Chase for the Championship
Pearl City rallies past Waiakea, 2-1


Pearl City players celebrate after a goal scored against Waiakea. The Chargers scored the go-ahead goal in the 71st minute to win it. CJ Caraang | SL

KAPALAMA HEIGHTS — A pair of underclassmen provided all the scoring Pearl City needed Friday night.

Bethany Nazareno and Brittny Ihara found the back of the net for Pearl City in a 2-1 win over Waiakea in the opening-round of the Outrigger Hotels & Resorts Division I Girls Soccer State Championships at Kamehameha's Kunuiakea Stadium.

The Chargers, who finished fifth in the Oahu Interscholastic Association, improved to 11-3-1 with the win, which sets up a 4 p.m. quarterfinal showdown against Campbell Saturday.

"That was ugly," Pearl City coach Frank Baumholtz III said. "We had some team adversity in that we just had to follow our gameplan. If we follow our gameplan, we're efficient and we can play with anybody, but we started out with our gameplan, then we got away from it, then we got back into it when we scored."

Pearl City fell behind just minutes into the game, when Waiakea's Cierra Toledo-Muragin scored to give her team a quick 1-0 lead.

"That was foolish. Nobody guarded her and she was uncovered," Baumholtz III said of Toledo-Muragin. "They spread out, we spread out and she just kind of walked into the middle, nobody picked her up and the ball came right to her and boom, right in the goal, so it was a total mental letdown on that one and we can't have that tomorrow, because Campbell is really efficient on their corners."

Nazareno tied it in the 31st minute after she split a pair of defenders, dribbled around Waiakea goalkeeper Jordan Melchor, and placed the ball into the bottom right corner of the net.

"Piper (Collado) switched the ball and then I was there to finish it," Nazareno said, a sophomore halfback.

Baumholtz III said Nazareno's goal helped get the Chargers back on track.

"Nazareno ran through the ball and got it for an easy goal, and we just kept plugging in the second half, but it was just like nothing would go right for us," Baumholtz III said. "Everything was just kind of a step off.

That is, until Ihara scored the go-ahead goal in the 73rd minute off a set piece.

Randi Fontes started the play with a corner kick that found the head of Nazareno and was deflected by a Waiakea defender before Ihara put away the rebound with her left foot.

"Nazareno had a nice header around the 12(-yard line) and I was just there for the rebound," said Ihara, a freshman halfback.

Baumholtz said the goal was reminiscent of the Mililani boys' game-winning score in double overtime of the OIA title match last week.

"It was the exact same thing: the ball comes in, one guy blasts it, hits somebody else and goes right back in the goal, "said Baumholtz III. "That last play there, everybody was in the right place, so the ball bounced in our favor, but now we've got to come back mentally and be a little bit more organized tomorrow, and be a better team than we were today."

Pearl City now sets it sights on fellow-Western Division foe and OIA champion Campbell, which defeated Baumholtz's team 3-1 back on Jan. 6.

The Warriors (10-2-1), who finished second in the Big Island Interscholastic Federation, will Kamehameha-Maui in a 2 p.m. consolation match Saturday at Kunuiakea Stadium.


KEALAKEKUA REGIONAL

IOLANI 3, KAHUKU 0: Kylee Kim-Bustillos scored a goal in each half as the Raiders (10-0-3) topped the Red Raiders (9-3-2) in the early game at Julian T. Yates Field in Kealakekua. Kristen Hori also scored a goal for Iolani, which will face third-seeded Baldwin in a 1 p.m. quarterfinal Saturday.

KAISER 2, MOANALUA 0: Maya Murray-Pasion and Noelle Mercado each scored in the first 17 minutes of the match to lift the Cougars (10-3-1) past Na Menehune (10-4-1). Kaiser, which finished sixth in the OIA, will play fourth-seeded Konawaena in a 3 p.m. quarterfinal at Julian T. Yates Field Saturday.



Reach Kalani Takase at [email protected].