Mililani, Kahuku to battle for OIA title
| Red Raiders hold off Chargers, 1-0, for first finals appearance |
Photo gallery: OIA girls soccer semifinals |
By Leila Wai
Advertiser Staff Writer
They finish goals, and each other's sentences too.
"We just want to succeed ... " started Mililani junior forward Mari Miyashiro.
"So we work off each other and help each other out," senior forward Chelsey Goo finished.
Goo scored in the first half and Miyashiro added one in the second half for the Trojans in their 2-0 win over Kapolei in the O'ahu Interscholastic Association semifinals last night at Roosevelt High School's Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium.
Mililani plays Kahuku tonight at Roosevelt at 6:30 for the championship. The White championship game between Wai'anae and Kailua is at 4 p.m.
Mililani (13-0-1), the only undefeated team in the OIA, and Kapolei already have spots in the state tournament, along with Pearl City and Kahuku. The Red Raiders beat the Chargers, 1-0, in the other semifinal game.
Both Roosevelt and Kaiser, which play today for fifth-place, also already qualified for the state tournament. The OIA receives six berths.
The Trojans last won the OIA title in 2006, and the Hurricanes (10-3-2) followed them in 2007.
"We started off really well," Mililani coach Ray Akiona said. "We played with a lot of composure in the beginning, but I think it got chaotic in the end before we were able to settle down and finish."
Goo scored her 16th goal of the season against the Hurricanes yesterday in the 20th minute. She put pressure on the Kapolei defense after Miyashiro sent a long ball, and when one player was trying to shield Goo from the ball and the goalkeeper was coming up to collect it, Goo shot it around the two and into the open goal from near the top of the 18-yard box."Mari played the ball over and I thought the sweeper was going to kick it out, but I just ran over and chipped it in," Goo said.
Miyashiro, second on the team with eight goals, scored in the first minute of the second half after the Kapolei goalkeeper fell down, giving Miyashiro an open look.
"I just saw a little opening," said Miyashiro, who added that like Goo's goal, it was a miscommunication between the Kapolei goalkeeper and her defender that set the goal up. "It brought us more confidence, that we were up by two."
Akiona said called it a momentum booster.
"It's always good to go into the half with a lead, but to come out with a quick goal in the second half, it just gives you momentum," he said.
Kapolei coach Brian Beck said Roosevelt's turf surface was a benefit for Mililani.
"A field like this played to Mililani's speed advantage," Beck said. "We're a banging team.
"Our passing was off and a few uncharacteristic things happened," he added, referring to the miscommunication. "The second goal, our goalkeeper just misjudged it, which she hasn't done all year, in a practice or a game."
Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com.