King Kekaulike’s Bailey Hofmann lined up for a free kick with the intention to score the golden goal Friday against Kalani.
His shot didn’t quite get there, but teammate Rex Riecke was there to head the ball in the net.
Riecke scored in the 89th minute as No. 4 seed King Kekaulike beat Kalani 1-0 in overtime in the semifinals of the NIU Health Urgent Care/HHSAA Division I Boys Soccer Championships at Radford.
King Kekaulike (9-1-2) will play No. 4 seed Hilo in an all-neighbor island final today at 7 p.m. at Radford.
King Kekaulike, the MIL champion, has never won a state title.
“We knew this team had a lot of talent,” said King Kekaulike co-coach Tye Perdido. “We just wanted to make sure they believed they all could do it. “
Na Alii were awarded a free kick from about 20 yards off the left side. The Falcons players was issued a yellow card for the foul.
Hofmann said he wanted to score when he lined up for the free kick.
“I was just looking for a goal,” said Hofmann, a sophomore. “I didn’t know I was going to hit it back post.”
Hofmann’s arching free kick found Riecke, who headed in the ball past Falcons keeper Robert Pruner.
“I was expecting the ball to go over there,” said Riecke, a freshman. “I knew it was going to the back post, so I just knew I was going to finish it.”
Said Perdido: “They worked hard and fought to the last whistle. That’s all we can ask for. In the end, one of the freshmen stepped up and did what we needed to do, which was put the ball in the back of the net.”
Things opened up in the second half after both teams struggled against the other’s high press before halftime.
In the 54th, the Falcons came close when Kai Van Rijsbergen nearly poked in a left-footed shot from in close that was saved by Na Alii goalkeeper Nainoa Pascual. King Kekaulike immediately got the ball downfield and Bailey dribbled down the left end line and sent a pass across the goal line, but a sliding teammate couldn’t get a foot on it.
In the 68th, King Kekaulike’s Bubba Emmanuel controlled the ball and his shot was saved by a diving Pruner. A few minutes later, Na Alii’s Hugh Ward passed to Emmanuel, whose shot from just in front of the goal was smothered by a defender.
Kalani (12-3-1) had a golden opportunity to score after a mistake by Pascual, who picked up the ball after it was kicked back to him by a teammate. Kalani, the OIA’s third-place team, was awarded an indirect free kick from just inside the 18-yard line. Jenson Fuse tapped the ball to Ethan Senter, whose shot went wide right.
On the final action of regulation, Pruner took a free kick near midfield. The ball was headed by Senter to Fuse, but King Kekaulike’s Jai Sternthall cleared the ball just before Fuse could get his foot on it.
The last time two neighbor island teams made the final was in 2018, when Baldwin and Hawaii Prep were named co-champions after playing to a 0-0 draw. Officials decided to call the contest in the first overtime because of lightning and an impending storm moving toward Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex.
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Division I
Semifinals
At Radford High School
Hilo 2, Kaiser, 1, 2OT, PK 4-2
Goal scorers—Hilo: Kaumualii Harman (39:00). Kaiser: Ian Ngonethong (57:00).
King Kekaulike 1, Kalani 0, OT
Goal scorers—King Kekaulike: Rex Riecke, (89:00).
Consolation
At Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex
Punahou 2, Kapolei 0
Mililani 3, Aiea, 2, PK 5-3
