Kamehameha beats Castle, 2-0

By Leila Wai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Kaiser's Gaser Khamis soars above Waiakea's Jared Tatsuno to head a pass. Kaiser won, 2-0. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser Boys state soccer tournament At Aloha Stadium Yesterday G1—Kalaheo 2, Hilo 1 G2—Kaiser 2, Waiakea 0 G3—Pearl City 1, Kaua'i 0 G4—Kamehameha 2, Castle 0 Today Consolation G5—Kaua'i vs. Castle, 11 a.m. Winners' bracket G6—Baldwin vs. Kalaheo, 1 p.m. G7—Kealakehe vs. Kamehameha, 3 p.m. G8—Iolani vs. Kaiser, 5 p.m. G9—Mililani vs. Pearl City, 7 p.m. Boys state soccer tournament Yesterday G1—Kalaheo 2, Hilo 1 G2—Kaiser 2, Waiakea 0 G3—Pearl City 1, Kaua'i 0 G4—Kamehameha 2, Castle 0 Today Consolation G5—Kaua'i vs. Castle, 11 a.m. Winners' bracket G6—Baldwin vs. Kalaheo, 1 p.m. G7—Kealakehe vs. Kamehameha, 3 p.m. G8—Iolani vs. Kaiser, 5 p.m. G9—Mililani vs. Pearl City, 7 p.m. Tomorrow Consolation G10—Hilo vs. Waiakea, noon G11—Losers of G7 and G9, 2 p.m. G12—Losers of G6 and G8, 4 p.m. Semifinals G13—Winners of G6 and G8, 6 p.m. G14—Winners of G7 and G9, 8 p.m. Saturday Consolation — Winners of G5 and G10, 2 p.m. Fifth place — Winners of G11 and G12, 4 p.m. Third place — Losers of G13 and G14, 6 p.m. Championship — Winners of G13 and G14, 8 p.m.

Instead, it took home a 2-0 win over Castle in the opening round of the Ohana Hotels & Resorts Boys Soccer Championships at Aloha Stadium.

Kamehameha goalkeeper Nick Freitas said he was not happy with the Warriors' play, but "winning is better than losing, at least we're advancing to the next game."

Kamehameha faces third-seeded Kealakehe (13-2), the Big Island Interscholastic Federation champion, in the quarterfinals today at 3 p.m.

"The first half we weren't playing our game, we were trying to chase the ball down and it was getting us tired," senior midfielder Aaron Souza said.

Souza and sophomore midfielder Logan Sauer scored for the Warriors (11-2-3) of the Interscholastic League of Honolulu.

Souza headed the ball into the upper left corner of the goal in the 30th minute after two failed attempts by the Knights to clear the ball following junior Dustin Engle's corner kick.

The Warriors scored again in the second half when Freitas punted a ball that traveled more than 100 yards and bounced into Castle's six-yard box.

Junior Michael DeCaires contested the ball with Castle goalkeeper Chris Durlacher, heading the ball before Durlacher could gain possession of it. The ball bounced toward Sauer, who put it into the open goal.

Sauer said that they often utilize Freitas' long punts.

Despite the win and the Warriors' domination, coach Andrew Ah New said that he was not happy with the way the team played.

"We dominated in terms of shots taken, but didn't play our game," said Ah New, who added that he thought his team was too pumped up, and that was the reason they played badly.

"Some guys surprised me, they're usually pretty steady on the ball but they were shaky," he said.

Ah New also said that only one senior, midfielder David Gualdarama, had experience playing at Aloha Stadium, and he believed that contributed to the team's nerves.

Gualdarama said that because the team's adrenaline was high, they were playing the ball too quickly.

"When we do control the ball, we work it around good," he said.

Still, the Warriors' defense, led by Freitas, shut out Castle (9-4-1) and its leading scorer Kory Muraoka, who led the O'ahu Interscholastic Association Eastern Division with 12 goals this season.

"They played high pressure and our guys tried hard but they weren't quite ready to deal with it," Castle assistant coach Marc Lachance said.

In yesterday's other opening-round games:

Kalaheo 2, Hilo 1: Seniors Andrew Wary and Max Anton scored for Kalaheo (9-4-2), the OIA's runner-up.

Wary scored in the sixth minute after receiving a pass from Anton and making a 30-yard shot over the goalkeeper.

"I saw the goalkeeper come out and I knew I had to shoot it over his head," Wary said. "I did what I had to do."

Anton scored in the 70th minute after collecting a square pass from senior Franklin Cuello, beating one defender to the left side of the penalty box, and shooting a low ball into the right corner of the goal.

Senior Brian Straight scored on a penalty kick in the 75th minute for Hilo (10-7) of the BIIF. Hilo was awarded the penalty kick when sophomore Nicholas Schaffer was taken down in the penalty box.

Pearl City 1, Kaua'i 0: Senior midfielder Keone Peiper scored in the fifth minute to lift the Chargers (11-2) of the OIA past Kaua'i (5-4) of the Kaua'i Interscholastic Federation.

Peiper scored on a header off a cross from Aaron Kau, who made a 40-yard run down the right sideline before making the cross.

Radson Tactay kept Pearl City in the lead when he made a sliding save to stop the ball from going into the goal in the 67th minute.

The Chargers outshot the Red Raiders 19-2.

Kaiser 2, Waiakea 0: Jeremy Patton and Jacob Curtis scored as the Cougars (12-2-1) of the OIA blanked the Warriors (14-3) of the BIIF.

Patton scored 29 seconds into the game when he headed in a 25-yard direct kick from Curtis from the right side of the field. Patton, who was running to the back post, headed the ball back into the right side of the goal.

Curtis scored in the 46th minute after a defender headed out Curtis' corner kick, and Curtis, who was running back, trapped the ball and shot it to the near, right post. The ball skimmed on the inside of the post, freezing goalkeeper Kacy Goldstein.

"I was expecting the goalkeeper to get it, but he put his hands down and I saw it go in," Curtis said.

Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2457.