DIVISION II STATE SOCCER
Mid-Pacific gives Kapaa the boot
Finesse has prevailed over brute strength, at least for the Mid-Pacific Owls.
The Owls got two goals from Miya Quinn, and Kayla Gomes knocked in a shot off a miss by Quinn in overtime as the unseeded Owls outlasted the second-seeded Kapaa Warriors 3-2 yesterday in the Division II quarterfinals of the Meadow Gold/HHSAA Girls Soccer State Championships.
Mid-Pac (5-7-1) advanced to the semifinals and will meet Roosevelt, which upset top-seeded Hawaii Prep.
Midway through overtime, Quinn's shot attempt caromed off the crossbar. Gomes, converging from the other side, was on the rebound and knocked it in for the game-winner.
The clutch play by the sophomore came just minutes after Kapaa had turned the game around with a tying goal just before the end of regulation.
Mid-Pac coach Dave Pai felt fortunate.
"They were all energized and pushed the ball up a lot, so we had a mini-break," he said.
"In sudden death, you do what you need to do to win," Kapaa coach Crissy Marti said, lamenting her team's struggle to capitalize on scoring opportunities from the start.
"We passed the ball well. To me, we're the better team. We just couldn't finish. We had a lot of shots on goal," she said.
Quinn's play was superlative.
"Yesterday, it was Sahara (Searle). Hopefully, tomorrow someone else steps up," said Pai, who coached the MPI boys junior varsity before taking over the varsity girls program last season.
Jocelyn Enrique scored both goals for Kapaa (7-3).
"I'm sad. We weren't ready. We should have shown up early," said Enrique, adding that the Warriors have started flat in other games this season.
"It's hard to swallow, but they came out fighting," Marti said of her team.
Kapaa goalkeeper Poerava Gantt left the game midway through the second half after aggravating an injury to her rib area.
"They told me it's either her ribs or appendicitis," Marti said of paramedics, who took Gantt to the hospital.
Quinn called the battle a truly physical matchup.
"I was on the ground all day," she said, grass still stuck to her cheek long after the game had ended.
She scored goals on free kicks at the 32- and 42-minute marks to give the Owls a 2-0 halftime lead.
The bigger Warriors were whistled consistently for bringing down Mid-Pac players. Marti disputed the calls.
"They called us on the slide tackles at least 10 times. It's a clean play. It's not our girls taking a player out," she said.
Roosevelt 1, Hawaii Prep 0
Sophomore Cemone Kalau scored at the 38-minute mark and the Rough Riders hung on to upset Ka Makani.
Roosevelt (13-1-1) is the runner-up from the Oahu Interscholastic Association. Hawaii Prep (13-4) is the Big Island Interscholastic Federation champion.
Pac-Five 2, Christian Liberty 0
Freshman Joanna Lawlor scored at the 18-minute mark and senior Ashley Medcalf scored at the 37-minute mark as the Wolfpack blanked the Canefire.
Pac-Five (4-5-2) will meet Campbell in a semifinal today at 4 p.m. Christian Liberty, the BIIF runner-up, fell to 10-8.
Campbell 1, St. Anthony 0
Sophomore Natalie Kenney scored at the 50-minute mark as the Sabers outlasted the Maui Interscholastic League champions.
Campbell improved to 11-1-2. St. Anthony dropped to 5-9-2.