OIA Boys Soccer
Kailua cashes in on Kahuku miscues, improves to 4-1 in OIA D1 East


  



Wed, Dec 14, 2022 @ Kailua


Final 1st 2nd OT 2OT PK Tot
Kahuku (5-4-2) 0 0 - - - 0
Kailua (10-4-1) 3 1 - - - 4
J. Penuliar (12’, 26’)   D. Sumile (60’)   A. Donis-Sablan (38’)

KAILUA — Jaybee Penuliar scored a pair of goals and Connor Reece recorded a couple of assists to lead host Kailua to a 4-0 win over Kahuku in an OIA East boys soccer match Wednesday night. 

A small crowd at Alex Kane Stadium saw the Surfriders improve to 4-1 on the season, while the Red Raiders fell to 2-2-1. 

Kailua has won its last three games since its 1-0 loss at Kaiser on Dec. 3. 

Unlike their previous result — a 2-1 win at Roosevelt Saturday, in which the Surfriders netted the game-winning goal just minutes before the end of the second half — they found the back of the net early and often Wednesday. 

Penuliar got the scoring started in the ninth minute, when he managed to emerge from a large pack of players on the back post and head in an indirect free kick off the foot of Reece, some 40 yards out. Penuliar's header was out of the reach of the Kahuku goalkeeper and found the right side of the goal.

"He saw the ball shaping towards the back post and he knows when the ball is going back post, we gotta go find it — the ball is not gonna find us — we gotta go and get that ball," Kailua coach Joseph Wood said. "We teach our boys to locate and go get. We don't have them wait, we want them to go and get that ball and he did, give all the credit to him."

The restart was the result of a Kahuku handball and gave Reece another look at goal after his corner kick in the very first minute of play went toward the back post but the Surfriders were unable to turn it into a shot on goal. 

"Connor's really forming into himself," Wood said of the midfielder. "He's a junior and he's really trying to find himself and these last couple matches you can see the confidence grow in him and he's one of those players that once he has his confidence, the sky is the limit for him because he's such a hard worker."

Kailua doubled up its lead in the 29th minute, when a misplayed ball by Kahuku got by a few defenders and found the feet of Ezekiel-Alan Valdez, who dropped it off to Penuliar on the right side of the pitch. Penuliar had 1-v-1 on the goalie and buried his right-footed shot into the back of the net; He had yet to score a goal this season prior to Wednesday's match. 

"He's a hard worker," Wood said of Penuliar, who goes by the nickname, Lauren. "We don't have the best footballers, but we have heart. We have kids that will do anything and everything for their team."

Just before the end of the half, the Surfriders cashed in on another Red Raider miscue that resulted in a third goal after Reece put some pace on his corner kick toward the back post. It found Allan Kamahao Donis-Sablan there, who headed the ball into the left side of the goal. 

"I was proud of them, the way they came out, they were ready," Wood said. "Kahuku is a tough team. They always have heart and they'll never give up and I mentioned that to the boys — they're from Laie, they come and they're always ready to play — so I made sure that they knew that we gotta come and they did what they needed to do; They came out and ready to play."

Kailua capped the scoring with a Drew Sumile goal in the 60th minute. Sumile shot it from about 35 yards out, without a lot of pace, but the ball was misplayed by the goalkeeper and trickled across the end line for a goal. 

Wood made a teaching moment out of it for his players. 

"That's the message, right? When the ball is going, you don't give up. You make those defenders feel uncomfortable. That's what we preach and that's what they did," he said. "It's tough when you run at your own goalkeeper — it really puts them under and it makes them choose — and luckily for us we cashed in on a couple of their mistakes."

It was Sumile's fourth goal of the season, which ties him with Reece for the team lead. 

Kahuku had four of its five shots on goal come before halftime. Its first came in just the fifth minute, but Colin Bradshaw's shot on goal was saved by goalkeeper Matthew Mashiba. 

Kaikai Carvalho had two of the Red Raiders better scoring chances with his solidly-struck shot on goal from about 25 yards out in the 36th minute and his header attempt while facing away from the goal after a corner kick in the 56th minute. Mashiba saved both shots; He totaled five saves for the match. 

Kailua notched seven shots on goal, six of them in the first half. It drew five corner kicks to the Red Raiders' one. 

The Red Raiders were held without a goal for the first time this season. They were coming off of a 4-1 loss at Kaiser Saturday and will play their fourth consecutive away game when they visit Edward ‘Skippa' Diaz Stadium at Kusunoki Field Saturday to take on Farrington. 

The Surfriders have a bye Saturday, then play at Farrington next Wednesday.

Along with undefeated Kalani (4-0), Kailua sits atop the OIA Division I East standings with 12 championships points. Wood, however, knows that there remains much soccer to be played. 

"I think we're getting players back and we're getting healthy, but we don't want to be peaking right now, it's not the time to peak," he said. "We want to keep building, keep climbing this mountain together and so we can shape ourselves for playoffs and so that's really our message here."



Reach Kalani Takase at [email protected].




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