Warriors eliminate Punahou to earn state berth


The Warriors storm the field after beating Punahou in a PK shootout. Michael Lasquero | SL

KAPALAMA HEIGHTS — When the lights started to come on at Kunuiakea Stadium, it was the home team that rose to the occasion.

Kamehameha converted on its first four penalty kicks in the shootout period to beat visiting Punahou, 2-1, in the ILH's Division I single-elimination tournament Friday evening.

The Warriors (9-2), ranked second in the Hawaiian Electric Girls Soccer Power Rankings, clinched a state tournament berth in the process as they move on to face top-ranked Iolani (9-1-1) Saturday night at Waipio Soccer Stadium in a 7 p.m. match.

No. 9 Punahou, who defeated Kamehameha on Tuesday, 2-1, saw its season come to a close with a 6-3-2 record.

The Warriors scored first and held the lead for majority of regulation after D'awncey "Kitty" Jones-Black found the back of the net in the 34th minute. The senior forward outran the Punahou defense and received a free kick near midfield from sophomore Carley Park to score on a tap-in shot.

Kamehameha contained the Buffanblu for majority of the match, but Punahou was able to score in the final seconds of regulation to force overtime.

Senior forward Lauren Mukaigawa, who was shaken up after a collision in the 76th minute, was able to get a one-and-one opportunity against Kamehameha keeper Chaylea Tome near the right side in the waning moments of the second half.

Tome met her near the 6-yard box, which forced Mukaigawa to take a shot towards the left of the goal. The shot was slightly wide, but junior Legacy Kalua was there to clean up the shot from point-blank range.

After neither team could score in the two OT periods, the match went to a penalty kick shootout.

Kamehameha's Kaulana Kanno scored on her first attempt with Punahou's Jamie-Lyn Shimamoto matching her on the Buffanblu's first shot.

Caili Cain, the Warriors' leading scorer with 10 goals on the season, had her shot touched by Punahou keeper Elizabeth Leyshon, but the ball still found the back of the net.

Kalua was the next shooter for the Buffanblu, but her attempt hit the top of the football crossbar to leave the advantage in favor of the Warriors.

Leyshon got her right hand on a high shot by Caly Ah Soon on the next Kamehameha attempt, but it wasn't enough as the shot ultimately got through.

Tome then had a sliding save to her left on Leila Mukaigawa's attempt before Park converted on the Warriors' fourth attempt to seal the win.

The Raiders and Kamehameha split their two meetings during the ILH's first round, but Iolani was able to claim the first round title after Punahou defeated the Warriors on Tuesday.

Because Iolani won the first round title, a win on Saturday will give the Raiders the ILH's D1 overall championship. However, if Kamehameha wins the single-elimination tournament (second round), the two teams will have a playoff next Tuesday for the league crown.



Reach Michael Lasquero at [email protected].