LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i High School and Kapa‘a High School varsity soccer teams finished with 1-1 and 2-2 deadlocks Saturday to keep the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation soccer season interesting at Vidinha Stadium. Earlier, the Junior Varsity squads split its series, the
LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i High School and Kapa‘a High School varsity soccer teams finished with 1-1 and 2-2 deadlocks Saturday to keep the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation soccer season interesting at Vidinha Stadium.
Earlier, the Junior Varsity squads split its series, the Kaua‘i JV girls shutting down Kapa‘a, 3-0, and the Kapa‘a JV boys eking out a 1-0 edge against the Red Raiders blustery wind and rainy conditions.
Ross Shimabukuro, the Kaua‘i High School athletic director, said the Red Raider girls needed a win to lock up the KIF girls title while the Red Raider boys needed a win to stay alive in the chase.
“I guess the girls have to keep playing,” Shimabukuro said. “With our boys ending in a tie, they need help from Waimea now.”
Kapa‘a High School, under command of Kevin Cram, enjoys no losses, and their five ties help them hold the lead in the KIF boys chase.
“We have at least a seven-point lead,” Cram told a KIF official prior to the game.
Waimea, hosting the Island School varsity boys at Hanapepe Stadium, picked up a win, 2-0 with Byron Freitas Jr. netting both second-half Menehune goals. Freitas’ first goal came in the 42nd minute followed by the icing in the 68th minute.
Madison Moore netted a hat trick during an exhibition game at Hanapepe Stadium, with Island School girls cruising to a 5-0 win over Waimea. She got help from Keana Green and Brianna Griep who each scored a goal in the victory.
Kiki Pagador, Bailey Hana and Kawehi Taniguchi found the net for the Kaua‘i JV girls in its 3-0 win over Kapa‘a at Vidinha Stadium.
“Credit should go to the Kapa‘a center midfielder who did an exceptional job for the JV Warriors,” said Kevin Devitt, Kaua‘i’s coach, following its victory. “The winds kind of died down and wasn’t too bad during our game, but that Kapa‘a center-mid did an unreal job.”
The Kaua‘i varsity girls, celebrating its coach’s birthday, found an early goal when Kylie Kuhlmann found the net just nine minutes into play.
But the celebration was short-lived as Kapa‘a’s Chloe Fredericksen capitalized on an open defense and hit the goal less than four minutes after Kaua‘i scored to deadlock the contest, 1-1.
The tie stood for the remainder of the game as the Red Raider defense stiffened in the blustery weather of cold wind punctuated by passing bouts of rain, headed by Sara Koide, Khaya Bunao, Kaylee Tamura and Jannin Hashizume.
Marissa Ruiz did a good job moving the ball in the midfield, but met up against the equally stiff Kapa‘a defense anchored by Mia Cabulisan and Eryka Keoho with support from Cassie Wilson, Kaiemi Moniz and Jamie Brun, the middle getting movement to its forwards, including Kekai “Kiki” Gonsalves who was stymied by the Red Raider defense.
Kaua‘i’s boys fared no better, a late-game corner kick by Joshua Cram finding the folds of the net to knot the game, 2-2.
Kaua‘i boys scored in the ninth minute when Lucas Gushikuma got a hold of the squirming ball in traffic and was able to foot the ball past the goal mouth.
Kapa‘a came back to deadlock the match in the 13th minute when Michael Alonzo beat out the Kaua‘i defender for the goal from the pocket, tying the game 1-1.
Following the defensive slugfest where Kaua‘i defender Grant Basquez and goalkeeper Alec King had a full plate, Kaua‘i took the lead 2-1 at the half following a corner kick from Conor Turley which soared over the Kapa‘a goalkeeper’s head and into the net from the left side.
Kapa‘a came back with its offense working against Kaua‘i, aided by the wind at its back, but was stymied on goals until the 65th minute when Joshua found the goal on a corner kick from the right side.
Kapa‘a next hosts Waimea Wednesday at Vidinha Stadium, the varsity girls kicking off at 4:30 p.m. followed by the varsity boys game starting at 6:30 p.m.
Kaua‘i will travel to the Island School complex for a single game when the varsity boys kick off at 4 p.m.
More soccer is on tap Thursday when the Kapa‘a JV girls open against the Waimea JV girls at 4:30 p.m. followed by the JV boys’ match starting at 6:15 p.m.
Kaua‘i’s JV girls travel to Island School for a single exhibition match starting at 4 p.m.
