Moanalua, Castle girls miss chances in 0-0 tie
By Leila Wai
Advertiser Staff Writer
Castle midfielder Lauren Kanda raced down the field with no one around her, but Moanalua goalkeeper Amanda Fukushima crept up to make the play, stopping Kanda with a diving save.
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser
It was a play symbolic of the entire match, with neither Moanalua nor Castle able to get past the other in a 0-0 tie in an O'ahu Interscholastic Association Eastern Division girls soccer match yesterday at Moanalua.
Moanalua's Vanessa Butin heads the ball away from Castle's Briann Wong during last night's OIA match. The teams played to a 0-0 tie.
The tie left the top of the standings crowded, with Moanalua (4-0-3) and Kailua (5-0-2) undefeated and Kahuku (4-1-2) and Castle (4-1-2) with one loss each.
"I was thinking, 'She can't score, because it's probably the only opportunity they are going to have,' " Fukushima said.
While it wasn't the only opportunity, it was the best one either team had in a match played almost entirely in the middle of the field.
Moanalua's best chances came off direct kicks by sophomore defender Ashley Dolan, whose 30-yard shot in the 30th minute was called a goal by the assistant referee — who thought the goalkeeper had possession of the ball inside the goal — but was waved off by the center referee, who ruled the ball did not cross the goal line.
"I think our shot ranges come from 30 to 35 yards out," Moanalua coach Nikki Dela Pena said. "A lot times they look for the perfect shot, which isn't always possible."
Dolan had another kick four minutes later that clanged off the goalpost, and triggered a counterattack that led to Kanda's play.
Castle coach Mark Kane summed up the night, saying, "More than enough chances; hard luck tonight. I thought we created the opportunities we need to, but we need to be able to score when we get those opportunities."
A quick and speedy Castle team struggled with Moanalua's size and aggressiveness, and brought out a special play to equalize Moanalua's height advantage: bringing its goalkeeper, Sarah Phromsiri, out of the goal on a corner kick to utilize her size.
"We practiced that in practice," said Castle junior forward Ashley Kanda, Lauren's twin sister. "(We tried it to) see what happens."
Ashley Kanda had the last good offensive chance for either team, running down the right side of the field and finishing the play with a shot that bounced off the right goalpost in the 77th minute.
"I was looking for a cross, but I just shanked it," she said.
It was the 10th match that ended in a tie in the Eastern Division this season, compared to two in the West, pointing to another OIA season with defensive-minded teams in the East and high-scoring teams in the West.
BOYS
Moanalua 1, Castle 1: Colin Morikawa scored with 15 minutes left, helping host Moanalua (4-2-1) gain a 1-1 tie with Castle (5-1-1) in an OIA Eastern Division match.
Ethan Gonsalves gave the Knights a 1-0 halftime lead.
Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2457.
MORE OIA
Eastern Division
Girls Varsity
Kalaheo 1, Kailua 1
Goals—Kalah: Kahili Cheng. Kail: Tara Imamura.
Roosevelt 3, Farrington 0
Goals—Roos: Julie Ajifu 2, Rachel Domingo 1.
Kaiser 6, Kaimuki 0
Goals—Kais: Amanda Suiso 3, Rachel Tomita 2, Carianne Makino 1.
Kalani 0, McKinley 0
Girls Junior Varsity
Kalaheo 2, Kailua 1
Moanalua 0, Castle 0
Roosevelt 1, Farrington 1
Boys Varsity
Moanalua 1, Castle 1
Goals—Moan: Colin Morikawa. Cast: Ethan Gonsalves.
Kaiser 0, Kaimuki 0
Farrington at Roosevelt: Match was rescheduled for today at 4:15 p.m. at Farrington because of unplayable conditions at Roosevelt's field.
ILH
Girls Varsity
Punahou 2, Pac-Five 0
Goals—Pun: Brittney Sanford, Kelsie Look.
Iolani 1, Mid-Pacific 0
Goal—Iol: Malia Anderson.
Boys Junior Varsity
Punahou Blue 5, Pac-Five 0
