HANAPEPE — The Kaua‘i Red Raiders girls varsity soccer team used a relentless offensive attack and a huge second-half surge to come away with a 6-0 win over the Waimea Lady Menehune, Saturday at Hanapepe Stadium.
Waimea (0-1) hung tough with Kaua‘i (1-1) for the majority of the opening half, keeping the match scoreless until forward Malia Kagawa got her team into the scoring column with a goal just minutes before the halftime whistle. That goal would prove to be the game-winner, but was just the beginning of the action for the Raider offense.
Just after halftime, Kaua‘i put the pressure on and had a few chances to add to its lead, as Kagawa, Isabelle Curtis and Cascade Mayer all had looks at the goal.
All these chances with no results would not last long, as Kauai began to finish off its attacks and repeatedly found the net for the remainder of the game.
Kaua‘i’s Kylie Tanaguchi managed to gather the ball on the left side, kept the defender on her hip while controlling possession, got an open look at the net and put her shot on the ground past the diving goalie, Brandi Briones, to create the 2-0 lead for the Raiders.
Minutes later, Kagawa sent a high-arcing corner kick to the back post. The ball got over the leaping goalie’s arms and bounced in front of Dayna Fujii, who tapped in the easy finish for a 3-0 lead.
Kagawa was on the receiving end for the next goal when Tanaguchi sent a free kick deep toward the Waimea end and Kagawa outran everyone, finishing with an easy score for her second of the game.
Curtis showed off her speed when she chased down a long pass from Kagawa and gathered control inside the box, finishing the play with a goal into the left corner of the net.
The Raiders’ final score came from Tyra Tandal, who had moved up to a forward spot from her defensive position. She made a run at the goal and when Briones came out to challenge, she snuck the ball by her, then finished it off with a strong boot into the empty net.
Kaua‘i will be off until Saturday, when they will take on Kapa‘a (1-0) at 3:30 p.m. at Kapa‘a Stadium. Waimea is in action Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Kapa‘a Stadium.
Plenty of offense permeated through the boys varsity game, which ended with Waimea taking a 6-3 victory over Kaua‘i. Torrey Santiago had a hat trick for the Menehune, while Lucas Gushikuma also had all his team’s goals for the Raiders.
Adding the other three scores for Waimea (2-0) were Bryson Tacata (fifth minute), Joshua Quinlan (penalty kick, 25th) and Caleb Licke (72nd).
Two of Gushikama’s three goals came off of penalty kicks. He now has all four Kaua‘i (1-1) goals so far this season.
The Kapa‘a Warriors (2-0) boys varsity team pitched a shutout with a 6-0 win over Island (0-2), Saturday morning at Kapa‘a Stadium.
Kaisen Carillo scored twice for Kapa‘a, both in the second half after the Warriors had built up a 3-0 lead before halftime with scores from Max Goode (fourth minute), Gabriel Aloi (10th) and Brycen Phillips (36th). Cole Pemberton added the final score in the 71st minute.
Kapa‘a will take on Waimea, starting at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at Kapa‘a Stadium. Island will host Kaua‘i at 4 p.m.
The Waimea JV boys team notched a 5-1 win over Kaua‘i, getting two goals from Isaac Fierro, plus scores from Devan Banasihan-Kenney, Chad Sherman and Micah Quinlan. Blaise Ferguson scored for the Raiders.
In girls JV action, Kaua‘i beat Waimea by a 4-0 count, getting three goals from Malu Vegas, who did not play Thursday due to illness. The Raiders’ other score was by Jannin Hashizumi in the 11th minute.
