep accomplished its biggest goal of the season Friday at Oahu’s Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex, advancing one step further than it did last year at the Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division II tournament.
But much to Ka Makani coach Steve Perry’s delight, the chatter he heard from his players suggested they are far from satisfied.
Bri Vallente’s goal midway through the second half broke a 1-1 tie, and the freshman later tacked on an insurance goal as HPA defeated Kauai 3-1 at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex.
“All I could hear from the sideline is ‘We’re not done yet,'” Perry said.
Ka Makani (15-1) will face defending state champion Mid-Pacific (7-6-1) — the same team that beat HPA in last year’s state semifinals — in today’s 5 p.m. Division II state championship match.
“We fought hard; we outworked (Kauai),” Perry said. “Sometimes, the better team doesn’t win, but the better team won today.
“I thought, physically, we did a good job matching up. I thought we handled their physicality early on, and in the second half, we wore them down.”
HPA, the three-time defending Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division II champion, took the lead for good when forward Nanea Tavares drew two Kauai defenders while advancing the ball down the left flank. The sophomore then delivered a cross the Red Raiders’ goalkeeper tried to intercept near the top of the 18-yard box, but Vallente chipped the ball over the keeper’s head and into the net for a 2-1 advantage.
By then, Perry said, he and the rest of the HPA coaching staff noticed fatigue in the Red Raiders.
“I thought we were getting stronger, and we pulled away,” Perry said.
With 10 minutes remaining, Vallente, operating on the right side of the box, fired a shot inside the far post for her 17th goal, essentially putting the match away.
Tavares started the scoring in the 10th minute, beating Kauai’s goalkeeper to senior midfielder Katie Case’s free kick before maneuvering past the keeper and kicking the ball into a wide-open net.
The Red Raiders tied the match in the 25th minute on Kauai sophomore Kaylee Tamura’s free kick from 25 yards out.
However, Perry said Kauai couldn’t muster much of an offensive attack outside of its set pieces, crediting the quartet of senior Leeta Grap, junior Jazz Fojas, and freshmen Gabbie Ewing and Teia Knoll for performing well on the back line.
Also, the HPA coach said junior midfielder Emily Evans, who sat out Ka Makani’s 5-0 quarterfinal win over Makua Lani on Thursday with a leg injury, played more minutes than he expected, teaming up with Case to fuel the team’s possession game.
“We didn’t let (Kauai) build anything up,” Perry said. “Their threats were basically coming from longball kicks.”
When discussing Mid-Pacific, Perry emphasized putting forth a similar defensive effort. The Owls defeated Ka Makani 1-0 in last year’s semifinals.
If HPA wins, it will become only the second BIIF girls team to claim a title. Kamehameha-Hawaii won the Division II state crown in 2008.
“We have to keep our shape and communicate, keep talking on (defense), make sure we pick up people,” Perry said. “When we’re all in sync, we’re pretty tough defensively.”
Division I
c Kealakehe 5, Kamehameha-Maui 2: Senior McKenna Davidson tallied her 20th and 21st goals of the season for the BIIF champion Waveriders, who jumped out to a comfortable 4-0 lead early in the second half.
Junior forward Kari Van Mols scored her 20th goal, and senior midfielder Rachael Bianchi added her 10th for Kealakehe (15-1), which will face Maui Interscholastic League champion Baldwin (14-2) at 3 p.m. today in the tournament’s fifth-place match.
Senior Isla Kruger-Burgess also found the net for the Waveriders, while seniors Kylie Yamada and Makana Pundyke scored second-half goals for MIL runner-up Kamehameha, which ended its season 10-4-2.
Kealakehe’s victory, Waveriders coach Jim Smith said, is the team’s first ever in the state tournament.
“The seniors get to play one more game, and hopefully it’s a ‘W,'” Smith said.
Boys
c Kealakehe 3: Hawaii Prep 0: Senior Cory Fisher scored his 11th goal of the season, while junior Connor Keale and senior Deja-Dean Ruiz-Spinney also found the net for host Kealakehe, which clinched the top seed in next week’s BIIF Division I tournament.
The Waveriders (11-1-1) will host fourth-seeded Keaau (3-9) in a BIIF semifinal tentatively scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Kealakehe and Hilo finished with identical records atop the BIIF Division I standings, but the Waveriders earned the No. 1 seed by virtue of allowing six fewer goals than the Vikings, who will host third-seeded Waiakea (8-4) at 3 p.m. Wednesday at Hilo Bayfront.
Fisher gave Kealakehe the lead in the seventh minute, when he took a cross from sophomore Scott Henderson and buried a shot from 18 yards out.
Keale scored six minutes later, tapping the ball in after HPA’s goalkeeper mishandled senior Tyler Yates’ pass into the 18-yard box.
Ruiz-Spinney capped the scoring in the 43rd minute, finding the upper right corner of the net on a free kick from 20 yards out.
Senior goalkeeper Kawela Benson shut out Ka Makani, which finished the regular season 8-5. HPA is currently second in the BIIF Division II standings.
jferraro@westhawaiitoday.com
