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Posted at 1:52 a.m., Friday, January 18, 2008

Preps: Kekaulike girls blank Baldwin, 5-0

By Robert Collias
The Maui News

PUKALANI, Maui — They weren't playing for the Maui Interscholastic League title like they were last year at this point, but there is almost never a game that isn't important when the Baldwin and King Kekaulike high school girls soccer teams meet.

It was Na Ali'i who made the loudest statement between the two Division I teams that have represented the MIL at the state tournament for the last eight years, getting two goals from Justine Amano and running away with a resounding 5-0 win last night at King Kekaulike Stadium.

The victory lifts Na Ali'i (9-2-1) into a second-place tie with the Bears (9-3-1) in the MIL Division I standings with 28 points apiece.

There is a very real possibility these two could face each other again — with the league's second and final D-I state-tournament berth on the line.

The Bears finish with Seabury Hall (3-9-0) on Tuesday, while Na Ali'i face Maui (3-7-2) on Saturday and Kamehameha-Maui (11-0-0) on Wednesday.

Last night, however, it was all King Kekaulike, which avenged a 1-0 loss to Baldwin in the first meeting between the two on Dec. 21.

Na Ali'i coach Gundi Dancil's continual message is that the next game on the schedule is always the team's most important.

"We just thought that we were going to come out strong like coach tells us we need to do every game,'' Amano, who also had an assist, said to The Maui News. "He always says the next game is the most important game. We didn't expect to do anything like this against a team like Baldwin, we just wanted to play our best.''

Amano got that started in the fifth minute of the game when she scored from 18 yards out. The score stayed 1-0 for 26 minutes until Kaylee Kihara put home a beautiful cross from Kelsey Abellanida.

One minute before halftime, Amano was denied by Baldwin goalkeeper Courtney Ishikawa on a breakaway from about four yards out.

Na Ali'i's Maci Tokunaga headed in the third goal from three yards out after the two teams scrambled for the ball following a corner kick in front of the Bears' goal.

Amano made the score 4-0 in the 52nd minute from 10 yards out, and Alana Fernandez headed in the final goal in the 74th after Amano's corner kick.

Baldwin outshot Na Ali'i 11-8 for the game.

King Kekaulike had a 5-2 advantage in corner kicks, but the Bears enjoyed a 10-4 edge in free kicks.

"I don't know, we controlled the ball and we would go on offense, we create a lot of opportunities and we cannot score,'' Baldwin coach Kawika Keator said. "Then on defense we have these mental lapses and every time we made a mistake, we paid. Every mistake we made they scored a goal.''

Baldwin's Shanelle Sakamoto hit the crossbar in the 67th minute and Ayesha Pladera missed wide on a breakaway in the 72nd minute.

"We just told the girls to forget this one,'' Keator said. "We told them, 'We have one more game and we have to play hard, and even though we don't control our destiny, we just have to hope that other people help us.' ''

The message for Na Ali'i was completely different.

"I just told the girls after the game to give themselves a hand,'' Dancil said. "They worked for this game and also for the rest of the season they know they need to step up and get the job done.''

MIL STANDINGS

Division I

W L T Pts

Kamehameha-Maui 11 0 0 33

King Kekaulike 9 2 1 28

Baldwin 9 3 1 28

Lahainaluna 5 5 2 17

Maui 3 7 2 11

Division II

W L T Pts

St. Anthony 4 6 2 14

Seabury Hall 3 9 0 9

Moloka'i 0 12 0 0

Yesterday's Result

King Kekaulike 5, Baldwin 0

Today's Games

Kamehameha-Maui at Moloka'i, 4 p.m.

St. Anthony vs. Lahainaluna at War Memorial Stadium, 7 p.m.

For more Maui news, visit The Maui News.