When the story is told of Kealakehe’s soccer season, the blowouts and dominance on its way to a third straight, and seventh overall, Big Island Interscholastic Federation title, stand out. ADVERTISING When the story is told of Kealakehe’s soccer season,
When the story is told of Kealakehe’s soccer season, the blowouts and dominance on its way to a third straight, and seventh overall, Big Island Interscholastic Federation title, stand out.
Thursday, the undefeated Waveriders’ success came to a screeching halt, as Kamehameha-Maui came roaring from behind with three unanswered goals to topple Kealakehe 3-1 in the Hawaii High School Athletic Association quarterfinals at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex.
The Warriors made some noise in the opening round, upsetting a strong Mililani team 2-0. The win set up the quarterfinal game with the Waveriders, a rematch of last year’s third-place game.
Kealakehe struck first with a goal by sophomore Joshua Lopez in the eighth minute.
In the 12th minute, Kamehameha turned up the pressure, resulting in a goal from Colton Cabanas, tying the game 1-1.
The teams entered the break tied and battled through the majority of the second half at a stalemate.
The Warriors broke through in the 67th minute on a shot by Brennan Joaquin. They added a security goal in the 74th minute from Chandler Alo.
Kamehameha advances to play Iolani, which beat Kalani 2-1, 4-1 in penalty kicks, in the semifinals today. Kealakehe takes on Kalani today at 3 p.m. in the consolation bracket.
Despite the loss, the future is bright for Kealakehe. The roster featured seven freshmen and eight sophomores who contributed, including starting goalkeeper Greyson Moore.
While time on the pitch is usually reserved for upperclassmen, the entire roster recorded minutes in the majority of games this season as the Waveriders made quick work of their BIIF opponents.
The squad will lose five seniors to graduation. Keoni Yates is the reigning BIIF player of the year, and is likely to add a second top player honor to his resume when all is said and done. The team will also have to replace goal-scoring machine Scott Henderson, who tallied a goal in nearly every game this season. Fellow seniors Cappy Alterman, Ariel Lima and Daniel Caudell are all key cogs in the Waveriders system who will be alumni next season.
Hilo 2, Pearl City 0
Hilo rebounded from a 3-0 loss to Kapolei in the opening round with a 2-0 win against Pearl City in the HHSAA consolation bracket Thursday.
The two teams played to a draw until Nikolai Shumov exploded late for the Vikings, scoring two goals (63, 66) within a three-minute span.
Hilo wraps up its time on Oahu with a game against Mililani at 3 p.m. today. The winner will be awarded seventh place.
