[ HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER ]
Kalaheo wins
with goal in OT
Kalaheo boys soccer coach Leo Titcomb stopped short of pressing the panic button last night when his Mustangs surrendered a game-tying goal on a penalty kick in the final moments of their Oahu Interscholastic Association first-round playoff matchup with Aiea.
He's grown accustomed to his team taking the long, hard route, even in victory.
"This team doesn't like to do anything the easy way -- we like to do it the hard way," Titcomb said.
True to form, the Mustangs quickly regrouped, and less than two minutes into the first overtime period, Franklin Cuello blasted a deflected ball past Aiea goalkeeper Justin Dunleavy to lift Kalaheo to a 2-1 victory in blustery Hawaii Kai. With the win, Kalaheo (6-3-2) advances to a quarterfinal matchup with host Moanalua today at 7 p.m. Aiea finished its season 6-4.
The wild finish was appropriate for a game that was hotly contested from the start.
"I knew it was going to be a physical game," Cuello said. "Their guys play hard, and our guys play hard. We were fortunate to win."
"I think it was (teammate Will) Cooper who curled the ball, and I just saw it bounce," Cuello said of his game-winning tally. "I just needed to get a foot on it, and that's what I did. It was an open goal."
Both goals in regulation came by way of penalty kicks. In the game's 55th minute, Kalaheo's Dominic Simon collided with Aiea starting goalkeeper Brandon Puckett while chasing down a ball in front of the Na Alii net. Puckett was given a red card for his part, and Aiea coach Jon Shirafuji was also ejected in the ensuing minutes. He had first come onto the field to question the call and was given a yellow card before returning to his sideline, where he continued the exchange.
"It was a 50-50 ball," Puckett said of the collision. "If anything, it should have been a yellow. When it's a smaller player and a bigger player, the smaller player will usually fall down. He's smaller than me, so that was an unfair call. I don't think (the officials) were prepared for the level of play or for the intensity of this game."
Added Shirafuji: "Having your best player taken out of the game by a judgment call is pretty hard on your team. Maybe he did it, and maybe he didn't. That was his call, but to take him out like that on one card really hurt, and that's why I questioned it."
Aiea inserted defender Justin Puckett in goal for the penalty kick, but Kalaheo's Max Anton scored on a low shot inside the left post to open the scoring. Simon, who had been attended to by a trainer for several minutes, eventually returned to the game.
From there, the Mustangs kept Na Alii at arm's length until the final moments of regulation, when Aiea drew a penalty kick off a foul by Anton. Anton was then given a red card after voicing his displeasure to the assistant referee, and Aiea's Mark Atta followed to tie the score at 1-all on the penalty kick by beating Kalaheo goalkeeper Ryan Kelly with a shot just inside the right post.
"We were very lucky to get this win," Titcomb said. "I think we were evenly matched. I hate to say anything about the referee team, but they have to work on that. One of the good things about the game was that both teams had a chance to win. And fortunately for us, we got the win."
Other OIA boys playoff games
Leilehua 3, Roosevelt 0
Kapolei 4, Kalani 3
Kaiser 4, Waianae 1Goal scorers--Lei: Syd Tom 2, R.B. Bibilone. Kap: Kea Hashimoto, Rhys Kita, Keanui Carmack-McKeague, Bronson Pieper. Kaln: Tyler Hee Wai, Marcus Nakama, Jordan Stephanos. Kais: Jacob Curtis, Kaipo Dean, Steele LeGros, Matthew Bush. Wain: Joshua Woodard.
ILH
Varsity girlsPunahou 2, Kamehameha 0
Iolani 4, St. Francis 0
Pac-Five 4, Mid-Pacific 1Goal scorers--Pun: Rachael Lau, Lizzy Carlson. Iol: Samantha Teramae 2, Lucy Caires, Amy Lawson. Pac: Lauren Ho 2, Ashley Medcalf, Melissa Canite. MPI: Kaala Leong.
Junior varsity boys
Pac-Five 0, Saint Louis 0, tie
Kamehameha-White 0, Mid-Pacific 0, tie
Hawaii School Web Sites