Girls soccer plays shut out against King Kekaulike
Still in running for first
Photo by Alyssa Urayanza
Senior Kehaulani Macadangdang (2) clears the ball away from the Warrior net. In a do-or-die game last night, January 30, Kamehameha Maui pulled out a win over the King Kekaulike and kept alive hopes of both a shot at the league title and trip to the state tournament.
January 31, 2015
We have to win. Losing is not an option. If we lose, weʻre out.
These thoughts ran through the heads of the girls varsity soccer team before last nightʻs game. This game, more than the last game of the regular season on Tuesday, would determine whether their shot at a return to the state championship was still within their reach.
The girls gave it all they had and came out victorious with a 4 -0 shut out against the league leaders, King Kekaulikeʻs Nā Ali’i.
“I think this is one of the best games weʻve played. [We played] with heart and we just played really well,” Kealaokapuamakamae Aquino said. “We knew what was at stake, and we accomplished what we needed to do to get where we needed to be.”
Knowing what was at stake, both teams stepped onto the field determined and with no intention of losing. When the referee blew his whistle, the game that would determine everything, began.
The ball zipped from one player to the next, slowly making itʻs way towards Nā Ali’iʻs goal, and six minutes and thirty seconds into the game, junior Taira Lucas got a foot on the ball and fired it into the back of the net.
Nearly twelve minutes later, junior Quinn Williams managed to score on a follow up after two other players had shot one after another and missed.
Both Williams and freshman Kamalei Roback came closer to scoring before the end of the half, but missed.
The first half ended with Nā Ali’i trailing at 0-2.
Despite the ball being near the Warrior goal for most of the second half, sophomore Clara-Josephine Medeiros and Roback managed a goal, bringing the score to a stagnant 4-0 for the rest of the game.
“I think they are very happy [about winning] and they feel good about all the hard work they have been putting into practices, and it reflects in the game tonight,” assistant coach Momi Chun said. “We worked more on different things, tactical things. We worked on using the whole field, and we worked on switching the field.”
“The girls did a great job. They came to play and they came to win. They do all the work. We just get to enjoy them.”
If the girls had lost this game, they would be out of the running for either a shot at the Maui Interscholastic League title or a berth at the state tourney, but after last nightʻs victory, they are now tied with Baldwin High School in third place. Both schools are behind second-place Maui High by one point, and behind the leader, King Kekaulike, by two points. One loss or tie by any of the other three schools racing for the title in the last week of the regular season can push the Warriors to the top.
The team is looking forward to winning against Seabury Hall on Tuesday, Feb. 3, and then working their way through the league playoffs on Friday, Feb. 6. The Baldwin Bears will be formidable opponents.
“[The game against] Baldwin should be interesting. You know, we lost to them and then we won to them. Whatever the outcome, I know weʻll give it our best and thatʻs all weʻre trying to do,” Aquino said.
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