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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Dartt lifts Leilehua boys past Kalani

By Leila Wai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Leilehua senior goalkeeper Daniel Dartt wanted to dedicate his most recent performance to his father, Sgt. First Class Sam Dartt, who is stationed in Iraq.

With three saves on penalty kicks, including twice in the penalty-kicks portion of the game, Dartt made his father proud.

The Mules outlasted Kalani in the penalty-kicks portion 3-1 to defeat the Falcons, 2-1, in a O'ahu Interscholastic Association Red Division first-round match last night at Pearl City High School.

The score was tied 1-1 through 80 minutes of regulation and two 10-minute overtime periods.

Leilehua (3-3-7) advances to play West champion Mililani (7-2-3) at Mililani at 7 p.m. in today's quarterfinal round. Kalani finished its season 3-6-4.

The top six OIA teams qualify for the state tournament, Feb. 11 to 14 at the Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Complex.

Leilehua's Cameron Keawe, Corey Dartt and Maika Kunioka made their penalty kicks, and Daniel Dartt stopped two.

Kalani's Danny Higa made his kick and goalkeeper Andrew Tepping blocked one.

"I feel confident if we go to PKs because I feel like we have the best keeper in the state," Leilehua coach James "JJ" Cabralda said. "I tell the kickers that Daniel will stop at least one, maybe two. It's up to the kickers to do their job."

Junior midfielder/forward Sly Izumigawa scored in the seventh minute for Leilehua after crashing the 6-yard box following a series of blocked shots.

Junior forward Evan Igarashi started the play on a breakaway into the 18-yard box. His shot was stopped by Tepping, and followed up by sophomore midfielder Makoa DeVincent, whose shot was also blocked by Tepping. Izumigawa finally put the ball in the goal.

It was Izumigawa's first goal — ever.

"It feels good," he said.

The next minute, Kalani had a similar opportunity when a free kick by Higa bounced off Dartt and to the foot of Gavin Taketa, but his shot bounced off the crossbar and out of play.

Kalani had a chance to tie on a penalty kick but Dartt blocked it in the 67th minute.

Higa scored on Kalani's next opportunity, shooting a direct free kick from just beyond the 18-yard box in the 69th minute. His kick glanced off the Leilehua wall and into the upper left-hand side of the goal.

It looked as though Kalani was going to win in the final seconds of the second overtime period when Higa broke free and shot just as the referee blew the whistle. The ball went into the goal, but the referee called it back.

"It was an unusual thing to happen," Kalani coach Carl Kim said. "It was a split-second thing."

Cabralda said the play warranted a talk with his team after the game.

"I heard the referee blow the whistle," Cabralda said. "They heard the whistle so I think they let up. I, like most coaches, tell them to play until they hear the whistle. Although I will have some words with them."

Reach Leila Wai at 535-2457 or lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com.

O'AHU INTERSCHOLASTIC ASSOCIATION

TOURNAMENTS

RED CONFERENCE

LEILEHUA 2, KALANI 1, 2 OT AND PK 3-1

Goal scorers—Lei: Sly Izumiyawa. Kalan: Danny Higa.

KAISER 2, PEARL CITY 0

Goal scorers—Kais: Jason Khamvongsa, Brandon Ale.

KAPOLEI 3, KAHUKU 1

Goal scorers—Kap: Justin Malvar 2, Micah Uehara. Kahu: Max Hanneman.

MOANALUA 2, CAMPBELL 0

Goal scorers—Moan: David Ogata, Justin Watanabe.

WHITE CONFERENCE

MCKINLEY 3, WAIPAHU 1

Goal scorers—McK: Cody Maemori, Luis Diaz, Josh Chun. Waip: Vinson Nana.

RADFORD 4, KAIMUKI 1

Goal scorers—Rad: Christopher Nichols 2, Luther Dumlao, Darian Lambrecht. Kaim: Robert Clarke.

Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com.