By Jerry Campany
jcampany@staradvertiser.com
Considering how Kahuku’s back line kept the shackles on Campbell’s dangerous offense on Tuesday night, it is only fitting that one of the Red Raiders’ toughest defenders scored their only goal.
Senior sweeper Janice Poua scored in the eighth minute of the second overtime and the Kahuku girls soccer team beat Campbell 1-0 in the first round of the OIA playoffs at the Kapolei High field.
Poua took a direct kick about 35 yards out and blasted her attempt over the wall directly to Campbell keeper Brittney Copp. Copp easily reached the ball on the fly, but it slipped out of her hands to her right and into the goal.
Copp stood in disbelief while the Red Raiders piled on in the center of the field like they had won the championship.
Poua usually doesn’t take direct kicks; that duty ordinarily falls to leading scorer Renee Oei. But Oei was carted off early in overtime with a cramp in her calf. Poua was instructed to get the ball over the wall and to the keeper so that her teammates in the front line could collect the rebound. She scored instead. Her only other goal this year came in the final game of the regular season against Farrington, so she now has a nifty two-game goal streak.
“It was a lucky shot,” Poua said. “I think we played a really good game compared to the other games. It was a team effort. I was just trying to shoot it over the wall.”
The Red Raiders, who have had 12 different players score a goal this season, know just how Campbell feels. Kahuku’s season ended in the first round last year when Campbell’s Shatres Ah Nee scored in overtime.
“I wouldn’t say it was revenge or anything like that,” Kahuku coach Glenn Fujita said. “But the girls knew what happened last year and it gave them some motivation for this game. This feels better than last year.”
The Red Raiders (6-2-3) move on to play Mililani today at Mililani while Campbell’s state tournament drought extends to five years. Even if Kahuku loses to top-seeded Mililani, it would get one more game to earn a spot in the state tournament. Campbell (5-3-3) has not won since Dec. 18, when it beat Kapolei.
Kahuku had a slight advantage for most of the game, but couldn’t crack Copp and Campbell’s defense. The Sabers were the more aggressive team throughout, but they never got the ball over the top to Ah Nee and Joycelyn Taufa, and that kept the action in their half, where the Red Raiders could turn any mistake into a shot on goal.
“Campbell was basically trying to play very direct and we were able to stop it,” Fujita said. “We just told the girls that the defense is fine, just keep shooting and one of them will go in.”
Both sides believed that it would go to penalty kicks, and already had their lineups selected. Campbell’s goes into the trash, while Kahuku’s remains in Fujita’s back pocket.
“It was a good shot,” Campbell coach Brett Kagawa said. “We just got unlucky on the save. I was feeling all right about penalty kicks. We have some girls who can hit their spots. Just unlucky.”
Kapolei 1, Kailua 0
Bianca Gonzales scored for the host Hurricanes in a victory over the Waveriders.
Kapolei moves on to play Moanalua today at 5:30 p.m. at Mililani.
Castle 3, Aiea 0
The Knights got goals from Faith Roth, Kayla Silva-Gage and Vanessa Chinen to beat Aiea at the Waianae High field.
Castle moves on to play Pearl City today at 5:30 p.m. at Kaiser.
Waianae 2, Roosevelt 1
Sonest Furtado scored both goals for the host Seariders.
The Rough Riders’ only tally came on a Waianae own goal.
The Seariders advanced to play Kaiser tonight at 7 in Kaiser.
