KAILUA-KONA — It’s been a season of patience for Kealakehe. But finally, the wait is over.
The Waveriders (1-5-0) used a second half penalty kick goal from Helen Remke to down Keaau 1-0 and capture their first win of the season on Saturday.
“This one feels good,” said Kealakehe first-year head coach Kim Evans. “We have had our challenges and it has taken patience, but we are going in the right direction. They are still getting to know us as coaches, and we are still getting to know them as players. I look forward to seeing these girls improve even more.”
Keaau — which earned its first win of the season earlier this week against Pahoa — falls to 1-4-1.
The win puts Kealakehe in the running to grab the fourth and final seed in Division I when the playoffs roll around next month — a position they will have to fend off Keaau for. However, right now the Waveriders are more focused on building on this win and getting a snowball of momentum rolling.
“We have a young team and have been working a lot on the basics,” Evans said. “I think it’s finally coming together. Maybe not as early as we wanted, but we are seeing improvements every game.”
The teams beat up the turf in the center of the field for most of the first half, and while neither squad gained an advantage, the Waveriders held a heavy edge in scoring chances.
Kealakehe tallied a half-dozen solid shots on goal in the first half, including one that rang off the field goal post right above the net. Another came from senior Brittney Prados, who battled for a sky-high ball with the Keaau keeper. It ended in a stalemate, and the ball bounced wide.
Prados finished the first half with a flurry of chances, with the shots going wide and high, but she kept up her offensive ways to start the second half. Five minutes in Prados grabbed a ball in the box and fired it at the keeper. It squeaked through, but just short of the goal line.
Keaau picked up the pressure with 13 minutes left, but opened itself up to a counter from Kealakehe. Breana Arakawa out ran the defense and took a shot that went off the post.
It didn’t take long for the Lady Waveriders to capitalize on the momentum. Alysha Prados pulled off some fancy footwork in the box, and was tripped up by a Keaau player, resulting in a penalty kick.
With silence in the stadium, Remke hammered the PK into the lower right corner, breaking the scoreless tie and the silence.
Evans said she left the decision on who would take the kick between two of her captains — Remke and Tiara Conn. Conn deferred to Remke, which ended up being a solid decision.
“She is very calm. One of the calmest players under pressure I have seen,” Evans said of Remke.
“That was our opportunity. We needed that.”
Kealakehe has a week off before its next game at Kamehameha on Jan. 16. Keaau will also play the Warriors next, but on Jan. 13.
