Roosevelt players celebrate after a goal scored against Leilehua. Greg Yamamoto | SL

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Roosevelt's Nolan Pena elevates for a header attempt against Leilehua. Sylvia Lee | SL

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Roosevelt's Nolan Pena headers in the ball for a score against Leilehua. Greg Yamamoto | SL

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Roosevelt's Guhn Park leaps up for a header against Leilehua. Greg Yamamoto | SL

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Leilehua's Nicholas Russey advances the ball down the field against Roosevelt. Sylvia Lee | SL

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Roosevelt's Sang Hoon Lee attempts to maintain possession of the ball against Leilehua. Sylvia Lee | SL

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Fri, Jan 31, 2014 @ Mililani

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Roosevelt

3

Leilehua

2

Final	1st	2nd	OT	2OT	PK	Tot
Roosevelt (7-7-0)	0	0	-	-	-	3
Leilehua (5-9-0)	0	0	-	-	-	2

D. Stewart (2)   G. Park    S. Lee    N. Pena

MILILANI — For the first time since 1979, the Roosevelt boys soccer team can raise a championship soccer banner.

Sang Hoon Lee scored in the 78th minute to break a tie, lifting Roosevelt to a 3-2 win over Leilehua Friday night in the championship game of the Oahu Interscholastic Association White Conference Tournament at Mililani's John Kauinana Stadium.

The Rough Riders got a pair of first-half goals from Nolan Pena and Guhn Park before allowed two second-half scores by Leilehua before Lee's game-winner in the closing minutes. They improved to 7-5 and will receive the OIA's top seed and a first-round bye in the Division II state tournament.

"It feels really good, especially for the boys — they worked hard all season," Roosevelt coach Fran Pena said. "They didn't have much time together for the three months that we had together, but I think we improved as we went through all the different games that we had, so I'm proud of them."

Just six minutes into the game, Roosevelt got on the board by capitalizing on a throw-in deep in Leilehua territory. Ryan Chun took the throw-in from the left sideline and found Pena, whose header from around five yards out went past Leilehua goal keeper Jeremiah Tuiolemotu and in for a goal.

"The throw-in came from Ryan Chun, and he's my really good friend from a young age, so I knew where he was going to throw it, so I just stayed there, waited for him to throw it in and I got it," said Pena, a senior forward.

Late in the first half, Guhn Park manufactured Roosevelt's second goal when he split a pair of Mules' defenders and finished the with his right foot.

"One of the Leilehua players was confused when he was dribbling, so he passed it to me, I got it and I tried to juke them out and I shot it," said Park, a junior midfielder. It was his team-leading fifth goal of the season.

The Rough Riders held a 2-0 lead at halftime, but the Mules made a strategic chance that ignited their second-half comeback. Senior midfielder Aaron Calabrese moved from fullback to forward and it had an almost-instant effect.

One minute into the second half, Demar Stewart — who was the lone Leilehua forward in the first half — broke free of the pack and put a left-footed shot to the right of Roosevelt goalie Todd Takeno.

Nearly 30 minutes later, Stewart notched the tying goal off a feed from Calabrese, who dribbled nearly 50 yards along the left sideline before sending a cross to Stewart.

"Aaron Calabrese is our firestarter — you saw his engine — to go up and down, left to right," Leilehua coach James Cabralda said. "We knew we were down two goals, so no sense to play defense and go down 3-0, so I had to make that decision to move him up front so that we had more offensive production and he did. As soon as he got in there, he made that header right to Demar, who put it in and then he made that cross."

However, eight minutes after Stewart's second goal, Lee scored the game-winning goal from about 15 yards out on a right-footed shot off an assist from Ty Oishi.

"It was a great assist from Ty," Lee said. "I was just trying my best. I'm really happy to score."

It was the Rough Riders' second league championship in school history — the first since they beat, ironically enough, Leilehua in the OIA championship 34 years ago.

The Mules, who fell to 5-7 on the year, were seeking their second OIA championship and first since 1978.

"We had our chances and we were there, but it just didn't go our way," Cabralda said.

Both teams have qualified for the Outrigger Hotels & Resorts Division II Boys Soccer State Championships, Feb. 13-15 at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex.