'Aiea girls edge Kaiser in soccer
By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer
The 'Aiea High School girls soccer team earned a return trip to the state tournament last night the hard way, edging Kaiser, 1-0, in the quarterfinals of the O'ahu Interscholastic Association quarterfinals at Pearl City High's Bino Neves Stadium.
Na Ali'i's victory came less than 24 hours after they needed 100 minutes of regulation and overtime, plus four penalty kicks, to defeat Moanalua, 2-1. 'Aiea will play Pearl City, a 5-0 winner over Leilehua, in the semifinals at 5:15 on Tuesday at Mililani.
Na Ali'i, 10-2, are the only team (out of eight) in the past two years to advance to the semifinals without a first-round bye. The only goal they needed was a penalty kick by senior Randene Ako in the 46th minute, after she was taken down near the goal box.
"I didn't want to go to overtime again," said Ako, a daughter of former 'Aiea and University of Hawai'i pitching great Gerald Ako. "It was tiring (playing back-to-back games), but we had to do it to get to states. We were sweating it out."
Na Ali'i showed few signs of fatigue and actually played the role of aggressor for much of the game. The Cougars (7-2-2) had three free kicks late in the second half, but each was from at least 30 yards out and none was a serious threat to go in. Kaiser had a first-round bye after receiving the Eastern Division's No. 2 seed.
"Going in, I felt we had the upper hand because I thought they exerted a lot of energy (on Wednesday)," Cougars coach Adolph Samuels said. "But I also told my girls that 'Aiea must be in good condition because they don't have a lot of players. And sure enough, they kept us on our heels the whole night. Our defense always had to reset our offense, which made it tough. I was surprised at how (Na Ali'i) moved the ball around."
'Aiea has only 15 players on its roster, and the muddy field at Pearl City under a light drizzle did not make running around any easier.
"(Not having the bye) definitely was a disadvantage; we started out slower than usual," Na Ali'i coach Gordon Matsuoka said. "The playing conditions were hard, too. But I still think we had most of the offense."
The penalty kick, however, was 'Aiea's best opportunity of the game.
"I felt sorry for our team to lose on a penalty, but I had told them to play up on defense," Samuels said. "(That play) was just the wrong time to play them tight in the box. I'm still proud of our team, because in the playoffs Gordon always has his teams playing well. Especially with this squad, he's done a really good job."
• PEARL CITY 5, LEILEHUA 0: Kim Unten scored two goals and had one assist and Kari Tanimoto also scored two goals to lead the host Chargers (10-0-1) past the Mules (7-4-1) and into the semifinals.
Lauren Miyashiro gave Pearl City a 1-0 lead in the 19th minute on a straight shot from 15 yards out off an assist by Chelsea Arakawa. Tanimoto followed with a short goal a minute later off Unten's throw-in.
Unten scored two minutes later on another short goal off Chimene Sienkiewicz's assist to make it 3-0, and Unten scored again off Blessing Drumeller's assist in the 26th minute. Tanimoto's unassisted goal in the 58th minute closed out the scoring.
• MILILANI 5, CASTLE 0: Liane Tom scored three goals and Nicky Harris and Jennifer Loo also scored as the Trojans (10-0-1) rolled into Tuesday's semifinal against Kahuku at 7 p.m. at Mililani. The Knights dropped to 7-2-3.
• KAHUKU 4, KALAHEO 3: Tiana Ahue scored two goals and Alleyson Altz and Krisha Kai each added one goal for the Red Raiders (8-2-1). Anela Gonzales scored two goals and Tina Garcia scored one goal for the Mustangs (7-2-3).
OIA BOYS SOCCER
• Mililani favored: Not unlike many years, the OIA boys soccer tournament that begins today appears to have several strong contenders.
But like most recent years, until someone can knock off two-time defending state champion Mililani, the Trojans have to be considered the favorite. Mililani has won five of the past eight OIA titles.
"Skillwise, they are very consistent," Castle coach Mark Kane said. "But with everybody else, it's pretty wide open."
The Trojans went 8-0-1 in the regular season, with the only blemish a 0-0 tie against 'Aiea on Jan. 7. Aside from that game, Mililani has outscored its other eight opponents 50 goals to 1.
"To me, they're even better than last year," Kaiser coach Herb Schreiner said. "They have a farm program over there, with that youth organization they have. They work closely and bring in talented kids every year."
Kaiser, which has never won an OIA boys soccer championship, is trying to establish itself as one of the league's dominant programs as well. The Cougars (7-1-2) lost to Mililani in last year's title game and earned the No. 1 seed in the East this season.
Castle also finished with a 7-1-2 East record, but its only loss was to Kaiser in the season-opener. Each team scored 23 goals against eight for their opponents.
"We're very young, but the boys came along and improved through the season," Kane said.
Schreiner said that was the case for most of the division, and it made for a competitive season.
"A lot of teams were young, but I liked playing in the East this year because every week, you know you're going into a good game," Schreiner said. "Even the Farringtons and Kaimukis showed improvement, and a team like Roosevelt could be dangerous. We've watched them progress. I think (the balance) helped everybody because it's good to play at your highest level every week. It makes for a better season."
