Top-seed Mililani falls to Kalani in overtime thriller, 1-0


Kalani's Marcus White headed in the winning goal in the eight minute of the overtime period against Mililani. Greg Yamamoto | SL

WAIPIO - For the second time in as many years, the Falcons are flying high come tournament time.

After 90 minutes of regulation and eight minutes of overtime, Kalani got a golden goal from Marcus White to stun top-seeded Mililani, 2-1, in a rematch of last year's state championship.

The win marks Kalani's second straight upset in the quarters, as the Falcons dispatched two-time defending champion Punahou just one year ago.

"I love watching this team play," said Falcons coach Michael Ching. "The heart of this team coming from last year…we just find a way to put ball in the back of the net and hit the winning goal."

The game started off with Kalani attacking in waves against the Trojans defense. Despite the constant barrage of offense, Mililani was able to hold off the Falcons to a 0-0 score at halftime.

"I think we played a little better first half," said Ching "They played a little better second half then we did. But to come away with the win is an unbelievable feeling."

The Trojans rebounded, after not much of an offensive showcase in the opening half, to score the first goal of the match in the 71st minute of play. Junior Chris Galang took advantage of a loose ball rolling inside the Falcons' 18-yard box and drilled it into the back of the net. The goal by Galang was his fifth of the season.

"(About Mililani) I respect them, probably the most in the state," said Ching. "The coaching staff, the players played fantastic."

Mililani had never lost their opening game in the state tournament since the merger, and looked primed to keep that streak alive.

But just two minutes later, the Falcons struck.

Senior Steve Teshima seized an opportunity to score after a mishandle by the Mililani keeper, as the ball bounced off the hands of the keeper and fell into position for Teshima to score. The finish by Teshima came during the 73rd minute of play.

"It's the greatest feeling right now. We played as good as we could play. This feels amazing. Mililani is an amazing team too," said Teshima. "It was all teamwork, we just connected really good."

"(About Teshima) Fantastic player. You can see how great he is," said Ching. "The speed, the reading, he has good skill. We feel confident with him."

Going into the end of regulation, the score was tied 1-1. Both Kalani and Mililani exchanged offensive blows in a back and forth chess match. This continued during overtime until the eighth minute of the extra time period.

After a Mililani penalty just outside the 18-yard box, Kalani Senior Kazuto Moribe arced in a shot and connected with White, who was in the right place at the right time, and headed the ball in for the golden goal. The goal in overtime was the fifth goal of the season for White.

"This is surreal. I can't believe this just happened. Feels like I'm dreaming… this is unbelievable," said White. "We got to stay focused. It's just another game our team has to be mentally ready and be prepared for the next opponent."

"I'm so proud of him," said Ching. "He's a six-footer. We always kind of tease him to head the ball like a six-footer and he headed the ball like a six-footer today."



Reach Aven Santiago at [email protected].