The Kamehameha-Maui boys soccer team is so happy to be here it is not going to leave without a fight.
The Warriors beat ‘Iolani 2-1 after a successful penalty kick shootout in the second round of the Outrigger Hotels and Resorts State Boys Soccer tournament at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium.
"We are just happy to be here," Kamehameha-Maui (12-2-1) coach Kimo Correa said. "I think nobody knew who we were, we haven’t been here in four years but I love these boys, they showed what can happen when you play together and love each other."
Josh Adachi, ‘Iolani’s All-State first-team keeper, got the shootout started from the line by ambling to the ball and beating Devonte Llanes with a blast to the right. He was not as effective when he took his place in goal after that, though, giving up a score to Kamehameha-Maui’s Chandler Alo. Tristan Medios-Simon and Spencer Ho both converted for the Raiders (6-1-4), while Micah Alo and Kainalu Kealoha did the same for the Warriors. Llanes earned the first stop of the shootout when he lunged right to halt Tai Tomozawa’s shot with both hands, but Adachi matched him with a stop of Daniel Quenga’s low attempt. Adachi snatched it inches short of the line.
Will Kawahara then stepped up for the Raiders and Llanes noticed him glance to his right more than once. Not buying Kawahara’s deception, Llanes left his feet on the shot and dove right, finding the ball smack against his glove and clear of the goal.
"The first one was a total guess," Llanes said. "The second save he made eye contact to his right, my left, and I didn’t know what to believe so I went right. We have a really good team, I just didn’t want to let anyone down."
That left ‘Iolani’s undefeated season in Adachi’s hands. Kamehameha-Maui marched Brennan Joaquin to the line, and the freshman blasted his attempt low and right that left Adachi in a heap in front of the goal with his head in his hands. Each of the Raiders dropped in place and remained there while the Warriors celebrated. Once ‘Iolani’s players found the strength to walk, they crowded around Adachi to thank him for his effort this year.
Adachi was playing with a broken bone in his left foot that kept him out of the end of the ILH season.
"That’s just been our luck this year," ‘Iolani coach Chris Lee said. "He played hurt and we had plenty of energy but it came down to a failure to execute in the final third. That’s just the story of our season."
Llanes has been in goal for all of five games, and had faced one penalty kick (he lost that one) but had never been in a shootout. In the second overtime he was audibly excited when ‘Iolani earned a direct free kick from the top of the box, and was even more excited when Chandler Alo cleared it for him.
"Devonte is just somebody special," Correa said. "The way he has been progressing in goal has been incredible, he puts everything into his drills daily."
‘Iolani scored its goal in the 58th minute when the Raiders finally solved Kamehameha-Maui’s tricky version of defense. The Warriors kept the Raiders frustrated and off their rhythm with heady play by their defenders, having them push up whenever they were threatened to force an offsides call. ‘Iolani was called offside 12 times to none for the Warriors, and the Warriors further bogged down ‘Iolani with 21 fouls to the Raiders’ nine.
None of that mattered when Keoni Makekau got a run down the middle of the field and rolled in a shot for a 1-0 lead. Tomozawa was awarded the assist.
The Raiders nearly held on to win it in regulation but allowed the Warriors an ugly goal of their own with less than 2 minutes left in the game. Kamehameha-Maui’s Micah Alo slid feet-first at the ball just inside the box, getting a boot on it just as Adachi dove forward to reel it in. The ball went straight into the air from there, deflecting off ‘Iolani’s Aaron Yanagi’s foot and into the goal. It was scored an own goal.
Kalani 2, Mililani 1, OT
Marcus White put in a bounding ball in overtime and the Falcons earned some revenge in a rematch of last year’s championship match.
Kalani earned a free kick in the overtime period and Kazuto Moribe served a ball in front of the goal that was intended for Leo Klink. Klink, last year’s Star-Advertiser player of the year, drew the Mililani keeper and the bulk of the defense to him but the ball went to White, who hit the open net.
"I love watching our team play," Kalani coach Mike Ching said. "To me, they just provide the moments."
Steve Teshima provided one of those moments for Kalani, responding to a 1-0 deficit with a goal two minutes later for the Falcons. Chris Galang scored in the 71st minute for the OIA champions, who lost for the first time this season and had shut out nine of 14 opponents.
Mililani and Kalani had not met this season because Kalani was bounced out of the OIA tournament by Campbell early after an unbeaten run through the regular season. No biggie, though, Kalani is back in the semifinals and will play Kamehameha-Maui in today’s 5 p.m. semifinal at the stadium.
"(The Warriors) beat a good ‘Iolani team, so that is going to be a test," Ching said.
Kealakehe 1, Kapolei 0
Avery Hardie-Jordan scored in the 43rd minute and the Waveriders shut out the Hurricanes.
Kapolei has missed the state semifinals only twice in the past five years, and Kealakehe did it to the Hurricanes both times. The Waveriders beat Kapolei 2-0 in the second round in 2010, which is also the last time Kealakehe won a state tournament game.
The Waveriders (15-0-1) meet ILH champion Punahou in a semifinal at 7 p.m. Kapolei (12-2-1) suffered its second loss of the season.
Punahou 1, Pearl City 0
Antonio Espinoza scored in the 36th minute off an assist from Taylor Peter-Bibb and the Buffanblu beat the Chargers to return to the semifinals after a year away.
Punahou was knocked out in the second round by Kalani last year after three straight appearances in the semifinals, including two state championships. The Buffanblu will try to reach their 26th state title game in the 40 years of the tournament. They have won it 18 times.
DIVISION i CONSOLATION
Hilo 2, Campbell 1
Goal scorers: Hilo–Jace Taka (6:00), Jadee Takayesu (51:00). Camp–Tevin Sales (68:00).
King Kekaulike 1, Kaiser 0
Goal scorer: Lionel Mills (80:00)
DIVISION II
Kapaa 4, Hawaii Prep 3, 2 OT
Joshua Cram scored in the second overtime (97th minute) to help the Warriors outlast Ka Makani and Kepa Police, who tallied a hat trick.
Goals by Tanner Henry (4th), Michael Alonzo (42nd) and Daniel Alonzo (63rd) helped Kapaa take a 3-1 lead. But Police scored in the 67th and 70th minutes to tie it and force overtime.
Kapaa will play Kalaheo at 1 p.m. today in the main stadium. Hawaii Prep will play Christian Liberty at 3 p.m. today on field 10.
Kalaheo 4, Christian Liberty 3, 2 OT
Reece DeMello scored in the 94th minute as the Mustangs rallied to beat the Canefire of the BIIF.
CLA led 3-2 on two goals by Nakaiya Kerr (10th and 48th) and one by Louis Moylan (19th). But Kalaheo, which got two first-half goals from Jhonah Felipe (8th and 34th), tied it with a goal from Cody Inagaki (54th).
Konawaena 1, Farrington, 1-0
Jarry Southerland scored in the 65th minute to lift the Wildcats over the Governors and into the semifinals, where they will meet Mid-Pacific 3 p.m. today in the main stadium.
Mid-Pacific 3, Seabury Hall 0
Harland-Blue Pierce (34th minute), Kye Drageset (68th) and Joseph Screen (79th) scored as the Owls beat the Spartans. Seabury Hall will play Farrington in a consolation match at 3 p.m. today on field 9.
