One player helped make a big difference for Kapolei.

Chelsie Swann scored the game's only goal to lift the Kapolei High School girls soccer team to a 1-0 win over Mililani in an O'ahu Interscholastic Association match last night at Kapolei.

Swann, who leads the West Division in goals with 15, missed the last meeting between the schools that Mililani won, 5-2, last month.

Swann scored 1:35 into the second half, converting on a pass sent from the left corner by Kirsten Otsuka. Swann's attempt slid into the bottom right of goal, just past Mililani goalkeeper Joleen Realin.

"She always gives great passes," Swann said of Otsuka. "Her crosses are the best on the team. When I saw it, I didn't know it would go in. I just wanted to try to put my body on it. I stuck my leg out and then it hit my knee and into the corner. She did an awesome job."

After an early offensive attack by the Trojans, the Hurricanes (8-1-1) adjusted their field position midway through the first half to gain better ball control. The move paid off in the second half.

"We dropped one of our forwards into the midfield to gain control of the ball a little bit more," Kapolei coach Brian Beck said. "We sacrificed our up-top play in the first half just so we could solidify the midfield. We wanted to see if we could hold the midfield."

Mililani (6-2-0) did get good looks at the goal in the second half, but couldn't convert. Chelsey Goo's shot was stopped by Kapolei goalkeeper Ashlee Dela Cruz in the 55th minute. Dela Cruz stopped Shawna Fujita's attempt off a corner kick in the 66th. Three minutes later, a Mililani pass got by Kapolei defender Jessica Abbondanza, but Mililani's Mari Miyashiro couldn't convert.

A Trojan free kick went over the goal in the game's final minutes. Abbondanza, Chaney Lopez and Taylor Dela Cruz anchored the Kapolei defense, which went into the game with one player hurt.

"We burnt ourselves out on so much of the direct play in the first half that we tried to slow down (in the second)," Mililani coach Ray Akiona said. "When you're down one goal, it's kind of hard to play in reserve mode."

Beck told his team to be more defensive-minded in the second half.

"As soon as we got one goal, we knew they're a really good goal scoring team, I told them to play more defensively in the second half but still maintain possession."

Mililani attacked early in the first half with Isabel Romero sending a shot directly at Ashlee Dela Cruz less than a minute into the game. Allison Kagawa sent a free kick directly at the Kapolei goalkeeper in the third minute. The shot was bobbled by the goalkeeper, and the ball rolled out, resulting in a corner kick that went over the goal.

Fujita's shot in the 17th minute went just wide of the goal, as did two more Mililani shots in the first half.

"You have to take advantage of that, especially against a good team like Kapolei, you can't let them get by," Akiona said. "That made the difference in the game."

"We were a little bit disappointed the first time we played Mililani," Beck said. "As soon as the girls came off the field, they were just really hungry to get them on our field."

Reach Stanley Lee at sktlee@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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