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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted at 10:51 p.m., Friday, February 9, 2007

Kamehameha reaches girls state soccer D-I title match

By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer

WAIPAHU — Kamehameha senior forward Jenny Eugenio lined a 30-yard rope into the goal in the 45th minute Friday night to lift the Warriors to a 1-0 victory over Pearl City in the Meadow Gold Dairies/Hawai'i High School Athletic Association semifinals.

Interscholastic League of Honolulu champion and No. 1-seeded Kamehameha will face O'ahu Interscholastic Association champ and No. 2 seed Kapolei in the 8 p.m. title game at Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Stadium.

A stadium crowd of about 1,000 watched Eugenio's powerful kick from the center of the field zoom past Chargers keeper Tiyana Arakaki, who made a last-second leap to block the rising ball. Warriors keeper Kanani Taaca then preserved the victory with three clutch saves, including a sliding stop on a one-on-one breakaway in the 53rd minute and a diving stop on a penalty kick in the 58th minute.

Kamehameha needed two overtime periods and penalty kicks to get past Mililani, 2-1, in Thursday's quarterfinals. Last night, the Warriors had five shots on goal in the first 40 minutes but were shut out until Eugenio found herself wide open five minutes into the second half.

She did a quick spin to her right and then launched the right-footed shot squarely down the middle.

The Warriors, who out-shot Pearl City 14-7, appeared in control after that until the Chargers got the one-on-one breakaway down the left side. But Taaca smothered the shot with a slide, then dove to her left to gobble up a PK five minutes later after Kamehameha was called for a foul in the box.

Pearl City had a direct kick from 40 yards out sail over the goal in the 63rd minute and stayed on the attack, but would get no better opportunities.