Mia Watanabe’s knack for scoring big goals came in handy for the ‘Iolani Raiders on Saturday night.

For the second night in a row, the speedy sophomore came through in a major way. In Friday’s semifinal win over Mililani, Watanabe had the lone goal within the first minute of the second half. On Saturday, she repeated that feat, scoring one minute into the second half for the winning goal in the Raiders’ 1-0 victory over Pearl City in the Division I final of The Queen’s Medical Center/HHSAA Girls Soccer State Championships.

For ‘Iolani (15-3-1), it’s the second D-I crown in a row, third in the past six seasons and sixth overall.

On the winning play, Pearl City goalkeeper Naomi Takata was battling for possession as she was hounded by the Raiders’ Sasha Asselbaye in the right corner. The ball squirted out to Watanabe at the top of the right box and she wasted no time in drilling it past Chargers defenders and into what was virtually an open goal. Takata was out of position trying to kick the ball from the corner to the box so she could pick it up.

“Sasha pressured her and (a Pearl City defender) cleared it out and I made sure I got a shot off as soon as possible,” Watanabe said.

Takata didn’t see the ball go to Watanabe because, she said, “(Asselbaye) took me out (of the play).”

Raiders coach Kristin Masunaga was pleased with that tenacity.

“We noticed she sometimes bobbles, so our instructions were to always have someone on her,” she said. “We capitalized on it. Sasha was there.”

Both teams came into the game unseeded and as second-place finishers in their league. ‘Iolani has now gone all the way from second place in the ILH to state champs two years in a row.

The Chargers (16-2) were also trying to add a sixth state title and first since two years ago.

“It was a good game,” Pearl City coach Frank Baumholtz III said. “We had good shots and one bobble and that’s what wins games. Second in state is damn good. I’m not totally pleased with that, but I can accept it. It was a lucky bobble, but a beautiful shot. She (Watanabe) was poised, took her time and put it right down the middle.”

The two clutch performances in two nights were not Watanabe’s first. One year ago, she scored all three goals in a 3-0 state semifinal win over the Trojans en route to the championship.

‘Iolani’s overall team game — led by the back line of Kelsey Wong, Taylor Arakaki, Taylor Venenciano and Shylah Soon — gave the Pearl City strikers little breathing room. Most of the second-half action was on ‘Iolani’s offensive side of the field.

In the first half, Daelenn Tokunaga had the Chargers’ best chance to score, but after taking a cross from Soraya Santos, her line drive from 20 yards out went a few feet high. Later, Santos had a similar chance go just high with seven minutes to go on a play that had both teams’ fans yelling, “Oooh.”

Masunaga thought the Chargers may have been a little tired after going the full extra time and on to PKs in their wins over Kamehameha and Kaiser on Thursday and Friday.

“That’s draining,” Masunaga said. “We tried to keep fresh legs in there.”

Baumholtz did not blame it on weariness.

“We weren’t tired,” he said. “We came to play.”

Wong, the center fullback for the Raiders who, like Watanabe, is only a sophomore, knows there is a difficult road ahead to maintain this type of success.

“We’ve set high standards for ourselves,” she said. “It’s the greatest feeling ever to win two years in a row and prove to everybody that even though last year’s seniors are gone, we could still do it. Hopefully, we can do it again next year.”