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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Kamehameha girls shut out 'Iolani in ILH

Photo gallery: Kamehameha vs Iolani soccer

By Kyle Sakamoto
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Kamehameha's Gabriella Yates, middle, and 'Iolani's Kelsey Hung attempt to head the ball with 'Iolani's Storm Nana at left.

JEFF WIDENER | The Honolulu Advertiser

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Meleana Shim and Whitney Minamishin helped the Kamehameha girls soccer team accomplish its mission yesterday: beat 'Iolani.

Shim and Minamishin scored second-half goals as Kamehameha beat host 'Iolani, 2-0, in an Interscholastic League of Honolulu match.

"We told the kids at halftime, we have to make sure that we don't stress ourselves out," said Kamehameha coach Michele Nagamine. "We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to try and score as fast as we could and we kind of psyched ourselves out a bit."

Kamehameha improved to 5-0-1 (16 points) and moved into first place ahead of idle Punahou 4-0-2 (14 points). 'Iolani dropped to 4-2-0 (12 points).

Both Warriors' goals yesterday came after corner kicks.

After a Kamehameha corner kick from the left side went through the penalty box, Caprice Dydasco tracked down the ball and sent a perfect, off-balanced pass to Shim, who knocked it in on the far post with a sliding shot in the 64th minute.

"I was just thinking to myself I don't want to tie this game because it would put us tied with Punahou," said Dydasco, a sophomore forward/midfielder. "So I just gave everything I had, just turned and I saw Meleana at the backdoor and I just cracked it."

Added Shim: "It was a beautiful ball. Anyone could have been on the other end of it."

Shim, a senior midfield who will play for Santa Clara next season, increased her league leading goal total to eight.

"She was in the perfect place and that was a tremendous personal effort ... sliding ... very dramatic," Nagamine said.

The Warriors made it 2-0 in the 71st minute after Dydasco's corner kick pin-balled around a couple of players in the penalty box and bounced to Minamishin, who tapped it in just in front of the goal line.

"The corner kick went in and it nicked the top of my head and Leila (Machado) crossed it back in and I just swung and it went in," Minamishin said.

It was the first goal of the season for Minamishin, a junior defender.

"To see the celebration after, that was pretty cool," Nagamine said. "It's not every day the defense gets to score."

Kamehameha had eight shots on goal, including five in the second half. 'Iolani had two — both in the first half.

The Raiders had scoring opportunities late in the first half and early in the second.

In the 38th minute, 'Iolani's Elissa Minamishin controlled the ball just in front of the goal, but her shot was smothered.

"Right at the end of the first half we had an opportunity to put the ball in the back of the net and we didn't get that in there," said 'Iolani coach Chris Nied.

The Raiders' Nicole Endo had a break away in the 48th minute, but a quick-closing defender forced her shot to go over the goal.

"They got their opportunities and they put them in," Nied said. "We had ours and we didn't."

He added: "Actually, that's the best game we've played to date."

Reach Kyle Sakamoto at ksakamoto@honoluluadvertiser.com.