Campbell's Ava Rose Whitmer (15) dribbles the ball downfield in the first half. Whitmer scored two goals for the Sabers in the 11th and 64th minute against the Trojans. CJ Caraang | SL

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Fri, Dec 29, 2023 @ Campbell

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Mililani

3

Campbell

3

Final	1st	2nd	OT	2OT	PK	Tot
Mililani (13-2-2)	1	2	-	-	-	3
Campbell (12-2-2)	1	2	-	-	-	3

A. Whitmer (11’, 64’)   L. Leano (71’)   M. George (33’)   T. Fuamatu-Maafala (58’)   K. Jaentsch (72’)

EWA BEACH — There were fireworks a-plenty in Ewa Beach Friday night. 

A pair of unbeaten girls soccer teams atop the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I West standings remained that way at the end of the day after No. 3 Mililani and No. 4 Campbell played to a 3-3 tie. 

Beneath a backdrop of steady fireworks that lit up the skies, the Trojans (6-0-1, 19 points) and Sabers (6-0-2, 20 points) put on their own display of firepower on the pitch in a fast-paced, action-packed regular season match. 

A crowd of about 500 fans saw host Campbell hold on to its one-point lead over Mililani for first place in the OIA D1 West standings with less than two weeks remaining in the 10-game regular season. 

"It was a battle of the West," Trojans coach Darren Smith said. 

Smith's squad had outscored its opponents 57-0 coming into the contest, but fell behind 11 minutes in after Ava Rose Whitmer gave the Sabers the lead off an assist from Kayla Manipon. 

Mililani equalized with Maya George's second goal in as many games in the 33rd minute. It went ahead in the 58th minute after Atianna Tauiai Fuamatu-Maafala scored her team-leading 13th goal, only to see Campbell pull even six minutes later on a Whitmer header off an assist from Miyah Suster. 

The Trojans reclaimed the lead for a second time on Leila Leano's goal, assisted by Fuamatu-Maafala, in the 71st minute, but the Sabers equalized just one minute later when Kaelyn Jaentsch found the back of the net after a feed from Sierra Sam Fong. 

Mililani had one final shot on goal in the final minute of regulation, but Amaris Ishikawa made a two-handed save just seconds before the final whistle. 

"We understood that (the Sabers) were going to come with it and the physicality, the tenacity — it is what it is. We got the tie, but coming back from being down a goal in that first half, I think the mental fortitude to bounce back was where we needed to be," Smith said. 

His counterpart, Campbell coach James Curran, had much the same to say about his team and its resolve to twice erase a one-goal, second-half deficit against the reigning three-time league champion Trojans. 

"Just the mentality — we do a lot of mental performance training with some of our coaches from some of our teaching staff — so we're always trying to not only come out here and get better on the pitch, but mentally as an individual, as a person to reset, flush it, routines, get in there and be in the moment," Curran said. 

It was the second tie in as many games for the Sabers, who were coming off of a scoreless tie at Pearl City Tuesday night. 

"We've been knocking on the door," Curran said. "We've just been getting sharper and sharper in the final third and our team is progressing, what can I say, I'm super proud."

Smith, whose team was coming off of a 21-0 win over Waialua in its last match, said that there was no "added concern" on his part after learning of the Sabers' result against the Chargers earlier in the week.

"There was always a concern; I will never take Campbell light. A battle of the West is normally what we're (expecting), especially when we're coming into their home; They're hungry, they're aggressive, so it was one of those nights," Smith stated. 

The teams combined for four shots on goals — two apiece — in the first half. However, the action picked up significantly about 15 minutes into the second half. Both squads created scoring opportunities and traded shots in a fast and frantic final 25 minutes. 

"We did some personnel rotations, giving (Mililani) some different looks at our forward positions," Curran said. "Just different dynamics, changing up the game to tempo; play small, play big, just try to play different and keep them on their toes."

Among the tweaking that Curran did to the lineup saw Jaentsch, a third-year starting fullback, move up top in the latter parts of the second half. 

"We did a switch up and yeah, she got the ball across from, I believe Sam Fong, and she's a strong finisher. You could see it in her eyes already; She almost actually scored one from the backline (earlier in the match)," Curran said.

Campbell finished with nine shots on goal, while Mililani tallied eight. 

Ishikawa registered five saves in goal, including four after halftime. 

"I felt like that near-post was shutdown," Curran said of his senior ‘keeper. "Anything that came that way, she was there and just some unfortunate balls that kind of got through, but other than that she had an amazing game."

Jordyn Labajo-Cleaver started in goal for Mililani and made one save. Zeida Kaai-Montgomery played most of the second half between the posts and came up with four saves. 

The Trojans have three games remaining. They will host Radford Tuesday, play at Aiea next Friday before they conclude the regular season against Kapolei on Jan. 9. 

The Sabers have two games to play; They host Aiea Tuesday and Waianae on Jan. 9 and can clinch a bye in the first round of the OIA tournament with a win in either contest. 

The top six teams in both the Division I East and West final standings qualify for the 12-team league tournament. The top two finishers from each division earn a bye into the tournament quarterfinals. The top six teams out of the OIA tournament will advance to the state tournament.