Today
First round
At Campbell
5:15 p.m. — West No. 5 Kapolei (4-3-2) vs. East No. 4 Kalaheo (5-1-4)
7 p.m. — East No. 6 Kahuku (5-5) vs. West No. 3 Campbell (6-1-2)
At Moanalua
5:15 p.m. — East No. 5 Roosevelt (6-3-1) vs. West No. 4 Wai'anae (4-3-2)
7 p.m. — West No. 6 Leilehua (4-4-1) vs. East No. 3 Moanalua (7-2-1)
Tomorrow
Quarterfinals
At Kaiser
5:15 p.m. — Leilehua-Moanalua winner vs. West No. 2 Pearl City (7-1-1)
7 p.m. — Roosevelt-Wai'anae winner vs. East No. 1 Kaiser (7-1-2)
At Mililani
5:30 p.m. — Campbell-Kahuku winner vs. East No. 2 Castle (7-1-2)
7 p.m. — Kalaheo-Kapolei winner vs. West No. 1 Mililani (8-0-1)
Consolation
Tuesday and Feb. 7
At Castle
5:15 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. — Quarterfinal losers
Semifinals
Wednesday
At Mililani
5:15 p.m. and 7 p.m. — Quarterfinal winners
Championship
Feb. 8
At Pearl City
7:30 p.m. — Semifinal winners
ILH BOYS SOCCER
• CORRECTION: Christopher Faulkner scored Iolani's goal in Wednesday's game against Punahou. Another first name was reported to The Advertiser.
ILH GIRLS SOCCER
• Punahou 1, Pac-Five 0. Pun—Rachel Lau.
ILH SOFTBALL
• PUNAHOU 7, MARYKNOLL 0: Sarah Weisskopf and Lindsay Olmstead combined on a no-hitter and struck out six batters as the Buffanblu defeated the Spartans.
Punahou's Lindsay Fujita and Gail Matsushima both batted 3-for-4.
Punahou (13-2) 201 030 1—7 9 0
Maryknoll (2-13) 000 000 0—0 0 4
Sarah Weisskopf, Lindsay Olmstead (6) and Kaha Weir. J. Kurihara and B. Preza-Haynes. W—Weisskopf. L— Kurihara.
Leading hitters: Punahou—Lindsay Fujita 3-4; Gail Matsushima 3-4.
• MID-PACIFIC 10, LA PIETRA 2: Jana Ching pitched a three-hitter, while striking out 11 batters, and Karyn Uyeshiro hit a three-run bases-clearing single to spark a four-run seventh inning as Mid-Pacific routed La Pietra.
MID-PACIFIC (5-10) 202 011 4—10 9 3
LA PIETRA (0-15) 100 001 0— 2 3 7
Jana Ching and Torie Sumi. Candice Miller, Jessica Miller (3) and Mollie Tafoua. W—Ching. L—C. Miller.
Leading hitters: Mid-Pacific—Ching 3-4, double; Angela Ahuna 2-4; Karyn Uyeshiro 3 RBIs.
• Sacred Hearts 4, HBA/St.A./ST.F 1: Catherine Cazinha scattered six hits in a complete-game victory and Kimi Daniels had two hits for the Lancers.
Sacred Hearts (6-9) 003 001 0—4 5 2
HBA/ST.A/ST.F (n/a) 000 100 0—1 6 4
Catherine Cazinha and Tiani Lopez-Mattos. Carolyn Fisher and Cindel Zimmerman. W—Cazinha. L— Fisher. Leading hitters: Sacred Hearts— Kimi Daniels 2-3. HBA/St.A/St.F—Anita Manuma 2-4, double.
• UNIVERSITY HIGH VS. IOLANI: The game between the Junior Rainbows and the Raiders at Ala Wai "B" Field was postponed because of a wet field.
MAUI SOFTBALL
• LAHAINALUNA 8, MAUI 7: First baseman Tiara Kukahiko threw out the potential tying run at home plate as the Lunas held off the Sabers in a Maui Interscholastic League game at Keopuolani Park.
Maui (8-6) 000 004 3—7 7 4
Lahainaluna (12-2) 710 000 X—8 11 1
Dominique Gusman and Shasta Morris. Tiffany Nava and Tasha Pagdilao. W—Nava. L—Gusman.
Leading hitters: Maui—Kristy Friend 3-4, 2 RBIs; Kanoe Aguada 2-4. Lahainaluna—Audrey Chihara 2-4, homer; Jessica Maielua 3-4.
• BALDWIN 15, LANA'I 0: Sabrina Alesna-Mindoro tossed a five-inning no-hitter to lead the Bears over the Pine Lasses in a MIL game at Keopuolani Park.
Lana'i (7-7) 000 0— 0 0 2
Baldwin (13-1) 540 6—15 14 0
Jerri Fauatea and Liana Alboro. Sabrina Alesna-Mindoro and Jenna Mailou. W—Alesna-Mindoro. L—Fauatea.
Leading hitters: Baldwin—Kai Farmiento 2-3; Alesna-Mindoro 3-3; Faaali Patalo 2-3, homer; Angela LaRose homer; Chevy Wong 2-3.
