Moanalua stays perfect in league play with 3-1 win over Kaiser

Moanalua's Kaylee Sumida tries to get the ball past Kaiser's Shaley Mercado. Greg Yamamoto | SL

HAWAII KAI — Fifth-ranked Moanalua shut down No. 7 Kaiser for a 3-1 Oahu Interscholastic Association Eastern Division win at Kaiser Stadium Wednesday night.

Moanalua remains perfect with a 6-0 record in the league standings while Kaiser suffered its first loss of the regular season and dropped to 3-1.

"We came in here and we knew we had to set the tone of the game," said Moanalua coach Nikki Dela Pena. "We know they (Kaiser) are capable of scoring. We had to apply high pressure and make sure that all our personal was in check. My girls were up to the challenge and they made sure that they completed their jobs."

Na Menehune came storming out of the gates to take an early lead in only the second minute of the game. Junior Kelci Sumida hit her first shot off Kaiser keeper Madison Mora but managed to tap in the rebound.

"We really wanted to control the first ten minutes of the game," said Sumida. "We tired to put really high pressure on them and possess the ball. We realized that they were playing a high offense and we were trying to hit those through balls."

Sumida found the back of the net again in the 19th minute, but it was called back for offsides.

Moanalua would eventually notch its second goal of the night thanks to Kelci's twin sister Kaylee in the 25th minute. After a corner kicked was partially cleared, Kaylee Sumida collected the ball at the top of the 18-yard box and fired a rocket shot over Mora's outstretched arms.

The Cougars respond with a goal of their own in the 31st minute to make it 2-1. Senior forward Kaile Halvorsen latched onto a through ball and blasted it passed Moanalua goalie Alexis Davis.

"She (Halvorsen) is definitely a playmaker for us," said first-year Kaiser coach Noelani Bio. "Everyone knows how good she is so she tends to draw a lot of defenders towards her and that will open up a lot of avenues for other players."

Moanalua scored one more to make it 3-1 heading into halftime. Senior midfielder Jacey Lyn Iwane collected a through ball and slated it home in the 40th minute. Kelci Sumida played the through ball for Iwane.

"I think I played pretty well tonight," Kelci Sumida said. "I was always trying to look for my teammates and opportunities to score."

After the break, the Cougars came out with the wind to their backs and dominated possession. They managed to test Davis with a few more shots on goal.

"Every year we play at this field, so we always know that there's going to be one half with this big wind and one half we're against it," Dela Pena said. "In the first half, we took advantage and allowed ourselves to try play more long balls to see what we could do. In the second half, we had to make sure that we didn't allow them to have those opportunities. Just keeping the ball out of their possession was really key for us."

However, Na Menehune would manage to shut Kaiser out the rest of the way in order to secure the 3-1 win.

"We started the game a little flat to be honest," Bio said. "We were against the wind and it felt like an uphill battle throughout that first 40 minutes. So we did have a better second half and I'm proud of the girls for that. We'll try to be more prepared moving forward but with the ups and downs of the caliber in our league, it kind of blindsides us when we play the top-notch teams. Our first two games were walk through for us and we had a week and a half break before this game so it was nearly impossible to not come out a little flat. Moving forward, we know what the competition will be like in the East."

The next game for the Cougars will be at Castle on Saturday Dec. 23. Na Menehune's next game will also be against Castle, but on Jan. 6.