Mililani kickers close in on West titles
By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer
PEARL CITY — The Mililani High School boys and girls soccer teams took major steps toward O'ahu Interscholastic Association Western Division crowns last night against Pearl City.
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser
The Trojan boys tied the Chargers, 1-1, and the Mililani girls defeated Pearl City 1-0. Mililani's boys (6-0-1) earned one championship point for the tie and lead the West with 19 points with two games left in the regular season. Pearl City (4-0-2) has 14 points.
Mililani's Bobbi Bell ,left, attempts to block a pass by Pearl City's Tammy Miura in last night's game played at Pearl City. Mililani won 1-0.
The Trojan girls (7-0) have 19 points with two games left; the Charger girls (4-1) have 12 points.
"We went out trying to win, but for us a tie is almost as good as a win right now," Mililani boys coach Jeff Yamamoto said.
The Trojans certainly had many opportunities to win, out-shooting Pearl City 6-3 in the second half and getting five corner kick attempts as opposed to only one for the Chargers. But Pearl City actually led 1-0 after Jaren Oshiro's short goal off an assist by Daniel Park in the 65th minute.
Mililani tied it three minutes later on a 45-yard free kick by Vance Harris.
"That was an awesome kick," Pearl City coach Scott Keopuhiwa said. "I give him all the credit for that goal. I told our guys that when someone makes one from that far out, sometimes there isn't anything you can do about it."
Yamamoto said Harris sprained his left ankle during pregame warmups.
"That's his plant foot," Yamamoto said. "I wasn't even sure he was going to play. But that kick was a rope. I've never seen a kick like that, at least in high school."
Mililani's girls needed only a goal by Mele French in the 25th minute for its victory. French, the West's second-leading scorer with 12 goals, broke loose near the penalty box and angled a kick from the right flank while sliding.
"She's the one we expect to do the scoring for us," Mililani coach James Uson said.
To Pearl City's credit, however, that was the only goal allowed by a young defense. Chargers co-coach Frank Baumholtz said he started a sophomore goalkeeper, a sophomore right fullback and a freshman left fullback.
"We're a very young team," Baumholtz said.
