HHSAA Boys Soccer
Top-seeded Kapolei escapes with 2-1 win over Pearl City


  



Thu, Feb 9, 2017 @ Waipio


Final 1st 2nd OT 2OT PK Tot
Pearl City (12-4-1) 0 1 - - - 1
Kapolei (12-1-2) 0 2 - - - 2
D. Woo (47')   K. Raquedan (77')   B. Bantolina (65')

WAIPAHU — Set-piece opportunities are often valuable commodities come postseason play.

Kapolei made good on a pair of set pieces to rally past Pearl City for a 2-1 win in the quarterfinal round of the Queen's Medical Center/HHSAA Division I Boys Soccer State Championships at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium Thursday afternoon.

The Hurricanes (12-0-2) came back from a one-goal deficit early in the second half to score twice in the final 15 minutes and will play Punahou in Friday's semifinals at 7 p.m.

Kapolei, the Oahu Interscholastic Association champion and top seed in the tournament, extended its win streak to six games. They will make their second straight semifinal-round appearance.

The Chargers (12-3-1), who finished fifth in the OIA tournament, saw its three-match win streak snapped.

Thursday's game largely played out similarly to the regular-season meeting between the teams on Jan. 5, when they played to a 1-1 tie at Kapolei.

Pearl City had the better run of play in the first half, putting seven of their eight shots on goal.

"I thought we kind of weathered the storm," Kapolei co-head coach Ryan Lau said. "Credit to (Pearl City). They didn't really let us connect and link as much as we wanted to. They played very good, solid team defense."

The first few minutes of the second half seemed to favor the Hurricanes, but it was the Chargers who got on the board first.

Outside-back Logan Martin played a through-ball to Devan Yoshimura on the right flank, who dribbled down near the end line before sending a cross into the goalie box. The ball ricocheted before finding Daniel Woo on the far post, who put it away for his team-leading 19th goal in the 47th minute.

"Just like from the regular season, Pearl City matches up (well). They're athletic, they're physical, they're tough, they have a couple guys that can make things happen — Daniel Woo, Justice Gomes, Luke Wyman — so it's always a tough matchup," Lau said.

The Hurricanes pulled even in the 65th minute. A Pearl City foul gave Sam Wren a free kick from about 40 yards away. Wren's shot was deflected up in the air and sophomore forward Braden Bantolina chipped it in from point blank.

"That gave us the motivation to keep pushing and we just had to think of that ‘golden-goal' mentality that our coaches have been talking about," said sophomore midfielder Keiran Raquedan.

Raquedan used that motivating to convert the eventual game-winner with just minutes remaining.

In the 77th minute, Eric Aquino sent his corner kick to the far post, where it was deflected out to a wide-open Raquedan, who one-timed a right-footed shot into the right side of the goal from about 22 yards away.

"We told Kieran that we put so much pressure that the ball is bound to get knocked out and that he just needs to be ready," Lau said. "Most guys when the ball is knocked out, they take a touch, but he had just got to be ready, so we really worked on getting his mindset ready for that one-timer and he put it on frame."

It was just the second goal of the season for Raquedan, but Lau said his contributions often go unnoticed.

"He offers so much; He probably could be good at any position He's playing the six for us, which is a defensive midfielder, and what he does is he really negates teams to connect or link through their central playmaker and he's calm," Lau said. "When he wins the ball he doesn't just give it up; He's able to connect with a teammate and he really offers that calming influence and we rely heavily on him. He had a good game today, especially with some of our guys struggling with the cramps and injuries, so he really held up."

The Chargers stayed on the offensive. They managed nine shots after halftime, six of them on goal.

"I think we still were doing what we wanted to do," Pearl City coach Derek Kawano said. "I think, if anything, (Kapolei) pressed more and they're good at just pushing up the field, so obviously we had some defensive mishaps and that's the game. It's a game of inches, so cannot help. When we had the width, when we were able to use our speed we did well, but it was just one goal, one inch here and there and not being able to put it in and with their chances they put it in."

Kapolei goalkeeper Jason Catron made 10 saves — five in each half. His last denial came in crunch time.

A Kapolei foul just outside of its 18-yard box gave Pearl City a free kick in the 79th minute, which Justice Gomes put on frame, but Catron went up in the midst of a large crowd and snatched the ball out of the air with both hands.

"One thing with Jason is he's fearless and he's very confident in himself and he knows that once he had his eye on the ball he goes for it," Lau said. "Our team is very confident in him and we tell him that there's going to be times that he's called upon and he's just got to make the play. That was very big because with us down 1-0, he had to come up and make a couple plays to keep us in there until we got back in the game and that's just what it's all about."

The Chargers were coming off a nail-biting 2-1 double-overtime win at King Kekaulike in Monday's first round. Due to inclement weather, their flight from Honolulu to Kahului, Maui was delayed several hours and they arrived at the Pukalani campus just minutes before the match. Despite returning to Oahu near midnight that evening, the tribulations did not have an effect on them Thursday.

"I honestly think it probably helped us in some ways; Just playing a game and getting us in rhythm," Kawano said. "Having that one game early and then having that two-day break, I think it helped us. We came back and we weren't injured, so that was the main thing. It was a close game, King K played well, but all that weather and delay and stuff, it just made for a long day in the end, that's all."

Kapolei was playing its first game since Jan. 28, when it defeated Mililani 1-0 in the OIA final.

"Pearl City gave us a hell of a game and we told the boys that the first game (of states), since we haven't played in 10 days, is always going to be the hardest, especially in the first half," Lau said.

The Chargers will face No. 4 seed and Big Island Interscholastic Federation champion Kealakehe in a 3 p.m. fifth-place semifinal Friday on field No. 7.



Reach Kalani Takase at [email protected].




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