With several shots going awry in the first half, Punahou knew there’d be more chances in the second.
Those came, and the Buffanblu converted them.
Kaile Halvorsen and True Dydasco scored in the second half to help Punahou shut out host Kamehameha 2-0 in an ILH girls soccer match on Saturday afternoon.
"They (coaches) told us to keep playing hard and it was going to come," Dydasco said.
"We had some unlucky bounces in the first half. But they said it was going to come and it finally came at the end."
The Buffanblu improved to 3-0-0, while defending state champion Kamehameha is 2-1-0.
Dydasco scored in the 45th minute after the Buffanblu were awarded an indirect kick. With Punahou pressing hard in the box, a Kamehameha player passed the ball back to her goalkeeper, who picked it up. Dydasco took the kick and her shot from about 15 yards out sailed into the top left corner of the goal.
"It was in my range, I felt the confidence and I took it," Dydasco said.
Kamehameha countered with several shot attempts, but couldn’t finish them. Punahou struck again in the 64th minute when Halvorsen, who was surrounded by a trio of defenders, scored from the top of the box.
"We have to keep this effort that we played today through every game," Halvorsen said. "We have to play our hearts out and leave everything on the field."
Emma Young, one of Kamehameha’s captains, said Punahou disrupted her team’s rhythm. At halftime, her team talked about the frantic pace and trying to remain composed.
"They’re really good at their style of play," Young said. "They play more of a direct style, so I think instead of establishing our own rhythm, we reacted to theirs. I don’t think throughout the game we were able to play how we want to play."
Both teams will meet again in the ILH second round. Young is confident her team will bounce back from the loss.
"We know how Punahou plays now and we’ll be better prepared for the second round, knowing their players," Young said. "Throughout this first round, we’ll be able to practice our rhythm."
