[ HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER ]
FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Iolani goalkeeper Jason Keanini made a save near the end of the first half of last night's game vs. Mililani at Aloha Stadium.
Trojans win
title againMililani beats Iolani on
penalty kicks for its fourth
straight soccer championship
Mililani's reign continues.
The Trojans defeated Iolani 1-0 last night to capture the Ohana Hotels and Resorts Boys State Soccer Championship in front of 3,338 at Aloha Stadium. After 100 minutes (regulation and two 10-minute overtimes) of the intense skirmish, Mililani finally got the upper hand by winning 4-3 on penalty kicks.
It was the fourth straight title for the Trojans, who finished with a 15-0 mark and gave the Raiders (12-1-4) their first defeat.
Ehren Ching scored the winning goal in the PK portion for Mililani. He was the team's seventh shooter (it was tied 3-3 after the first five shooters) and he put it in the low left corner moments after goalkeeper Darren Smith dove to stop Iolani's Lee Anderson.
"I had the feeling it was going to come down to me or the shooters after me," Ching said. "When Darren made that save, it took a whole lot of pressure off. I had a feeling he (Iolani keeper Jason Keanini) wouldn't read me. He had seen a lot of shots high and to the right, so I don't think he was expecting my shot the other way. I just gave it a smooth stroke right into that corner."
Brent Murakami, Patrick Egloria and Todd Sorbin also scored for Mililani in the PK portion and Smith made one other stop and got help from the crossbar on Dyrk Teramae's shot on the Raiders' sixth attempt.
"I didn't mind (the pressure)," Smith said. "I just put the crowd out of my mind and focused on what I had to do. On their last shot, I stuttered a little, but then I saw his foot open up and I knew it was coming that way (chest-high and to the right)."
Adam Inaba, Mike Kanemori and Dane McCleary scored the Iolani PKs, while Keanini made two diving stops.
The party almost came sooner for the Trojans when Tyler Kilborn kicked Justin Kim's direct kick into the left corner of the net with time running out in the first overtime. But the officials disallowed the goal -- while Mililani players, coaches and fans were in the midst of a celebration -- for an offside infraction.
Kim came close to finishing it midway through the first extra period, but his 20-yard direct kick flew over the crossbar on the left side.
Mililani also nearly ended it with under four minutes left in regulation when Jay Abrigo headed Kim's deep throw-in toward the left corner of the goal, but Keanini got a hand on it. Keanini recovered in time to block Ching's rebound attempt targeted for the same corner.
"It was a wonderful game," said Raiders coach Ric Miller, who was all smiles despite the loss. "Nobody has beaten them in the tournament the last four years and we took them to double OT and PKs. They had the will and experience to win it again. It was a long season and a lot of things can happen, but they got through it all. They're champions and I consider my kids champions, too."
The tone of the all-out battle was set in the first half as both teams went full throttle. Iolani came out determined and took control of the midfield flow as halfbacks Anderson and Kirtus Adams continued to feed forwards Teramae and Chris Faulkner. The Raiders' best early chance -- Faulkner's 20-yard direct kick and ensuing rebound -- was thwarted by Mililani's fullback wall.
But the Trojans successfully batted back the early pressure and started to bear down with some offensive thrusts of their own. Keanini made a spectacular, over-the-shoulder, diving grab of Kim's header in the 33rd minute.
"It hurts," Faulkner said. "We played the best we could and we have no regrets. We left it all on the field. A couple balls didn't go our way in the end."
Early in the second half, Smith was in the right spot to catch Faulkner's drive from 8 yards out.
Eventually, the Trojans began to control the tempo with effective passing, more hustle and their trademark tight defense against the tiring Raiders. That momentum continued into and throughout the overtime.
The game was a rematch of the 2000 final when the Raiders beat the Trojans 2-1.
"I can't describe the feeling," Mililani co-head coach Jeff Yamamoto said. "We were all pins and needles at the end. We have an incredible goalkeeper, so we were confident going to PKs. Iolani also has a fantastic keeper. It was so exciting, a fantastic experience for everybody."
Baldwin 2, Kamehameha 1
The Bears (12-1) earned third place -- like they did two years ago -- on Blake Nunes' goal off of Ian Pascua's cross in the 68th minute.J.J. Eno gave Baldwin a 1-0 lead in the first half before the Warriors (12-4-3) came back to tie on Michael DeCaires' goal off Makana Prothero's cross.
"We had to face a lot of adversity this year, but we pretty much erased doubt about our character," Eno said, referring to an incident last year in which a Bears player pushed a referee down from behind. "It was a good way to end the season, especially the seniors. This is the most fun we've had in our four years. We had motivation to come out and beat Kamehameha. They beat us (2-1) in the preseason."
Tournament officials have downgraded Eno's yellow-card infraction from Friday night's semifinal loss to Iolani. Contrary to the original official scorekeeper's report, Eno didn't argue with the head referee and was carded only because a ball he threw hit an Iolani player. Eno said last night that he didn't intend to hit anybody.
Kealakehe 2, Kaiser 2
Brandon Okazawa and Jared Keanaaina gave the Big Isle champion Waveriders a 2-0 lead, but the Cougars (13-3-2) forged back on late goals by Glenn Sadd and Matthew Bush for the tie.Kealakehe (14-3-1) and Kaiser finished the tourney in a tie for fifth place.
Kauai 1, Waiakea 1
The two neighbor-island teams tied in the consolation final.The Kauai Interscholastic Federation champion Red Raiders (6-4-1) led 1-0 on Ross Brandeburg's goal in the 23rd minute.
The Warriors (15-3-1) tied it up on Marc Hernandez's goal in the 34th minute.
