The Kamehameha Maui varsity boys soccer team won, 5-0, against St. Anthony High School, tonight, January 25, at their home field. The weather was perfect for the game, mild and with an orange-pink sunset for the background
Throughout the game, the coach put most of the players in and played some of them in positions other than their regular assignments.
Sophomore Walter Kaeo was goalkeep for most of the second half, while regular goalkeep, junior Acer Pahukoa, showed he is an all-around player by holding his own in the forward position. Kaeo made at least five saves, and Pahukoa assisted in keeping the ball within scoring range.
“I thought it was good that we utilized everyone well,” Coach Kimo Correa said.
Freshman Colton Cabanas scored the first goal less than two minutes into the first half, giving the Warriors the early advantage.
Sophomores Avinash Singh and Chandler Alo made the second and third goals of the game, which brought the score to 3-0, Warriors, when the game headed into halftime.
The Warriors played a good offensive game with a number of great scoring opportunities, but the Trojans’ goalie, Ryan Apel, used his sure hands and keen eyes to make many saves and keep St. Anthony within tie or win range for most of the game, especially in the second half, where he and the Trojan defense kept the Warriors scoreless until the last five minutes of the game.
With 5:39 left on the clock, junior Stephen Barut, making a dramatic slide in the goal area, brought the score up to 4-0.
With less than two minutes left on the clock, sophomore Kailoa Akoi made the final goal, bringing the game score to 5-0, Warriors.
“Personally, I thought the game went well. In our loss last week against Lahainaluna, we weren’t able to connect like we usually do, but this game we got our fire back,” Barut said.
Barut is a leader on the team, one of only five upperclassmen among three juniors and two seniors. While he scored one goal tonight, the others were scored by sophomores and one freshman. The youth of the team has been a factor in their performance this year.
After an imperfect season that has put the Warriors in fifth place in Division I of the Maui Interscholastic League (4-3-2) and nearly out of contention for a state appearance, the win bolstered the team’s spirit.
“This puts us in the right mindset to know that we’re still in this, and it just gets us even more ready for our game [against Maui High School] on Friday [January 27],” Barut said.
The team is scheduled to play the Sabers at 4:00 p.m. at Maui High School.
