WAILUKU – The Kamehameha Girls soccer team tied against the MIL champions, Baldwin, in a tense game at War Memorial Stadium Thursday night. The Bears have been league champs for the past three years.

The game was the Warriors’ first time playing the team after their initial match this season got postponed.

“At first it seemed intimidating going against Baldwin, but once the game began, it was like any other game,” freshman Sofia Stupplebeen said.

For the first half, Baldwin kept control of the ball, leaving Kamehameha searching for possession.

Baldwin’s Kassie Inouye scored off a misplaced head-butt by junior Kaitlyn Randall,  and the Bears finished the first half 1-0.

Entering the second half, the Warriors created more movement and fought harder for ball possession.

“We were both getting aggressive for the ball. I found ourselves on defense a lot but we had some good breakouts,” senior Kennedy-Kainoa Tamashiro said.

One of the Warriors’ quick breakouts led to a corner kick by Stupplebeen, which was sent to senior Kayla Tuitele, who scored Kamehameha’s first goal of the night to tie with the Bears.

After Tuitele’s goal, the Warriors found themselves on defense while Baldwin pushed a strong offense.

The game finished off with a nail-biting moment when the Warriors’ senior Ilihia Keawekane got the ball and broke away.

With a minute left on the clock, Keawekane got open in front of the goal with only the goalie to get past. In the end, Baldwin’s goalie, freshman Amy Schmidt, blocked Keawekane’s shot, keeping the score at a 1-1 tie for the rest of the game.

Gallery • 5 Photos

Photo by Aaron Veincent

Senior Ilihia Keawekane takes a shot after a quick breakout.