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LUCY PEMONI / LPEMONI@STARBULLETIN.COM Mari Nagamine of Moanalua used her footwork to take control of the ball in front of Aiea's Leah Peters-Valdez.

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Moanalua, Punahou
in final

Moanalua goalkeeper Amanda Fukushima snuck up on her teammates yesterday and doused them in a post-victory water bath. Fukushima knows her teammates won't be seeking retaliation after the brilliant game she played.

Led by Fukushima's performance and goals from Vanessa Butin and Ayasha Abut, Moanalua stunned second-seeded Aiea 2-0 to reach the title game of the HHSAA/Meadow Gold Dairies Girls Soccer State Championship at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Park.

The Menehunes (10-2-4) face Punahou today at 8 p.m. for the championship. The Buffanblu defeated Mililani 1-0 in the second semifinal.

Moanalua coach Nikki Dela Pena was still in disbelief as her players celebrated the win. The Menehunes, who finished fourth in the Oahu Interscholastic Association, have steadily progressed throughout the season and reached the final in their first trip to the state tournament in five years.

"(I might believe it) on the bus ride maybe," said a calm Dela Pena, who is in her first year as head coach of the Menehunes. "We usually do have a slow start. We made the effort not to get behind before we picked up our game. Their intensity carried them this far.

"What few shots we had, we were able to capitalize. We were really concerned with their forwards. They score 80 (percent) to 90 percent of Aiea's goals. Our defense held up and Amanda had a great game."

It was a rare reversal for Moanalua, as the Menehunes scored in the first half and played solid defense to stymie Aiea's offense. Scoring the first goal eased some of the pressure on Fukushima, who knew she'd be challenged continuously by Aiea forwards Tobi Kanehira and Ambree Ako.

"They gave us such a tough rub," said Fukushima, who finished with 10 saves and tipped several other balls away from the goal. "After we got that one goal, we started to pressure them and they started to get frustrated. But they still kept coming hard. I didn't have any easy time at all."

It was a brutal loss for the OIA champions. Na Alii (13-2-1) had possession of the ball most of the game but couldn't take advantage of several opportunities, particularly in the second half.

The goal seemed to shrink on Aiea as several shots bounced off the crossbar or just over the goal. If it wasn't an unlucky bounce then it was Fukushima making great saves off point-blank shots.

"The goal was a little bit too short for us tonight," Aiea coach Gordon Matsuoka said. "We played our game. We played hard. Moanalua's goalkeeper played a terrific game. She was the difference in the game."

A slow-starting team by its own admission, the Menehunes scored in the 28th minute on Butin's shot from outside the penalty box. The goal appeared to deflate Na Alii.

Abut's goal in the 62nd minute put the finishing touches on the game. The sophomore curved a beautiful 30-yard shot that dropped into the left side of the goal.

"I was shaking," said Abut, who briefly left the game due to an injury in the second half. "I was really nervous in the beginning. I was kind of holding back, not being aggressive. That shot that I made, I didn't expect it to go in. I was kind of worried until I saw the ball drift into the goal."

Punahou 1, Mililani 0

The Buffanblu will try for a three-peat and win their eighth state title overall today after beating the Trojans in a physical match.

In a rematch of last year's championship game, Punahou and Mililani battled to a scoreless first half. But the Buffanblu broke the tie when forward Liz Carlson converted a penalty kick in the 46th minute of the game. Carlson shot a low line drive that landed in the left side of the goal.

The Trojans played part of the second half with only 10 players after sophomore Stephanie Yoro was ejected from the game.

"That wasn't soccer," Punahou coach Jorge Barbosa said. They just came out to foul. They were playing for the tie. They wanted a PK game. We're happy with the win. Moanalua's playing very well. I'm looking forward to it."

Mililani had 21 fouls. Punahou had eight fouls and 17 shots on goal.

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HHSAA girls soccer

At Waipio Peninsula Soccer Park
Seeds: 1. Punahou. 2. Aiea. 3. Baldwin. 4. Hilo.

Yesterday
11: Pearl City 3, Hilo 1
12: Baldwin 3, Konawaena 2
13: Moanalua 2, Aiea 0
14: Punahou 1, Mililani 0

Today
15: King Kekaulike vs. Kealakehe, 4 p.m.
16: Baldwin vs. Pearl City, 4 p.m.
17: Aiea vs. Mililani, 6 p.m.
18: Moanalua vs. Punahou, 8 p.m.