Sunday, January 27, 2002
[ HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER ]
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Before next season's opening game, Punahou boys soccer coach Bob Clague may want to bless the goal on the Diamond Head side of the school's field. Kamehameha tied atop ILH
By Jason Kaneshiro
jkaneshiro@starbulletin.comThat goal bedeviled the Buffanblu yesterday as Kamehameha escaped with a 2-1 win in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu regular-season finale at Punahou.
With the win, Kamehameha improved to 9-1-2 and finished in a tie for first place with Iolani, which beat St. Louis 6-2 yesterday. The teams will meet for the ILH championship and a berth in the state tournament at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Kapiolani Park.
The loser of that match will play the second-place team from the Maui Interscholastic League on Feb. 2 for a state tournament berth. The AT&T Wireless State Boys Soccer Championship will be held Feb. 6-9 on Maui.
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Punahou ends the season at 8-2-2 and will miss the state tournament for the third year in a row.Kamehameha took a 2-0 lead in the first half of yesterday's do-or-die match with both scores going into the Diamond Head goal.
Punahou cut into the lead late in the first half, as the teams switched sides at halftime with Kamehameha leading 2-1. But the goal wasn't as kind to the Buffanblu.
"I knew it was going to be a hard game," Clague said. "We had opportunities but we just couldn't convert on them."
Kamehameha coach Andrew Ah New said, "It was fortunate we scored the early goals because Punahou kept coming on the attack."
Kamehameha, which tied Iolani 2-2 on Thursday, took control of the match in the first half. Less than five minutes into the game, Alika Ah New's free kick banged off the crossbar and into the goal to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead.
"We scored real quick and it kind of stunned them," Ah New said. "But I tried to tell the guys Punahou is a team that never gives up."
Kamehameha extended the lead at the 20-minute mark when Kaui Wong outran Punahou goalkeeper Andrew Strand to the ball and was able to get just enough on it to have it roll into the goal.
The Buffanblu cut into the Warriors' lead with about three minutes left in the half as Kenan Knieriem sent a header past Kamehameha goalie Zachary McAngus.
Punahou controlled the action for most of the second half, and teased its home crowd with several close-range opportunities. But the Buffanblu were turned away each time.
It appeared Punahou would have an easy score when McAngus tried to chase a ball down, but was beaten to it by a Punahou player who booted it toward the net. Kamehameha defender Gabe Chan slid into the position vacated by McAngus and deflected the ball with his chest just in front of the goal.
"He went out and I knew they were going to cross, so I just went into that spot," Chan said.
Punahou had another open shot from close range at the 31-minute mark of the second half, but the ball scooted wide to the left. Punahou's Tamatoa Hackney also had a chance to tie it with two minutes left, but his kick sailed across the mouth of the goal.
"They really kept the pressure on, but I think we really held together," Chan said. "We really wanted to win and the crowd really helped us. All of us were really pumped up to win this game."
Iolani 6, St. Louis 2
Goals -- Iolani: Eaton O'Neill 3, Jonathan Lee 2, Nicholas Ching. St. Louis: Dom Jovanni Cueve, Isaiah Chang.
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