Kahuku sophomore Zhane Santiago proved last year that she was one of the best runners in the state.

Last night, on the soccer field, she showed it.

Santiago, the state's 100- and 300-meter hurdles champion in 2008, scored twice to lead the Red Raiders to a 3-2 win over 'Aiea in the first round of the O'ahu Interscholastic Association Red Conference tournament at Kaiser High School.

"You hear about speed, but you don't believe it until you see it," said Kahuku coach Krisha Kai, whose older sister is U.S. National Team member Natasha Kai. "Today was by far her best game."

Kahuku plays East champion Moanalua (8-1-3) tonight in a quarterfinal game at Moanalua at 7 p.m. Kahuku, the fifth seed out of the East, improved to 4-5-4. 'Aiea, the fourth-place team from the West, ended its season at 6-7-0.

"As a team we're doing good," said Santiago, who was able to use her speed to get behind the 'Aiea defense. "We're talking more than the beginning of the season, we're more aggressive and we're not giving up."

Na Ali'i scored first on a goal by senior midfielder/forward Jacquie Watkins, who beat a couple of defenders to a long, bouncing pass down the center of the field, heading it into the 18-yard box and shooting a high ball from the right side of the 6-yard box in the sixth minute.

Kahuku tied it on a Santiago goal after a long run by sophomore Kaylee Au that began near midfield. Au drove up the left sideline into the 18-yard box and crossed it to the middle of the 6-yard box for Santiago to put away with one touch in the 24th minute.

"I saw her running down and I just ran toward the box," Santiago said. "I was just focusing on putting the ball in."

Kai said it was a confidence-booster to score against the brisk winds that blew in Kahuku's face in the first half.

"Once they realized they could score against the wind, it opened a lot of doors to what they could do when they were with the wind," Kai said.

Santiago scored her second goal in the 55th minute on an assist from junior forward/midfielder Amber Abregano. The ball pinballed around in 'Aiea's defensive third before Abregano sent a ball into the 18-yard box.

"I just had to stick my foot out before it went out of bounds," Santiago said. "I didn't want her pass to be wasted."

Abregano added an insurance goal in the 65th minute on a blast from about 25 yards out to put Kahuku up 3-1.

The Red Raiders would need it, as Na Ali'i was awarded a penalty kick two minutes later, which junior midfielder Natalie Fukuhara converted.

"We were hoping we would get more goals in the first half, because we knew they would come hard in the second half with the wind," 'Aiea coach Wanette Shirafuji said of the winds that blew from mauka to makai.

"We scored a couple of last-minute goals this season so we just had to keep fighting and hope we could do it again."

Also at Kaiser last night, the host Cougars, the third seed from the East, defeated West No. 6 Leilehua, 3-0, on goals by senior midfielder Chelsy Okuma and sophomore defender Kianna Akazawa in the first half, and a goal by freshman midfielder Taylor Candelario in the second half.

Okuma put away a bouncing ball in front of the goal, while Akazawa's shot was a low 30-yarder from the right side. Candelario scored on a high lofted shot to the upper left side of the goal on a pass from junior forward Tamra Nee.