Boys soccer shuts out Sabers, stay in first
Photo by Kainoa Deguilmo
Bryant Kubo jumps for a header. Bryson Funai is ready to back him. The cohesive Maui Warriors held onto their lead in the MIL with a 6-0 win over the Maui High Sabers January 23 at Kanaʻiaupuni Stadium.
January 24, 2015
The Warriors stomped the Sabers 6-0, bouncing back from their tie with Baldwin in their last outing.
The Warriors had a night, producing a shutout thanks to a stout defense and aggressive offense.
Brennan Joaquin scored twice, Nainoa Silva scored twice and both Micah Alo and Noa Moikeha-Silifaiva scored once.
“Tonight, we played well,” said Coach Kyle Herendeen. “Despite the lead [in the first half], we played smart soccer and moved the ball well. We’re happy with ourselves.”
The Warriors looked smooth and more relaxed tonight.
The Sabers were down by a number of players who were out for various reasons.
“I say that it was both the injuries and sickness on our side and the performance of the Warriors tonight. We had a lot of starters injured, but we also played a good team tonight,” said Joe Rodrigues, Maui High’s head coach.
Herendeen took note of the Saber’s perseverance.
“They fought hard. They didn’t have the numbers we did, but they went out there and put stress on us at times,” he said.
The Sabers are looking forward to the rest of the season.
“Hopefully, we can get healthier and more bodies out on the field,” Coach Rodrigues said. “I saw a lot of players step up tonight.”
Maui High was not the only team suffering from sickness. Brennan Joaquin scored two goals for the night despite being sick with the cold that’s been going around.
“I used my mom as my motivation,” he said. “She’s been through thyroid cancer, so if she can do it, so can I.”
Although he was sick, you wouldn’t know it by watching him play against the Sabers.
“We played well together, we moved the ball great, and we got good results,” Joaquin said. “Maui High’s a good team, they play together well.”
The Warriors were also on their game. Joaquin attributed his goals to a good team effort overall.
“I scored twice thanks to Micah and Nainoa. They gave me good passes and I was there at the right time,” he said.
