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Kalani Takase | ScoringLiveJanuary 31, 2020, 3:43pm
Sat, Feb 1, 2020 @ Kapolei
KAPOLEI — The boys soccer crown in the Oahu Interscholastic Association has gone to either Kalani or Kapolei in each of the last four seasons.
That trend will continue for at least another year when the teams play for the league's Division I championship in the nightcap of a doubleheader at Kapolei's Alvin Nagasako Sports Complex Saturday.
The Falcons (11-1-1) and Hurricanes (11-0-1) have alternated as league champions since 2016, but have not matched up in the finals; Kalani defeated Eastern Division-rival Kaiser in both the 2016 and 2018 title games and Kapolei beat West-foe Mililani in the 2017 and 2019 finals.
Defending champion Kapolei, the No. 2 team in this week's ScoringLive/Hawaiian Electric Power Rankings, is one of two remaining unbeaten teams in the state (Kapaa). A win Saturday would be the fifth OIA title for the program and mark the first time a school has successfully defended its crown since 2013 (Mililani).
Ryan Lau, one of three co-coaches for the Hurricanes, reiterated the team's season-long pledge to turn the page on last year's championship.
"They've stuck to the mantra where the team is the star, the culture we've built," Lau said following their 2-0 semifinal win over No. 4 Kalaheo Thursday night.
"We have these process objectives that we establish early in the year and granted at the beginning of the year we don't really hit ‘em, but we slowly work toward them and we build and the team realizes through the successes and the learnings that slowly all those things that we're trying to do day-in and day-out, it kind of culminates at this time of the year," Lau added.
Kapolei, the top seed out of the West, has won its last seven games since a scoreless tie at Mililani on Dec. 27 and has outscored its two opponents in this week's OIA tournament, 7-1.
Kalani carries an eight-game winning streak into Saturday's match-up, but has been pushed beyond the full 80 minutes of regulation in each of its last two contests.
The Falcons edged No. 5 Mililani in penalty kicks in Tuesday's quarterfinal round before derailing third-ranked and East top-seeded Kaiser, 2-1, in double overtime in the early semifinal at Kapolei Thursday.
Prior to the late semifinal between Kalaheo and Kapolei, Kalani coach Brandon Chun said either team would present a formidable opponent.
"I think regardless — I mean, we lost to Kalaheo in the regular season, we've played Kapolei, it feels like almost every year now — so we know that if it's regardless of whoever wins this game it's going to be a battle and we gotta continue to do the things that we do: play our game, work on the things that we've been working on and execute," Chun said.
The eighth-ranked Falcons, seeded third out of the East, can capture their third league — all within the past five years — with a victory Saturday.
Last season Kalani saw its hopes of an OIA repeat dashed with a 3-2 loss to Mililani in the league semifinals.
Naruhito Yoshikawa, a forward for the Falcons, has fond memories of the 2018 season, when he was a sophomore and the team claimed the title.
"There's nothing like winning a championship, so hopefully we can recreate that again," Yoshikawa said.
Lau watched much of the second half and both overtime periods of Kalani's pulsating win over the Cougars from field level as his own team warmed up for its own semifinal game Thursday night.
"It's typical Kalani; I was very impressed watching them tonight. I thought they work and they move the ball well and they compete and they're a hard working unit," Lau said. "One thing good about Kalani is they're the type of team that is not going to beat themselves so we're going to have to earn it and we're going to have to come out on Saturday."
The Falcons and Hurricanes will follow the D2 league final between Aiea and Waipahu at 5 p.m.
KALANI 2, KAISER 1 (2OT)Travis Brubaker assisted on a goal in regulation and scored the game-winner in the 99th minute to lift the Falcons past Cougars in a double-overtime thriller Thursday.
Kalani took an early lead in stunning fashion when Yoshikawa headed in a pass from Brubaker with just 15 seconds before halftime, then saw Kaiser equalize in just as stunning fashion — when Ian Ngonethong scored from distance with only 19 seconds remaining in regulation.
After a scoreless 10-minute extra period, the teams went to a second overtime. Cougars goalkeeper Kai Nishibun saved the Falcons' first two shots on goal of double OT, both of them off the right foot of Lucas Wright, but had little chance against a well-placed service to the near-post by Ethan Senter, which set-up Brubaker's game-winning header that found the left side of the goal.
"We just work on set pieces at practice and I just sold out going for the header," said Brubaker, a junior midfielder and first-year player at Kalani after transferring from Iolani.
A Kaiser foul led to the free kick by Senter, a freshman midfielder, from about 30 yards out on the right half of the pitch.
