By Dennis Anderson
Advertiser Staff Writer
Hilo High took advantage of a turf bounce and a smothering defense to upset top-seeded Pearl City, 1-0, last night at Aloha Stadium and reach the championship game of the AT&T Wireless Boys State Soccer Tournament for the first time.
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| Pearl City’s Colin Yuh heads this shot as Hilo’s Kaine Charleston closes in during a semifinal of the Boys State Soccer Championship at Aloha Stadium.
Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser |
The Vikings will play Mililani, which defeated ‘Iolani, 1-0, in overtime, for the state title at 7:30 tonight at Aloha Stadium.
At 64:24, Tim Meek volleyed in a long cross from Dustin Broad that bounced over the head of a Pearl City defender who was poised to head it out. It was the kind of bounce that happens only on artificial turf.
Meek anticipated the high hop and slipped behind the defender, leaving Charger goalkeeper Matt Egami helpless to stop his arching shot.
"The goalie came out so I had to chip it over his head, and I did it," Meek said.
"This is for all the people in Hilo Town; this is our year. We’re going to take it all the way," he promised.
Hilo shut out Pearl City’s relentless offense, which averaged five goals in 13 games — all victories — before last night, by packing the penalty area.
Eight or nine, or sometimes all 11 Vikings, stuffed the big box with yellow shirts, clogging passing lanes and frustrating Pearl City players.
"It was hard getting through the crowded box, and their goalkeeper was cleaning up anything that got through," Pearl City coach Scott Keopuhiwa said.
Eddie Ruhland showed repeatedly why he was an all-state goalkeeper last year.
He made six saves — one a sensational diving deflection in the third minute of the game — intercepted three crosses in front of the goal, and boomed two 70-yard punts in the final minutes to keep the frantic Chargers away.
"I said, ‘Take me to the finals,’ after every punt at the end," Ruhland said. "There was a lot of adrenaline working there."
Pearl City had its chances.
The Chargers played almost the entire match on Hilo’s side of the field. They took 21 shots to the Vikings’ eight.
"We hit off the bar a couple of times," Keopuhiwa noted. "It’s hard to lose a game you dominate."
The Chargers simply couldn’t penetrate the defense that has carried Hilo to a 14-2 record.
After the goal, sweeper Brian Shinjo and fullbacks Willie Williams, Cody Ventura and Kaine Charleston cleared ball after ball, turning Pearl City’s frenzy to frustration.
"That’s part of my job description," Charleston said. "Don’t let anybody get by — ball or man."
Coach Don Memmer, who took Hilo to a third-place finish — its highest ever — last season, said, "This is for the AYSO coaches, for all the outer island coaches, and for all the ex-Hilo coaches," he said. "A lot of people helped us, especially after our practice field flooded."
For his assistant coach and wife, Joy Memmer, last night’s victory was a birthday present and a dream come true.
"I dreamed this last fall, standing here in the lights, but they told me it couldn’t be because we would be playing at Waipi‘o. But they played here, and this is exactly like my dream," Joy said.
Tonight, the Vikings try for an even bigger dream.
OTHER SEMIFINAL
 Mililani 1, ‘Iolani 0: Lance Watanabe scored on a header 2:38 into sudden-death overtime to put the Trojans into the championship game for the second year in a row.
Kahi Hernandez made a throw-in to Watanabe, and Watanabe flicked the ball off the shin of an ‘Iolani defender and into the low-right corner of the goal.
"It’s a set play that we used all season long," Watanabe said. "I’m supposed to flick it on to a teammate, but I saw the corner open so I flicked it there instead."
Last year, Mililani lost to ‘Iolani, 2-1, in the championship game. This year the Trojans (12-2-1) will play Hilo, which is making its first championship-game appearance.
Mililani had 12 shots to ‘Iolani’s four in the second half and overtime. "We had the momentum," Mililani’s Jarrett Razon said. "They couldn’t clear it and we kept pounding it in.
"Blaine Murakami, one of our captains, said it was just a matter of time and I believed him."
‘Iolani came closest to winning in regulation time. In the 78th minute, Mike Terry tried to head a 30-yard free kick by Travis Watanabe (no relation to Lance) past the keeper, but it bounced just over the goal and rolled down the back of the net.
"The quality of soccer in the ILH is top notch," Mililani coach Jeff Yamamoto said. "We’ve never beaten an ILH team in states before, and this feels good.
"Everyone understood their responsibilities and roles," he said. "Even the bench was awesome. Players off the bench were a vital part, giving some rest to our starters."
‘Iolani is playing the tournament without ILH scoring champion Duke Hashimoto, who suffered a serious ligament injury to his right knee last week. So many Raiders were hurt and sick that they did not practice for a week, until Wednesday.
"Our problem was putting the ball in the net," ‘Iolani coach Myles Arakawa said. "We had different combinations out there than usual."
The second-seeded Raiders (9-2-3) will play top-seeded Pearl City (13-1-0) for third place today at 5:30 p.m.
Lance Watanabe, whose hair has been a different color every game this week (pink Wednesday, purple Thursday and green last night) would not say what his hair color would be for tonight’s championship game. It might be the Trojan’s secret weapon.
CONSOLATION BRACKET
(Losers out)
‘Aiea 3, Kalani 0: Benji Villaflor scored a goal (66:56) and had an assist on a rare play for another.
Midway through the first half, Villaflor set up for a penalty kick, but instead of taking the 12-yard chance, he tapped the ball a couple of inches to his right. Jarvis Uehara raced in from the top of the penalty area and drilled it to the left corner at 21:15.
Skip Saito scored for ‘Aiea at 55:32.
Baldwin 1, Campbell 0: Kawika Kahui, whose missed shootout kick knocked Baldwin out of the championship round Thursday, made the kick that secured a shootout victory over the Sabers.
Baldwin made all five shootout kicks and Campbell missed its third kick to lose a shootout for the second straight day.
Kealakehe 2, Hawai‘i Prep 0: Eric Franke scored two goals (57:18 and 63:08) in the second half to help put the Wave Riders into today’s consolation final against Kamehameha.
It was the first victory ever at the state tournament for Kealakehe, a four-year-old Kona high school with its first senior class.
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