LIHUE — The Warrior girls have now won four straight league titles.
Kapaa High School’s varsity girls soccer team defeated Waimea, 14-nil, late Wednesday afternoon at Vidinha Stadium to clinch this year’s Kauai Interscholastic Federation championship.
“It’s a super good and supportive program,” said Warriors senior center back Anolani Rosa. “The coaches really help you get better, and improve your ball skills and everything on the field. They even help you try to help shape that character to be a better person.”
Kapaa (10-0-1 KIF) had an 8-0 lead at halftime. By the break, senior forwards Brianna Binder and Paris Tangelder each netted hat tricks.
Warriors senior forward April Barnes scored twice in the first half, and then scored one more late in the second half to net a hat trick herself.
“I think this team has always tried to improve every day. That’s been a mantra of our team — to get better every day,” said Kapaa assistant coach Scott Grainger. “I think that work rate has shown off in the success.”
Waimea (1-9-1 KIF) had few scoring chances.
About midway through the first half, Waimea was awarded a free kick just outside the 18-yard box. Menehune freshman midfielder Jenessa Freitas took a shot toward goal, and her ball bounced off the post.
“Anytime we’re challenging Kapaa, they’re always going to bring it. They’re such an amazing passing team,” said Waimea assistant coach U’i Albarado. “We tried our best, and the girls worked hard. We’re proud of what they did.”
Despite allowing the large number of goals, Menehune junior goalkeeper Keana Silva also made a number of saves — saves that even the Kapaa bench lauded during the match.
“Our goalie did great. That was her first time playing goalie,” Albarado said. “We just gave it a shot and gave her a chance, and she pulled it off. She was amazing.”
Wednesday was Kapaa’s senior night.
“I’m super excited and pumped. I got to score a goal,” Rosa said. “Being a defender, it was a struggle trying to score so many times. … It felt super good, like a relief off my shoulder.”
Grainger said of the senior class: “They’re a spectacular group of kids. They’ve worked really hard through a lot of adversity, through injury. The character of that group, it speaks for itself with the record and the results that they’re having.”
Kapaa will play its last regular season match against Kauai High School (8-2-1 KIF) at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Vidinha Stadium. Waimea will play at Island School (1-9-1 KIF) on Saturday at 10 a.m.
Scoring summary: Kapaa: April Barnes 3 (3’, 12’, 77’), Brianna Binder 3 (4’, 12’, 13’), Paris Tangelder 3 (19’, 26’, 37’), Kyla Bandsma (45’), Jaylana Ladera (50’), Kaylee Overmyer (65’), Navaeh Arruda-Kapu (67’), Anolani Rosa (75’)
Varsity boys: Kapaa 2,
Waimea 2
The Warriors scored an equalizer in the second half as Kapaa (5-2-2 KIF) and Waimea high schools’ varsity boys soccer teams played to a 2-2 draw Wednesday after the varsity girls match.
“We knew it was going to be a tough game and had no idea what the outcome was going to be,” said Kapaa head coach Kevin Cram. “To our benefit, it was a tie and not a loss. It keeps us point-wise, going into the last three matches, should be a point ahead. We’re still in control of our own destiny, as the saying goes. We knew it was going to be a challenge.”
Warriors senior forward Gabe Franklin scored the match-tying score at the 58th minute. Junior forward Ryno Banasihan had the assist on Franklin’s goal.
Banasihan scored the match’s first goal minutes after the opening whistle.
Kapaa had a chance as a game-winner late with a corner kick. Sophomore defender Keanu Brown met the kick with a header, but the ball was saved.
“There were opportunities, but we couldn’t convert. That’s just the game of soccer, and I accept it,” Cram said.
Waimea (5-3-1 KIF) scored an equalizer about midway through the first half on a penalty kick. Menehune senior midfielder Kody Gardner scored on the PK.
Menehune junior forward Shayne Simbre-Medeiros scored a go-ahead goal at the 53rd minute. Junior forward Shayden Duldulao crossed the ball in the penalty area from out wide, and Simbre-Medeiros headed the ball down toward the net.
“We’re really disappointed to give up that second goal, and let them equalize after we had come back and got a 2-1 lead,” said Waimea head coach Kapono Chong-Hanssen. “But we were facing a lot of adversity today. One of our captains was out for having three yellow cards over the course of the season. Ian Malabe had to sit out this game. Our entire back four was all sophomores, and one of them we had brought up (from junior varsity) just for the last game.”
He continued: “All things accounted for, we are super pleased with the effort. To come out with at tie, good enough. We still feel we control our own destiny is what we were talking about before the game. We still have one more game against every team. If we win them all, then we go through the KIF. We’re happy to be in that position. It’s always worse when you don’t control your own destiny.”
Kapaa will play Kauai (1-7-1 KIF) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Vidinha Stadium. Waimea will play at Island School (5-4 KIF) at noon Saturday.
Scoring summary: Kapaa: Ryno Banasihan (6’), Gabe Franklin (58’); Waimea: Kody Gardner (26’ PK), Shayne Simbre-Medeiros 53’)
Discipline: Kapaa: Gabe Franklin, yellow (incidental profanity); Waimea: Austin Galas, yellow (unsporting behavior), Keith Kanna, yellow (unsporting behavior)
