Buffs overwhelm Falcons

4 Oahu teams move on to soccer quarterfinals

STORY SUMMARY »

Four Oahu teams advanced to the quarterfinals with wins in yesterday's opening round of the JN Automotive Group Girls Soccer Championships at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Park.

Kealakehe and King Kekaulike, the runners-up from the Big Island Interscholastic Federation and Maui Interscholastic League, were bounced 3-0 by Oahu Interscholastic Association teams Moanalua and Mililani, respectively.

Punahou, the only Interscholastic League of Honolulu team in competition in the opening round, thumped Kalani 3-0, while Kaiser edged Kapolei 1-0 in a battle of OIA teams.

Each winner takes on one of the tournament's four seeded teams -- No. 1 Kamehameha, No. 2 Pearl City, No. 3 Kamehameha-Maui and No. 4 Konawaena -- today at the park's stadium field.

State girls soccer

Yesterday, at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Park

first round

Division I

» Kaiser 1, Kapolei 0
» Mililani 3, King Kekaulike 0
» Moanalua 3, Kealakehe 0
» Punahou 3, Kalani 0
Division II
» Christian Liberty 2, Kaimuki 1, 2OT/PK
» Kauai 3, Hawaii Prep 0
» Honokaa 1, Waialua 0
» Campbell 3, Sacred Hearts 2, OT

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Although the clouds parted just before Kalani took the field at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Park, a perfect storm was about to strike the Falcons.

The physicality and athleticism of Punahou combined with the absence of Kalani's star player -- and a subsequent loss of confidence among the other Falcons -- added up to a 3-0 defeat to the Buffanblu yesterday in the opening round of the JN Automotive Group/HHSAA Girls Soccer Championships.

Punahou (10-1-2), the Interscholastic League of Honolulu runner-up, advanced to meet third-seeded Kamehameha-Maui in a quarterfinal at 1 p.m. at the park's stadium field.

Kalani coach Myles Arakawa went to great lengths to instill a sense of pride in his players before squaring off against the ILH power, and wouldn't chalk up the loss to missing junior Tani Costa, who led all Oahu Interscholastic Association players with 22 goals in league play. Costa -- who accounted for more than 55 percent of Kalani's scoring during the regular season -- is in New Zealand playing with the U.S. Women's Under-17 National Team.

Arakawa, who said his team had previous struggles against athletic opponents like the Buffanblu, conceded he wasn't entirely successful in getting his players focused.

"It would have been better (with her), but our girls were flat," Arakawa said. "We were tentative playing a team like Punahou. Some of us took the field and had already lost in their minds.

"I give our girls who were here credit. Tani's obviously a player you're going to miss."

The Falcons (12-3-1) gave up just five goals during the OIA regular season, but yielded three to Punahou as the Buffanblu kept up continuous pressure over the entire first half and early in the second before adopting a defensive stance late.

Punahou took a 2-0 halftime lead on goals by Aisha Price and Briana Afoa in the 20th and 32nd minutes, respectively.

Price connected when a free kick from near midfield was lofted by several defenders, and she capitalized with great positioning. Afoa made good from almost point-blank range when a platoon of Buffanblu swarmed the ball in the penalty box.

The Buffanblu's two goalkeepers, Sarah Nonaka and Alana Munger, played a half apiece. They almost could have taken the day off, as they only needed to save a ball in the penalty area once in each half.

Senior Erin Rementer, the ILH's leading scorer in the regular season with 11 goals, burst away from the pack at midfield in the 48th minute, tearing away from three Kalani defenders for a one-on-one with Falcons keeper Yasmina Taketa. Rementer calmly skirted her ball to the left of the net past Taketa for the game's final score.

"That's the style I like to possess and use to my advantage," Rementer said. "We wanted to set the tempo this game for the rest of the tournament."

That play was the exclamation point on the disparity between the teams.

The first half had been a gradual but persistent display of dominance by Punahou. It was exactly what first-year coach Matt Martinson was looking for in his state tournament debut.

"We told the girls to come out hard in the first 20 minutes," said Martinson, who inherited the team from retired Jorge Barbosa.

"I gotta give credit to Kalani's defense. We were just fortunate to find a crack here or there."

As for the absence of Costa, Martinson said the rest of the Falcons were talented enough to be successful.

"I'm sure they missed her," he said. "I don't think they had gaping holes without her -- a solid group that played together."

Other first-round scores

Division I

Kaiser 1, Kapolei 0

Mililani 3, King Kekaulike 0

Moanalua 3, Kealakehe 0

Punahou 3, Kalani 0

Goal scorers--Kais: Rachel Tomita. Mili: Chelsey Miyake, Ashley Kaneshiro Quitog, own. Moan: Tiana Fujimoto 2, Alex Jones. Pun: Aisha Price, Briana Afoa, Erin Rementer.

Division II

Christian Liberty 2, Kaimuki 1, 2OT/PK

Kauai 3, Hawaii Prep 0

Honokaa 1, Waialua 0

Campbell 3, Sacred Hearts 2, OT

Goal scorers--CL: Lexi Seese. Kaim: Landai Truong. Kauai: Skye Shimabukuro, Brandi Gomes, Ashlyn Ubongen. Hono: Rachel Miller. Camp: Rochelle White, Brandi Baetz, own. SH: Ciera Aiwohi, Logan Chan.