Hawaii Prep’s Emi Higgins scored the only goal of the game 31 minutes into the game to help lead Ka Makani in their sixth consecutive championship game. CJ Caraang | SL

Purchase image 1 of 1

Sat, Feb 4, 2017 @ Waipio

---

Kapaa

0

Hawaii Prep

1

Final	1st	2nd	OT	2OT	PK	Tot
Kapaa (13-2-0)	0	0	-	-	-	0
Hawaii Prep (11-2-2)	1	0	-	-	-	1

E. Higgins (31')

WAIPAHU — Hawaii Preparatory Academy claimes its fourth straight state championship with a 1-0 win over Kapaa in the Queen's Medical Center/HHSAA Division II title game at Waipio Soccer Peninsula Stadium on Saturday night. 

Hawaii Prep's Emi Higgins scored the lone goal 31 minutes into the game to help lead Ka Makani in their sixth consecutive championship game.

"It's the best feeling in the world," said Higgins, who was named the tournamnet's most outstanding player. "I can't imagine anything greater. We keep the legacy alive and there's so many people out there who are rooting for us. I'm just so glad that we could win this for everyone. This season was great."

HPA is just the second school to win four consecutive state soccer titles. The only other team to do so was Punahou (1983-86), but that was when it was a six-team tournament. 

"The game was a microcosm of this last month for us," said HPA coach Stephen Perry. "These last three weeks, we've had great one-goal games that we've won for what ever reason. We have a group of girls that just work so hard."

In the first half, HPA peppered many shots on the Kapaa goal but senior keeper Nygeria Williams was up to the task. Williams made a total of five saves and managed to keep HPA out for the most part. But she had no chance on Higgins' game winner.

"I just saw it bounce off of my teammate Sofia (Aguilar) and then I knew that pressure was coming," Higgins said m. "I saw this open spot where the keeper wasn't and I just knew that that is where my shot needed to go. I knew it was going in before it did."

Higgins, a sophomore forward, finished the season with a team-high 19 goals. She scored four of those goals during the state tournament. 

Kapaa tried its best to get something going. It won a few free kicks and set pieces, but HPA goalie Maia Mills was up to the task. She made a total of theee saves during the match. When the final whistle blew, the whole team celebrated by running over to Mills and forming a group hug around her.

This year, Ka Makani had a very young team with just two seniors on the roster.

HPA also lost junior Jordan Zarate to an ACL injury early on in the season. Zarate was expected to be a key contributor before the injury. She scored the golden goal in last year's finals for HPA. 

"This team is resilient," Perry said. "We bounced people all over the place. We've had more talent in the past, but this team worked harder than any other team I've had."

This was Kapaa's first appearance in the finals since 2009. They have yet to win a Division II Girls Soccer title.

"First off, hats off to HPA," Kapaa coach Mytra McKeague said. "They're a talented team and Stephan Perry has a dynasty up there. We knew going into the game that it was going to be a good battle." This team is not a team, it's a family. Their chemistry is really tight and they play for each other. They look at each other as sisters now."

Perry and his Ka Makani will now look forward to next year. They now have a chance to win five consecutive state soccer titles. 

"The girls should be proud of their efforts," Perry said. "Hard work, being positive and supporting one another pays off."