"The boys really deserve it today, it's all them," said Chun, whose team drew upon its 1-1 tie against Kaiser on Dec. 28 during the short break between the end of regulation and the start of the first OT.
"I think the boys responded really well, but boys being boys their heads were down a little bit giving up that late goal, but we just told them that we've come back before — last time we played Kaiser we were down the whole game and had to come back — and so we really had to just use this as a learning situation for them, that regardless of what situation happens they gotta bounce back," Chun explained. "The challenge this time was keeping their morale high and just telling them to pick their heads up and you know, the game wasn't over yet."
Yoshikawa added that the more recent memory of Tuesday night's come-from-behind win in PKs over Mililani also provided the team with confidence.
"We got scored on, but then it was nothing new because then last game we went overtime, too, so we just had to keep our head in the game and coach just told us to keep our heads high," Yoshikawa said.
Nishibun made 10 saves in goal for Kaiser, which will play Kalaheo for third place at 7 p.m. Friday at Aiea.
Yuito Mori registered five saves for Kalani, which had five of its eight total shots on goal come after regulation.
The Cougars (10-1-1) suffered their first loss of the season and saw their seven-game win streak come to an end.
KAPOLEI 2, KALAHEO 0The Hurricanes got a pair of first-half goals and turned in a clean sheet on defense to deny the Mustangs in the late semifinal Thursday night.
Elijah Hines scored his fourth goal of the year off of an assist from Micah Ohara just 11 minutes in and Kawika Kelii found the back of the net for the ninth time this season with his penalty kick in the 29th minute.
"I think the boys came out, they got a good start and I think we set the tone about how we wanted to play," Lau said. "We wanted to be at the forefront and put the gas on the pedal a little, I thought we created good, quality chances — I thought (Kalaheo) defended well on some of them — but we got the two goals in the first half and I think overall it was a good solid effort."
Kapolei got nine shots on goal and limited Kalaheo to only two — one in each half — for its ninth shut out this season.
Hines, a sophomore midfielder, gathered a pass from Ohara and drove a low shot from about 20 yards out into the left side of the net to open the scoring.
"Elijah's hit three to four like that this season for goals and we want him to — you know, granted he's a sophomore — but take on the onus that if he is open 25 yards and in to hit it — and he's had a great week of practice," Lau said. "We've been working a lot about just being able to strike the ball from distance, because in these games sometimes it's a little bit tough to get in the box, to get good opportunities, so we worked a lot on final third — you know, how do we get goal-scoring opportunities on that? — we really encourage Elijah, he strikes the ball well if he's 25 yards and in and if he's central."
About 18 minutes after Hines scored, Kelii teamed with Tommy Mascaro-Keahi on a run down the left flank. Kelii stole a Kalaheo pass and connected a pass to Mascaro-Keahi, who touched it back to Kelii. Kelii then got near the end line before he was fouled in the box, which awarded the ‘Canes a penalty kick.
Kelii, a senior who can play multiple positions, slotted a left-footed shot to the lower, left corner of the goal on the ensuing PK to double the Kapolei lead.
"I got fouled in the box and I knew the majority of my PKs (in practice) I put in, so I just went in with confidence and I put it in the back of the net," Kelii said of his first PK attempt this season. "Practice is one thing, but the game is another with all the pressure, but that's why it's good to practice because you never know what is going to come up."
It was the first time the teams had played this year, but Lau said the coaching staff got in some advance scouting on the Mustangs in their final regular season game.
"We did watch them play Kaiser. We felt some of the keys is being able to compete and challenge on the 50-50 balls — because they've got good size, they play physical — but once we got possession, not be stagnant, so basically we wanted to move as a team and be able to let the ball do the work and let a lot of numbers go forward," Lau said. "We weren't spending a lot of time trying to dribble and beat guys, we were trying to pass and move, so I think we knew if we did that and we upped the urgency of our movement tonight, so that was good."
Outside of its scoreless tie against Mililani, Kapolei's two-goal victory over the Mustangs Tuesday was its closest result this season.
"We never played this team, but we didn't disrespect them. We came out like they're another good team, we respected them," Kelii said. "We came out with the result that we wanted. We came out with humbleness and we came composed; sometimes we gotta just keep our composure."
With the Hurricanes on the doorstep of a back-to-back title, Kelii repeated his coach's season-long reminder that success will only come as a team.
"We've been in this predicament before, but some kids have not been here so we had to just tell them to step up the level of play and we came out with the result that we wanted tonight, we all stepped it up," Kelii said. "We played as one team; the team is the star."
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