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Kamehameha
blanks rival Iolani
for state title

The Warriors claim the
boys soccer crown with a
3-0 championship win
over the Raiders

PUKALANI, Maui » After a loss and a tie against Iolani in the regular season, Kamehameha beat the Raiders when it counted most -- in the final of the Meadow Gold Dairies Boys State Soccer Championship.

A first-half header by Dustin Engle and a pair of second-half goals by Logan Sauer lifted the Warriors to a 3-0 victory and their first-ever state title on a cold, wet and windy night at Kana'iaupuni Stadium.

After dominating their ILH rival during the early going, the Warriors finally found the back of the net in the 34th minute. Engle rose above Iolani's late-reacting defenders to put away a header from 6 yards off a corner kick from the left side by freshman Zane Dydasco.

Engle, a senior, scored the winning goal in Kamehameha's 2-1 sudden-death victory over Hawaii Prep in the quarterfinals.

The Warriors created two excellent chances during the early going. In the 23rd minute, Engle fired a shot from the left wing that caromed off the cross bar. In the 27th minute, sophomore midfielder Kekoa Osorio had a clear opportunity from point-blank range but mis-hit a left-footed attempt that rolled harmlessly to Iolani goalkeeper Scott Kawakami.

Kamehameha's second goal came in the 49th minute after Kawakami's punt caromed off the back of an opposing player and to the feet of Sauer at the edge of the penalty area. Sauer calmly kicked the ball into the unattended goal.

Sauer, a junior forward, struck again in the 70th minute, this time on a brilliant solo effort. Collecting the ball just outside the penalty area, Sauer juked a pair of defenders with a spinning move and fired a low shot from 12 yards that rolled just inside the right post.

Waimea 5, Kealakehe 0

Showing the effects of the previous night's heart-breaking loss to Iolani on penalty kicks, the Waveriders looked a step slow from the start and received a spanking at the hands of the Menehunes in the third-place match.

Waimea, which earlier ousted top-seeded and four-time defending champion Mililani, posted the best ever finish by a team from Kauai.

The Menehunes jumped out to a lead 9 minutes into the contest when Walea Arquette ran down a long pass from midfield and hit a left-footed shot under Kealakehe goalkeeper Andrew Ackerly.

The Menehunes upped their lead to 2-0 in the 30th minute on a goal from Tyren Sakura and increased their edge to 3-0 in the 34th minute when Chad Thompson put away a loose ball after Kealakehe's defense couldn't clear a corner kick.

Sakura picked up his second goal in the 67th minute and Arquette did likewise in the 75th.

Honokaa 2, Mililani 0

Mililani's reign came to a disappointing end as the Trojans suffered their second loss of the state tournament to the Dragons of the Big Island in the fifth-place match.

Mamerto Asuncion's free kick from 35 yards at 29:50 put Honokaa in the lead and senior forward Jake Fassett completed an outstanding tournament with an exceptional goal at 60:29. Fassett dribbled past two defenders at the edge of the penalty area and unleashed a hard 15-yard drive into the net.

Mililani was eliminated from title contention in the quarterfinals, losing 3-2 to Waimea of Kauai in the biggest upset in state soccer tournament history. The Trojans then struggled to a 2-1 win on penalty kicks over fourth-seeded Hawaii Prep of the Big Island on Friday before ending their stay by losing to Honokaa.

Mililani's woes reflected the struggles of the OIA in this event. All five of the OIA entries lost their openers and the league's combined record against non-OIA opponents was 1-6.

Kaiser 1, Leilehua 1

In an all-OIA showdown, the Cougars and the Mules played to a tie in the seventh-place game.

Kaiser took the lead on a 40-yard free kick by Matthew Bush at 52:41.

Pablo Zorilla responded for Leilehua at 55:50 with a close-range header off a cross from Ryan Bibilone.

The statistics were as even as the score, with each team getting off 10 shots.