By Stanley Lee
slee@staradvertiser.com
For a frantic six minutes, Punahou tried to lock down on defense as Kamehameha pressed forward in hopes of scoring the game-tying goal. The pace increased, as did the volume of voices.
When the final whistle blew, Punahou players ran toward each other, screaming and hugging each other, after holding on for a 2-1 win in an ILH girls soccer match on Saturday morning.
“It was so stressful; we couldn’t pass and it was hard to calm down,” said Punahou defender Allison Candelario. “It felt so long.”
The host Buffanblu extended their lead in the ILH standings with an 8-0-1 record and 25 points. Punahou has two more league games left, against Division II St. Francis on Wednesday and second-place ‘Iolani on Jan. 30.
“We have played end-of-game tactics at practice before — what to do in these big games when you’re up a goal, what to do when you’re behind a goal,” said Punahou coach Starr Johnson. “The girls were coaching themselves on the field somewhat. We have a very mentally tough backline, especially Kylie Totherow. She’s got great speed, she’s a phenomenal leader. With the other ones, they’ve been working well together.”
Kamehameha (5-2-1) scored in the 74th minute on Alisha Kahele-Manners’ shot off a corner kick.
The pace and emotions then picked up in the final stretch. Players on both benches stood up for the final minutes, shouting at their teammates on the field. But the Warriors couldn’t get off a shot attempt. The closest it got was a ball sent into the box, but Sarah Lau was called for being offside.
“They had to play for the last 40 minutes with everything they had,” said Johnson. “Kamehameha is a phenomenal team; they always are. There was no way we were going to come away with a win without playing our hearts out.”
After a scoreless first half, Punahou scored twice in the second half to change the match’s momentum. Freshman Kaile Halvorsen drove down the right sideline, cut back with a defender on her, and moved into the box before firing a shot into the left side of the goal in the 52nd minute.
“Our coaches always say that we’re a second-half team,” Candelario said. “We knew after the first half what we needed to fix up. We worked on that, tried to stay composed and play our game.”
Anuenue Zoller displayed her leg strength and range when she scored three minutes later. From about 40 yards out, her free kick drifted over everyone and into the goal.
“We’ve seen it from her at practice. That’s her range,” Johnson said. “She has that in her. That was the extreme end of her range, but that’s her range. That’s our person to take the kicks from far out and she’s got a leg. If she strikes it right, that’s possible and we’ve seen it in practice before. That’s a once in a lifetime goal, and to make it happen in a big game was huge.”
