honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, February 2, 2008

ILH rivals reach DI final

Photo galleryPhoto gallery: Punahou vs. Pearl City soccer

By Leila Wai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Kamehameha's Amber Fuller, left, and a leaping Jasmine Luke avoid Mililani goal keeper Joleen Realin, who made the stop during the first half at Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Stadium. Kamehameha won the penalty-kick shootout for a 1-0 victory.

Photos by JOAQUIN SIOPACK | The Honolulu Advertiser

spacer spacer
Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Punahou's Erin Rementer, second from left, is congratulated by teammates after scoring her second goal in the 62nd minute in yesterday's 3-0 Division I state semifinal victory over Pearl City.

spacer spacer

For the second straight year the Kamehameha girls soccer team survived in penalty kicks against Mililani, reaching the state finals for the third straight time.

It will be an all-Interscholastic League of Honolulu championship game for the first time since 1999, when Kamehameha and Punahou play in the JN Automotive Group/HHSAA Girls State Division I Soccer Championship.

The game is tonight at 8 at the Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Stadium.

The top-seeded Warriors (12-2-0) outshot Mililani, 4-1, for the 1-0 victory. Punahou (12-1-2) defeated Pearl City, 3-0, in the other semifinal game.

"Mililani is always such a good team," said Kamehameha coach Michele Nagamine, who told her team what a great accomplishment it was to reach the finals for three straight years.

"Before, we had a very small target on our backs, just because teams always like to beat ILH teams. As we've experienced success with our program, people get psyched to play us," she said.

Kamehameha sophomore defender Tarra Gabriel, senior defender Shelby Moriguchi, junior midfielder Amber Fuller and sophomore forward Courtney-Rae Botelho made their shots, and goalkeeper Kanani Taaca blocked one shot for the win. Kamehameha didn't need to take its fifth shot because two Mililani kickers missed. Trojans sophomore Chelsey Miyake made her penalty kick.

"Tonight was a hard game," Taaca said. "Mililani came out fast, and their off-the-ball movement was super good."

It is the first all-ILH final since 1999, the last year the ILH had two berths in the state tournament. Punahou is 2-1 against Kamehameha this season.

Mililani (13-5-0) and Kamehameha headed into penalty kicks after failing to score through 80 minutes of regulation and two 10-minute overtime periods.

PUNAHOU 3, PEARL CITY 0

Punahou senior forward Erin Rementer had never played in a state tournament before this year.

Last night, she scored two goals in a win over Pearl City in a semifinal victory at the Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Stadium.

"The years before, we got really close, but we just had bad luck," Rementer said of the Buffanblu, who scored all three goals in the second half. "But I'm so happy. This was my dream from the beginning of the year."

Punahou's two other seniors, midfielders Brittney Sanford and Breehn Sasaki, were the only players on Punahou with any state tournament experience. They were on the last Buffanblu team to win a state title in 2005, the final year in a string of three straight state championships.

"The whole team has been waiting for this," Punahou coach Matt Martinson said. "You can see it in their eyes."

On Rementer's first goal, the Buffanblu worked it down the left side and Sanford passed it from near the endline to Rementer in the 53rd minute.

Rementer's second goal, in the 62nd minute, was started by freshman midfielder Allyson Holtz, who passed a square ball to Rementer just beyond the center circle. Rementer then beat several Chargers on a footrace into the 18-yard box before slipping the ball between the left, near post and the goalkeeper.

Punahou sophomore Karli Look scored in the 71st minute.

"We played a great first half," Pearl City (15-1-1) coach Frank Baumholtz said. "One juke in the middle (by Rementer), and it just killed us."

CONSOLATION SEMIFINALS

KONAWAENA 2, KAISER 1

The Wildcats defeated the Cougars 8-7 in penalty kicks to advance to the consolation finals. Konawaena's Chelsea Abril scored in the 56th minute and Kaiser's Amanda Suiso tied it in the 67th minute.

MOANALUA 3, KAMEHAMEHA-MAUI 2

Tiana Fujimoto scored two goals (43rd, 52nd minutes) and Lexi Jones added another for Na Menehune. Cheynice Ruidas scored in the 67th and 79th minutes for the Warriors.

Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com.