Baldwin Girls Upset Mililani, Advance to State Soccer Final

Graphic courtesy of SportsHIgh.com.

By MauiNow.com

The fourth-seeded Baldwin High School girls soccer team upset defending champion and top-seeded Mililani 2-1 Friday at Hawaii state soccer championships on Oahu.

A crowd of about 800 watched the Lady Bears win their second consecutive game, 4-3, in penalty kicks at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex.

Baldwin (11-1-0) will play Pearl City for The Queen’s Medical Center/Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division I Girls Soccer Championships Saturday at 7 p.m.

Graphic courtesy of SportsHIgh.com.

Pearl City defeated second-seeded Iolani in the other semifinal match. Sunshine Fontes’ goal in the 22nd minute turned out to be the difference as the Chargers handed Iolani its first loss of the year. The Red Raiders finished its season with a 11-1-2 record.

Baldwin returns to the championship match for the first time since 2002, when the Bears finished runner-up to Mililani. Their 2002 finals appearance was the Bears third straight, having won back-to-back state titles in 2000 and 2001.

Baldwin’s match with Mililani on Friday was scoreless into the 65th minute when the Trojans’ Jayna Morikawa popped in a goal on a ricochet off Baldwin goalie Malie Kuia, who made 12 saves on the day.

The Bears, who took 15 shots to Mililani’s 26 in regulation and overtime, got the equalizer eight minutes later on Kaitlin Smith’s header.

After two scoreless overtime periods, the match went into penalty kicks. Tayzha Furuta and Megan Usui made Mililani’s first two kicks and Kainoa Dafun and Skylar Littlefield converted for Baldwin.

Graphic courtesy of SportsHIgh.com.

The advantage went to Baldwin when Mililani’s third attempt sailed over the goal. Bailey Keator scored for Baldwin, Taylee Miyamura answered for Mililani and Kacy Lyn Navarro Laumatia gave the Bears a 4-3 lead.

Mililani’s final attempt banged off the crossbar to send Baldwin to the final.

Kamehameha Maui, the Maui Interscholastic League’s other team participating in the Division I state championship tournament, came up short Friday in a consolation game against Hilo, 3-2.

Seabury Hall, representing the MIL at the state Division II tournament, finished seventh place by winning Friday’s consolation match against Leilehua 1-0.