Kealakehe’s undefeated BIIF streak is still intact, but just barely after playing Hawaii Preparatory Academy to a 1-1 tie at Waverider Stadium on Tuesday.
Kealakehe (5-0-1) to push its streak to 50-0-3 in the intense, physical battle, but both coaches walked away feeling their teams could have performed better.
“Our boys never found the rhythm and HPA really took it to us the first half,” said Kealakehe coach Urs Leuenberger. “I am always worried when we don’t play well off the bat and we were definitely not the better team tonight.”
Hawaii Prep (3-0-1) coach Richard Braithwaite said his team did not do what they set out to do offensively from the start, despite taking an early 1-0 advantage.
“Because of the intensity of the game, we didn’t get to play soccer,” Braithwaite said. “Kealakehe did a good job of defending what we were trying to do. During practice we like to play the ball in the middle, play it outside, play it through the middle, switch fields, and we were not able to do that, but we were able to shut them down.”
The game did not start out looking like a defensive battle, as Hawaii Prep managed to get on the board quickly with a goal eight minute mark when Jevon Flippin scored off a throw-in by Sihkea Jim on a set play that was established during warm-ups.
“Before the game I marked out that specific spot and that particular player and told him we are going to score from that blade of grass and it is going to be you, and it was,” Braithwaite said.
After the play, both defenses clamped down, but that did not mean the opportunities weren’t there. The game could have easily been a blowout one way or the other if not for the stellar play by both goal keepers.
Hawaii Prep’s starter in the net, Trent Wise, held a shutout in tact for 70 minutes, turning away several Kealekehe shots at goal on free kick and corner kick attempts.
On the other side, veteran Kealekehe keeper Greyson Moore would not allow another goal to get past him, despite Hawaii Prep controlling possession during the middle portion of the game.
“I thought Trent had two big saves and their keeper had one save where we were already celebrating,” Braithwaite said. “It was in, I don’t know how he got there.”
On the play in question, Ka Makani set up for a corner kick with 28:08 to play in the second half. The ball was sent into the box and a shot was taken, sending the ball toward the bottom left-hand corner of the goal. Moore, who was no where near that corner at the start of the play, managed to make a diving, one-handed save to keep the Kealakehe deficit at one goal.
“Greyson had the game of the season so far,” Leuenberger said. “He definitely saved our butt on more than one occasion.”
The play by Moore would prove crucial down the stretch as the Waveriders tied the game with 10 minutes to play. With four players up top, and Kealakehe just trying to get the ball in the front of the net with time winding down, the the host school was helped out by an unlikely source when a Hawaii Prep defender accidentally passed the ball to a Waverider player standing in the middle of the six. James Caudell put the equalizing goal past Wise.
“We stopped pushing with 15 minutes left and the goal actually came off a 50-50 that we didn’t challenge,” Braithwaite said. “It was a defensive let down, but our guy, a senior, picked his head up and played well the rest of the game.”
Hawaii Prep and Kealakehe will not play each other again this season. The Waveriders have not lost in a league game since falling at Honokaa in a 1-0 game on Jan. 27, 2012. However, Hawaii Prep knocked off Kealakehe at the 44th annual Ka Makani Classic 2-1 in overtime.
Honokaa 3, Makua Lani 0: Micah Miranda gave the Dragons the lead in the opening minute, Kauiki Feliciano garnered two assists and homestanding Honokaa controlled a clash of Division II contenders to take sole possession of first place.
The Lions (3-1-0) suffered their first loss of the season. Their best scoring chance came when DJ Madigan ripped a shot late in the second half, but goalkeeper Isaac Aguilar made a diving save en route to a shutout for Honokaa (4-1-0)
“That was the shot of the game,” Honokaa coach Maurice Miranda said. “Otherwise, we seemed to have the better of it at midfield and created numerous opportunities.”
Just 30 seconds into the match, Miranda headed in Feliciano’s throw-in, and Sean Simmerman headed in Feliciano’s corner kick in the 11th minute.
Kyle Ohta netted a goal in the second half.
Hilo 10, Ka’u 0: Kalei Tolentino-Perry netted a hat trick at Hilo Bayfront and Nick Carter and Aris Aynessazian added two goals apiece in the Vikings’ victory.
Jonah Kim, Kahale Huddleston and Brandon Baca also scored for Hilo (3-2-0), and goalkeeper Kaaina Lewis kept a clean sheet against the Trojans (0-5-1).
Girls
Hawaii Prep 7, Kealakehe 0: Sofia Aguilar netted a hat trick — including Ka Makani’s lone goal of the first half — to help move Hawaii Prep to 3-1 this season.
Kaui Taylor, Marlie Mandiguit, Rowan Kotner and Jordan Zarate also scored for Ka Makani.
Kealakehe (0-5) remains winless this season
Makua Lani 3, Honokaa 1: Akari Shimizu scored twice at Honokaa’s field and Halle Nottage added a goal for the Lions (2-1-0).
Pulelehua Lindsey’s goal was the first score of the season for the Dragons (0-3-1).
