LIHUE — The Menhune boys won a close contest to start the Kauai Interscholastic Federation season with two consecutive wins. Waimea High School’s varsity boys soccer team defeated Kapaa, 1-0, Wednesday evening at Vidinha Stadium. “We’re happy to come out
LIHUE — The Menhune boys won a close contest to start the Kauai Interscholastic Federation season with two consecutive wins.
Waimea High School’s varsity boys soccer team defeated Kapaa, 1-0, Wednesday evening at Vidinha Stadium.
“We’re happy to come out with the win. This was a really hard-fought one. In the scheme of things, it means more when when it’s hard-fought,” said Menehune head coach Kapono Chong-Hanssen. “It was good that we came out with two wins, but it’s not like we can rest. I think every game is going to be a battle this year. We just got to get ready for the next one.”
Menehune freshman forward Shayden Duldulao got the score early in the first half to put Waimea (2-0-0 KIF) ahead.
“He’s been physically ill, too. We weren’t sure of what we were going to get out of him today,” Chong-Hanssen said about Duldulao. “It’s nice seeing him in there. He basically scored, I don’t know, pretty much the first touch he had on the field.”
Kapaa senior forward Koa Kallai had a chance at an equalizer during stoppage time, but his shot went wide.
“I know our team, we got a number of good individual players. Our challenge is to get them to play as a team,” said Kapaa head coach Kevin Cram. “If we can do that, then our play will increase and be a lot better. But until that happens, we’re going to struggle along.”
Waimea will play Island School (1-0-1 KIF) at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Vidihna Stadium. Kapaa (0-1-1 KIF) will Kauai High at 1:30 p.m. Saturday also at Vidinha.
Varsity girls: Kapaa 8, Waimea 0
The Warrior girls scored early and often to rout the Menehune, 8-0, following the varsity boys match.
“Waimea came to play though. It was a physical game,” said Kapaa head coach Mytra McKeague. “I’m happy that the girls, coming off a two-and-a-half week break and practicing every day on their break, it’s kind of hard commitment-wise. Very proud of these girls.”
Kapaa (2-1-0 KIF) found the net three times in the first half. Junior midfielder Natalie Devin, sophomore forward Brianna Binder and sophomore forward Aiyanah Walker each scored in that half.
The Warriors then scored five more in the second half, capped off with a shot from distance to the net by junior outside halfback Vanessa Hernandez at the 70th minute.
“I was telling the girls that scoring is contagious. Once one scores, it kind of seems like they get on that wave and they just want to keep riding it,” McKeague said.
“It puts the pressure off, really,” added Warriors junior goalkeeper Nygeria Williams. “If we have a few goals and if somehow they (Waimea) were able to come back and get a goal on me, I’m not worried about it too much because we have that many goals.”
Waimea head coach William Trugillo said though the end result was disappointing, he wasn’t disheartened by his players’ effort.
“You don’t anticipate an end result like this. But Kapaa played a hell of a game, and they went all 80 minutes. They went hard,” he said. “The girls know they got to put in the work. The girls actually kept their heads up, and that’s what I told them — keep your heads up. They played for each other and they played with pride. They played hard. They never gave up the whole way through.”
Waimea senior defender Abie Coma and senior midfielder Brandy Domingo each drew yellow cards for persistent infringements.
Kapaa will next play Kauai High at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Vidinha Stadium. Waimea (0-2-1 KIF) will play Island School at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Vidinha.
