Opposing players usually put up four goals against Mid-Pacific, not the other way around.

Junior Cody Sullivan showed otherwise, scoring four goals in the Owls' 5-1 upset over Punahou in an Interscholastic League of Honolulu boys soccer match last Wednesday.

Tied 1-1 early in the second half, Sullivan scored three goals to help the Owls (1-1-0), last year's Division II state champion, pull off the win and put a nice touch on his 17th birthday.

"Four against Punahou, it's a pretty significant feat," Mid-Pacific coach Marc Miranda said. "He's a good kid, one of the best in the state."

Sullivan scored on a corner kick that went untouched to give the Owls a 1-0 lead in the first half.

With a blustery wind behind him, Punahou's Alessi Sia scored out of halftime to tie the match.

Sullivan scored about two minutes later off a cross to put Mid-Pacific ahead 2-1. Less than 10 minutes later, his goal made it 3-1. Another goal by Sullivan and one from Taylor Nemiroff capped the scoring.

"I couldn't score without the help of my teammates," Sullivan said. "They deserve a lot of the credit, too."

Miranda said Sullivan was able to create chances for himself.

"He probably took five shots in that game," Miranda said. "The other two went wide. His third shot was off a cross and he one-timed it with a volley in the air. It was a heck of a shot in traffic."

Sullivan said the Owls had to be more tactical in the second half because they were playing into the wind.

"The first half, we were sending long balls, hoping to beat opponents to it," Sullivan said. "The second half, we had to work the ball and get good crosses."

The win should motivate the Owls, who started the season with a 4-0 loss to Pac-Five. Miranda said seven players competed in that match after taking the SAT, and were mentally drained.

"It'll motivate us to try harder in practice," Miranda said. "Beating a team of that caliber really boosted our confidence level."

Sullivan started strong in the preseason, scoring twice in a 2-1 win over 'Iolani in a preseason game. The Owls won Moanalua's preseason tournament, and Punahou defeated Mid-Pacific on penalty kicks in the title game of a preseason tournament at Hawai'i Prep.

"He's putting us on his back as of late," Miranda. "We hope to get other guys scoring so we're not so one-dimensional."

Coming off a state championship year has changed the outlook going into this season. Miranda said players have returned with greater confidence.

"It taught us how to win, what it was going to take," Miranda said. "For a lot of these boys, they just need to get over the mental hump and experience that sort of environment and come away triumphant."