Kalani's Marc Teshima winds up to strike the ball against Kapolei. Sylvia Lee | SL

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Kalani's Takahiro Kosins and Kapolei's Lyric DeLeon battle in midair for possession of the ball. Sylvia Lee | SL

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Kapolei's Shay Akau gets set to strike the ball against Kalani. Sylvia Lee | SL

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Kalani's Michael Stafford leaps up to make a save against Kapolei. Sylvia Lee | SL

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Thu, Jan 30, 2014 @ Kapolei

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Kapolei

2

Kalani

3

Final	1st	2nd	OT	2OT	PK	Tot
Kapolei (12-6-1)	0	0	-	-	-	2
Kalani (13-7-0)	0	0	-	-	-	3

T. Kosins    M. Casey    M. Teshima    S. Hopeau    K. Ponce

MILILANI — The Kalani boys soccer is won their first state championship last season and will try for its first league title Friday.

Toshihiro Kosins, Madison Casey and Marc Teshima scored goals to lead Kalani to a 3-2 win over Kapolei in a semifinal game of the Oahu Interscholastic Association Red Conference Tournament at Mililani's John Kauinana Stadium Thursday afternoon.

The Falcons improved to 10-2 with their sixth consecutive victory and advanced to Friday's championship game, where they will play Kaiser, which defeated Mililani 3-2 in penalty kicks in the other semifinal Thursday night.

"I've been kind of joking with these guys, because most of them didn't play last year for us in states and I said what the other boys didn't do is win OIAs and they have a chance," Kalani head coach Michael Ching said. "Obviously we're going to have to play tough competition in the championship game, but we're feeling pretty good right now."

Kalani scored all of its goals in the first 28 minutes of the opening half. Kosins got his first goal all season in the eighth minute to open the scoring. Kapolei failed to clear out a Kalani corner kick, which ended up at the feet of Kosins, who fired a right-footed shot from about 30 yards out to the top right corner of the goal.

"The ball popped out to me, I trapped it and set it up perfectly and I just hit it and I hoped it would go over the keeper and into the net and it did," said Kosins, sophomore defender.

About nine minutes later, Madison Casey punched in another loose ball in front of the left side of the Hurricanes' goal to put the Falcons ahead, 2-0.

"Everyone was very bunched up. I was just standing right in the middle of the goal and then I just saw Taka (Kosins) pass it to me and I just placed it in," said Casey, a sophomore midfielder.

It was his second goal of the year.

A Kapolei foul on goal keeper Makana Breault against Kalani's Ryan Abe in the 18-yard box resulted in a penalty kick for the Falcons. Marc Teshima took the PK and dribbled a shot into the bottom right corner of the goal to extend his team's lead.

"We had to hang on — that team was really good," Ching said. "I thought they had the better run of play, but for some reason we were scoring and it kind of seemed like it was our night. Two-zero is always a dangerous score, but three-zero you feel like you've got a little cushion and we certainly used it. That last goal was key — our PK taker is usually another guy, but he was out on the bench and Marc Teshima stepped up."

Just before halftime, Keo Ponce got the Hurricanes on the board with his diving header off a quick corner kick by Marcelo Dadino. It was Ponce's ninth goal of the season. Shandon Hopeau added a late goal — his team-leading 11th of the season and second in as many days — in the 79th minute.

Kapolei, the West runner-up, entered the game with 48 goals scored and has scored in all but one game this season. The Hurricanes dropped to 10-2 on the year with the loss. It was the most goal allowed this season by Kapolei, which had won its last eight games. Kapolei will play the Mililani in the third-place game at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Leilehua's Hugh Yoshida Stadium.

Michael Stafford made six saves in goal for Kalani. The Falcons, the East co-champion and top seed, last appeared in the OIA title game in 2007, when it lost to Kapolei, 3-1.

"It's amazing — because most of our players didn't play in states last year — and we could accomplish this goal that we've set for us," Casey said.

Friday's title game will be televised live statewide on OC16.