ILH Boys Soccer
Warriors get past short-handed Bulldogs for second straight win


  



Fri, Jan 13, 2023 @ Kamehameha


Final 1st 2nd OT 2OT PK Tot
Le Jardin (4-4-3) 0 0 - - - 0
Kamehameha (6-3-1) 0 2 - - - 2
L. Zaa (43’)   M. Aquino (70’)

The fifth-ranked Kamehameha Warriors had many scoring chances in the first half — but none of them went in.

Logan Zaa made sure that wasn't the case early on in the second half.

The Kamehameha senior scored his team-leading sixth goal of the season in the 43rd minute to jumpstart the Warriors' 2-0 win over No. 7 Le Jardin in an ILH match at Kunuiakea Stadium Friday afternoon.

Sophomore Madden Aquino scored off a rebound in the 70th minute to put the game away for the Warriors, who improved to 3-1-1 in league play.

"We probably had 20 opportunities in the first half, and we executed none of them. That got us worried. I had a shiver up my spine," said Kamehameha coach Uri Barron-Silva.

"It was very reminiscent of last year where we were on somebody's half the entire time and we wouldn't finish. It was good that our seniors stepped up and put in that first one and changed the momentum of the game."

Zaa, who has scored in every match this season so far, did it while battling through a number of nagging injuries.

Kamehameha's Logan Zaa gets past Le Jardin center back Noah Munoz for a goal in the 43rd minute. Michael Lasquero | SL    Purchase image

"That was all heart," said Barron-Silva. "He was slightly injured, he asked to go back in. I wanted to rest him and were still knocking on the door without him, but he said he could do it."

Zaa received a pass on the left hash 40 yards away from the goal before he dribbled the ball up the seam. When he was met by a defender, the Kamehameha senior cut it inside with a quick move to free himself up for a left-footed shot that found the back post of the net.

"That was a great goal and a phenomenal finish," Barron-Silva said. "That changed the momentum for us."

Aquino's goal in the 70th minute to put the game away wasn't a pretty one, but it was an effective one.

It also was his first touch of the game.

After getting subbed in, the Kamehameha sophomore was able to put pressure from the right wing after the Le Jardin keeper couldn't corral a shot by Kawainui Anderson cleanly. Aquino almost overran the loose ball, but he was able to stop on a dime and do a karate-like kick while the ball was bouncing in the air to score his second goal of the season.

"I'd rather have an unpretty goal go in than all these beautiful shots that missed," said Barron-Silva.

Madden Aquino is greeted by teammates after scoring his second goal of the season in the 70th minute against Le Jardin. Michael Lasquero | SL    Purchase image

The Bulldogs entered the week with a 2-0-2 record, but had to forfeit their match against Punahou on Tuesday and played with just five subs against the Warriors to drop to 2-2-2.

Le Jardin coach Joel Saito said that his team had five players out with sickness and that most of his players, if not all, just came back a few days ago from international trips that the school sponsors. He also mentioned that the last time that his team was able to have a full practice together was on Dec. 28.

"These guys haven't trained in two weeks," Saito said. "That's a good team we played against. Give credit to them. We did all we could to hold them off for however long we did. They had a lot of goal scoring opportunities and two of them went in. Not a whole lot we could do in that situation."

Barron-Silva credited the Bulldogs effort and pointed out the hustle of Le Jardin center midfielder Keenan Ramanlal for working hard.

"Hats off to them, they pressed hard," Barron-Silva said.

Le Jardin was able to get it on Kamehameha's side of the field a few times, but could not get anything going against the Warriors' backline.

"We were forcing them to park the bus," said Barron-Silva. "There's nothing that they could do. They were swinging it from side to side and at one point we had four corners in a row, we just couldn't execute in the first half."

The Warriors next take the field against PAC-5 on Monday in an 8 a.m. contest at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex while the Bulldogs will try to get back in the win column with a home game against Mid-Pacific next Wednesday.



Reach Michael Lasquero at [email protected].




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