HANAPEPE — Waimea’s Kendra Knapp had a hat trick, and the Lady Menehune soccer team earned its first victory, 3-2 over Island School Wednesday during the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation soccer games.
“I’m really excited for the girls,” said Waimea girls soccer coach Beau Acoba. “They work really hard. This is our first win for the season, after we lost to Kapa‘a, Island School, Kaua‘i.”
Unfortunately, Island School varsity boys turned the tables on the Menehune, taking a 9-1 win over the Waimea varsity boys whose sole goal came off Jaiden Sams’ foot.
Carlos Lang topped the Voyager men scoring with a hat trick, or three goals scored, and Voyagers Sawyer Rogoff and AJ Galiza each netted a pair of goals. Connor Tavares and Eddie Silliman each scored goals to round out the Voyager victory.
Over at Vidinha Stadium, the Kaua‘i High School men shut down the visiting Kapa‘a Warriors, 2-0 behind goals from Aron Taguiam and Jase Hoff, Hoff’s net breaking the 1-0 Kaua‘i bulge at the 46th minute.
With less than a minute remaining in the first half, Kaua‘i High School’s Kaleonahe Bukoski found the net to knot their contest, 1-1 at the break against Kapa‘a. Hanna Wamsley found the net within the first minute of the game’s opening to set the stage for Kaua‘i to erase the deficit.
Following the 1-1 halftime deadlock, neither team found the net for the 1-1 tie.
“We could see Coach Colby Ayonon and his position switching to take a scoring stance on the field,” Acoba said. “We switched some of our people to match that posture.”
That resulted in a flurry of scores starting about 15 minutes into the game when Island School forward Lily Keller found the goal on a battle in the box.
Waimea answered with the first Knapp goal in the 18th minute to the cry from the audience to do it, again.
At the 21st minute, Waimea’s goalkeeper Safina Sandblom lost a heartbreak on a shot on goal by Voyager Cass Hubbard who was moved up from defender to front midfield where she could score. Hubbard’s shot was strong, and despite Sandblom stopping the frontal impact, the ball escaped her and dribbled across the goalmouth.
With the 2-1 lead, a Knapp corner kick got past Voyager goalkeeper Mary Magoun for the 2-2 stalemate that welcomed the break.
Knapp’s third goal in the final 10 minutes of the contest sent the Lady Menehune into happy land as they held off the Island School comeback effort.
KIF soccer continues Saturday when the Island School teams visit Kaua‘i High School at Vidinha Stadium. The varsity girls game kicks off at 2 p.m. followed by the varsity boys starting at 4 p.m.
The Kapa‘a Warrior program visits Hanapepe Stadium for three games when the Junior Varsity boys kick off at 10 a.m. followed by the varsity girls starting at 11:45 a.m., and the varsity boys wrapping up the day with a 1:45 p.m. start.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
