Kalani's Brison Kim celebrates with teammate Noah Camacho after scoring a goal in the 3rd minute. Michael Lasquero | SL

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Tue, Jan 3, 2017 @ Kalani

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Moanalua

0

Kalani

3

Final	1st	2nd	OT	2OT	PK	Tot
Moanalua (4-6-1)	0	0	-	-	-	0
Kalani (8-4-2)	2	1	-	-	-	3

K. Enomoto (23', 60')   B. Kim (3')

KAHALA — All of the jitters and rust were gone by game time for the Kalani boys soccer team Tuesday.

Kane Enomoto scored a pair of goals to lead host Kalani to a convincing 3-0 win over Moanalua in an Oahu Interscholastic Association Eastern Division game before an afternoon crowd of about 100 fans.

The Falcons improved to 5-0-2 and leapfrogged idle-Kahuku (5-1-1) for second place with 17 points in the seven team Division I East. It was their first game since a 5-1 win over McKinley on Dec. 20.

"It was very nice because we were off for two weeks, so I was worried about the layoff, because with two weeks you get rust no matter what and (Moanalua) got to play last week and it looked like they were coming on strong after they beat Castle, 4-1," Kalani coach Michael Ching said. "Assuming we don't get tripped up by some other teams, I think this guarantees us at least third place."

It took Kalani just three minutes to find the back of the net.

Noah Camacho took the ball deep down the right flank before cutting back to his left and firing a shot on goal that was deflected, but gathered by teammate Brison Kim, who put back the rebound to the left side of the net from about 10 yards out.

It was Kim's fourth goal of the season.

Much of the play in the first half was on Moanalua's side of the pitch. The Falcons had a number of scoring opportunities on throw-ins deep in Na Menehune territory.

Kalani capitalized on one such opportunity in the 23rd minute that resulted in an own goal. Keoni Ichiyama's long throw-in found the 6-yard box and was deflected by a Moanalua player into the goal. Enomoto was credited with the goal as he was the Kalani player nearest to the play.

Ching said Ichiyama's effectiveness on his throw-ins has become a valuable asset for the Falcons.

"His throw-in can go in the middle of the (goalie) box and you basically just hope to land the ball in the box and scrum, and that's why it's a huge weapon," Ching said. "We kind of knew it all along, (but) he just had to get his footing on defense."

Kalani had 10 of its 17 shots on goals in the first half. Moanalua was limited to just one shot on goal per half.

"I think that we decided to play on the ground (early on) and then I had to modify because (Kalani was) just playing long balls, so it was hard for us to keep the ball on the ground when they were pressuring fast and they were trying to get the ball from there and play it short, so we ended up playing their game — long balls — and try to keep them away from our side of the field, which helped in the second half," Moanalua first-year coach Hugo Gutierrez said.

The Falcons added an insurance score on Enomoto's team-leading fifth goal of the season in the 60th minute, which he headed in off a free kick from Kim.

"I wasn't too sure where the ball was going to go, so I backed up a little but then he kind of kicked it and it floated and I just ran and jumped," Enomoto said, who noted the team's practices over winter break have emphasized finishing on set pieces.

Ching was appreciative of the goal after weeks of practice.

"It was a beautiful set play from there and across for the header; That's kind of how we wanted to play. I mean, it's not the prettiest soccer probably, but in the name of the game of OIAs and states, you want to finish on the set pieces," Ching said. "You'd want to score on the run of play, but when it gets tighter and with set pieces you've got to be able to crash and you've got to be able to finish and so we create a lot of set pieces, it's just hit and miss for us and hopefully it's kind of starting where they see a couple go in and gain some confidence with it."

Kalani had four corner kicks in each half, while Moanalua's lone corner of the match didn't come until the 55th minute.

The fast start for the Falcons materialized despite a rather sub-par warm-up session before the match, Enomoto said.

"I think we did have a little bit of rust, because in the (warm-up) we were kind of screwing up a lot, but it all worked out in the end," Enomoto said.

Kalani has now won three of its last four games to pull within four points of first-place Kaiser.

The Falcons will face Division-II Farrington (2-6) Saturday before a showdown against the Cougars (7-0) next Tuesday.

Moanalua, which saw a two-game win streak snapped to fall to 4-3, was shutout for the third time this season. They have been outscored 10-0 in their three losses in OIA East play.

Na Menehune host third-place Kahuku Saturday.