The Leilehua girls soccer team proved once again that its best skill is coming back.
Iris Miguel scored a goal and assisted on Alexyz Nakamoto’s goal as Leilehua beat Kalaheo 2-1 in the final of the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division II girls soccer tournament Saturday at Kapolei.
“Going into it none of us really had expectations to go for it, but that’s obviously what we wanted,” Miguel said. “We have girls who never played soccer in their life before with four to six club girls. We really pulled together and really worked on our communication and now we’re all congratulating each other.”
Leilehua’s only previous OIA title came in 2011. Kalaheo had won the previous two OIA D-II titles.
Leilehua, Kalaheo, Nanakuli, Waianae and McKinley will represent the OIA in the HHSAA Girls Soccer Championship, which starts Feb. 23.
“We have to heal. A lot of our players are injured and they wanted to play,” said Leilehua coach James Uson.
The Mules (6-5-1) fell behind in their previous four games — three wins and one tie.
“Several times this year we’ve dug ourselves into a hole and we keep coming out of that hole,” Uson said. “Today, no different. We’re used to it.”
Said Nakamoto: “We kind of knew this position going into the game because the last four games we started down and then came back. Having that practice from the league games really helped us today.”
The Mustangs (5-5-1) went up 1-0 at 26:17 on a goal by Liv Deeley off a corner kick by Kilinahe Schenk, whose lofting ball from the right side found a wide open Deeley on the far post.
“That’s where all of our goals have come, from set plays,” said Kalaheo coach Lauren Danner. “We had many chances where they just weren’t putting it in the goal and we couldn’t finish.”
Deeley missed out on a great opportunity two minutes earlier when Mules goalkeeper Agnes Savelio bobbled Schenk’s free kick from 40 yards out, but Deeley sent a leaping shot from in close just over the crossbar.
Leilehua, the West’s top seed, tied it at 1-1 at 34:54 when Nakamoto took a pass from Miguel from the right side and slotted the ball past Kalaheo goalkeeper Sara Koch.
“Iris had a great run,” Nakamoto said. “I thought Iris was offside at first, but I kept on making that run and she kept making the run and I pulled back and I shot with my right foot and it went in.”
Nakamoto nearly scored in the 20th minute when she stole the ball near midfield, dribbled down the left side and sent a left-footed shot just wide right.
The Mules went up 2-1 at 42:37 when Miguel controlled the ball in front of the goal after the Mustangs couldn’t clear Nakamoto’s free kick. Miguel’s shot from 8 yards went off the crossbar and dropped into the goal.
“I was really stressing out because (the ball) kind of got away from me,” Miguel said. “The minute I turned, I saw the (goalkeeper) and I knew that I needed to shoot it and I was hoping it went in and that’s what happened. I was really stoked about that.”
Kalaheo, the East’s top seed, nearly equalized in the 55th when a clear attempt by Leilehua hit a player in the box and the ball rolled dangerously toward the center of the goal. Deeley couldn’t quite get there in time and the ball rolled past the end line.
