Close MIL soccer races get even tighter

By Fred Guzman

An already close MIL Division-I boy’s soccer race got even tighter last night.

Baldwin and Lahainaluna played to a goal-less but exciting tie at War Memorial Stadium while King Kekaulike was posting a 3-0 win over depleted Kamehameha-Maui.

Those outcomes left Baldwin and Kekaulike tied for first place with 18 points, while the Lunas are just a single point behind with each of the three contending team having three matches remaining on their respective regular-season schedules.

Meantime, Baldwin and Kamehameha remained on a collision course for girls’ D-I supremacy with decisive wins . Baldwin battered Lahainaluna 5-0 while Kamehameha all but eliminated Kekaulike from post-season contention with a 3-0 victory. The Lady Bears visit the Warriors for a crucial 5 p.m. showdown on Friday.

The Baldwin boys dominated in the first half, but couldn’t find the back of the net. In the second half, the Lunas picked up the pace as both teams created but couldn’t finish off their many chances.

After getting off to a slow start, the Kekaulike boys are the league’s hottest team having posted five straight victories.

The Lunas have never qualified for a state tournament or won a league title in the program’s 30-plus years of existence.

And don’t count out Maui High, which is marginally alive with 11 points going into today’s match against struggling Seabury.

In the girls’ race, Kamehameha holds a three-point lead over Baldwin. Makana Pundyke scored two goals and Kalena Kaeo added the other in the win over Kekaulike.

That left the Warriors in first place with a 12-1 record and 36 points. Kamehameha’s lone league setback was a 4-0 loss to Baldwin.

The Bears improved to 11-0 with a dominating performance against the Lunas. Amanda Jorgensen scored twice, while Ashley Barbosa-Briones, Alyssa Aryoshi and Emilie Tarin added single goals.

Goals by Shauni Okazaki, Ashley Souza and Kylie Cortez lifted Maui High to a 3-0 win over D-II-leading Seabury.

The top two teams in the D-I boys and girls standings will qualify for the state tournament. Two girls teams will qualify from D-II, but only one of the D-II boy’s teams will earn a berth with St. Anthony enjoying a four-point lead over Seabury.