FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM Kamehameha's Makana Protheros and Pac-Five goalkeeper Vito Higgins competed for the ball in front of the goal yesterday.

Pac-Five goes
out winning

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By Jack Danilewicz
Special to the Star-Bulletin

The old adage that only one team -- the state champion -- gets to finish its season with a win won't apply in boys soccer this year.

Pac-Five closed out its best season ever yesterday with a 1-0 victory over Kamehameha in the sunshine of the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex yesterday, but the Wolfpack will not take part in the upcoming Meadow Gold state soccer tournament due to a long-standing rule stipulating that a team must have at least 11 players from one school on its roster.

"We're going on the rule," said Pac-Five coach Paul Fu. "It's a shame. Hopefully they'll change the rule. ... The boys work hard all season and they deserve to at least compete for a state championship, and we're disappointed about that, but we had a good season. I told our kids that this was our state championship game today, and they played like it."

Pac-Five has five players from Maryknoll and four from Lutheran, the highest totals among the six institutions that are represented on the Wolfpack roster.

Before yesterday, the Wolfpack had never finished higher than fourth in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu. But this season's 10-1-3 record was good for second place behind Punahou, which clinched the conference title Thursday.

Kamehameha (9-4-1) finished third in the ILH and figures to take part in a play-in game opposite the Maui Interscholastic League champion, which could earn the Warriors a state tournament berth, although coach Andrew Ah New stopped short of declaring his team eligible.

"No one has officially told us," Ah New said. "We're waiting for the official word. We really don't know. Stranger things have happened. ... We were just trying to play our best and not worry about what's going to happen."

FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM Kamehameha's David Gualdarama chased after the ball yesterday, along with Pac-Five's Guillermo Lopez and Kyle Lee. The Wolfpack won 1-0.

Yesterday's matchup showcased the grit both teams played with all season. Pac-Five freshman Jeremy Wittig provided the margin of victory when he took a pass from fullback Andrew Nelson in the game's 65th minute and slipped the ball past Kamehameha goalkeeper Nick Freitas, who got a piece of it, for the game's only tally.

"He (Wittig) never gave up on the play," said Fu, whose team's only loss was 2-0 to Punahou.

Wolfpack goalkeeper Vito Higgins, a four-year starter, stopped seven shots on goal by the Warriors, the biggest coming with under two minutes to go when he left his feet and lunged to his right to haul in a shot attempt by Kamehameha's David Gualdarama.

That he and his teammates would not continue their season beyond yesterday was a fate he had long-since prepared himself for.

"For the past four years, I've known we wouldn't be able to go to state," Higgins said. "This game was all about respect -- coming out and playing hard and knowing that we could get there."

Said Fu of Higgins, who is considering Gonzaga and Seattle Pacific among other colleges:

"(Higgins) is one of the best goalkeepers in the state, if not the best. He played a great game, and he's been playing that way all season long."

Freitas, a sophomore, was equally tough in net, turning away six shots on goal by Pac-Five.

"He came out further than he normally does to get the ball, and that's exactly the way we want him to play -- the way he did today," said Ah New.

"It was hard-fought and real physical. We had so many injuries the trainer ran out of ice and bags for the first time ever, and they had a couple (injuries) near the end of the game. With two good teams, in a tight game like that, it often comes down to a mistake. They (Pac-Five) didn't make any mistakes we could capitalize on."