Warriors, Na Alii End Soccer Season With Ties at State

By Rodney S. Yap

Kamehameha Schools Maui girls soccer team finished tied for fifth place Saturday, after battling Konawaena to a scoreless tie at the Hawaii High School State Athletic Association Championships.

It was the Warriors first tie of the season as Maui Interscholastic League champion KS-Maui finished with a 14-3-1 record.

Kamehameha Schools Maui advanced to the fifth-place game by defeating Kahuku 4-3 in a penalty-kick shootout Friday after a scoreless draw through two overtimes periods.

The third-seeded Warriors got goals from Lily Higashino, Julia Saffery, Tynell Ornellas and Taira Lucas in the shootout. Janice Pouha, Napua Amua-Yamamoto and Carrie Kamakaala scored for the Red Raiders (9-5-3).

The MIL runner-up King Kekaulike also capped its season with a tie against a Big Island school, jumping out to a 3-1 first-half lead before Kealakehe fought back to score a pair of second-half goals. The seventh-place consolation match ended in a 3-3 deadlock.

Na Alii striker/captain Kayela Santiago score the first goal in the 12th minute and added another in the 39th minute. Her two goals gave her a team-high six goals in three postseason matches at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Park. Mahine Ashdown-Deponte added the other goal in the 24th minute.

King Kekaulike closed out 2013 with a 11-3-3 record.

The Outrigger Hotels & Resorts Division I State Championship was won by top-seeded Iolani (14-1-1), which posted a 3-1 victory over Punahou (13-3-1) in the all-ILH final. The Red Raiders wasted little time, getting on the scoreboard in two minutes into the match on a goal from Jill Shimabuku. She was assisted by Kama Pascua.

Punahou tied the match a 1-1 on Jensen Toner’s goal in the 61st minute, but Shimabuku comeback four minutes later to knock in the go-ahead goal. Teammate Alyssa Kim closed out the scoring with a goal in the 72nd minute and Megan Goo was credited with an assist.

In the third-place game, Kaiser (14-2-1) defeated Mililani (14-2-1) 1-0. The only goal of the match came from Jaylin Swartz in the 47th minute.