KAILUA-KONA — Kealakehe is moving on up. Now the trick will be staying the course with a gauntlet of games ahead.
Behind a two-goal performance from Eima Kozakai and a stellar effort in goal from Zach Aderinto, the Waveriders notched a 2-1 win over visiting Waiakea on Monday, moving up to the No. 3 spot in the Division I standings.
“We needed this one,” Kealakehe head coach Hayato Fukumitsu said. “We want to get one of those top two spots — that’s our goal.”
The top four teams are locked in for the BIIF Division I playoffs, with Hawaii Prep (10-1-0), Hilo (9-3-1), Kealakehe (8-2-1) and Waiakea (8-2-1) earning the postseason spots. However, there’s still much to be decided in terms of seeding.
Kealakehe is tied with Waiakea with 25 points, but own the head-to-head tiebreak after Monday’s win. The first matchup between the teams ended in a 1-1 tie, which was the BIIF opener for both squads.
“We were both finding our groove that first time around,” Fukumitsu said. “We found our lineup and the boys are playing good together. That chemistry is there.”
That sentiment proved true in the first few minutes of the match, with Kealakehe buzzing around the field with tic-tac-toe precision. The ‘Riders challenged the Warriors defense multiple times, finally breaking through when Kozakai cleaned up a rebound on a shot from Alexander Bell for an easy goal.
Kozakai’s second tally turned out to be even easier, picking the right side on a second half penalty kick, giving the Waveriders some insurance with about 30 minutes left in the game.
They’d need it.
With just under a minute left — after 79 minutes of stifling defense — Waiakea broke through, with Javier Cuevas-Varize finding the back of the net to cut the Waveriders’ lead in half.
With time ticking away, the Warriors found a last gasp of offense in the box, but the kick sailed high, effectively ending the game.
Lost in the matchup will be what did not make it onto the scoreboard. Aderinto, the Kealakehe goalkeeper, stopped two first half penalty shots, changing the complexion of the game.
“Our goalie has been tremendous. He is a state championship caliber goalie, for sure,” Fukumitsu said of Aderinto. “He’s a special kid and we’ve been playing some good, organized defense in front of him.”
The Waveriders have been on quite the run. Kealakehe started the new year with three consecutive wins and had not allowed a goal, outscoring opponents 19-0. The shutout streak was broken against the Warriors, but the win streak lives on.
“It’s time to harvest,” Fukumitsu said. “They have put in all the hard work this season and now it’s time to pick the fruit.”
Thursday will prove to be another moving day in Division I, with the top four teams meeting up. Kealakehe will head to Waimea to face an eager Hawaii Prep team looking to rebound from its first league loss since 2016. Hilo and Waiakea will meet up in a battle of east side rivals jostling for position.
There’s no doubt Hilo’s win against Hawaii Prep over the weekend sent some reverberations through Division I. Fukumitsu admitted that much.
“They’re mortal now, right?,” the Kealakehe skipper said with a smile. “Anybody can win a game on any given day. It just depends which team wants it more. We are just focused on what we need to do, one game at a time.”
Hilo 3, Konawaena 0: Riley Patterson’s hat trick in Kealakekua helped the Vikings extend their winning streak to nine. Jase Ambroso collected the shutout against the Wildcats (3-9).
Patterson converted a penalty kick and scored on a 20-yard free kick in increasing his goal total to 33 for his senior season, two behind Hawaii Prep senior Jake Schneider for the league lead.
Konawaena remained in a fifth place tie with Kohala in Division II. Both are three points behind Honokaa for the fourth and final playoff spot.
While Wildcats take on Ka’u on Wednesday and Keaau on Friday – teams with a combined one victory – the Dragons and Cowboys play each other Thursday and Saturday, the latter being a makeup game.
Makua Lani 9, Ka‘u 0: Kai Van Bergen and Kalai Ballesteros each netted a pair of goals for the Lions in the mercy role victory over the Trojans.
Emmett Alcos, David Casino, Isaiah Easley, Stevan Perrino and Christian Ivascanin also recorded goal for Makua Lani in the win, which moved them into sole possession of first place with Kamehameha-Hawaii being idle on Monday.
Perrino and Ivascanin split the shutout in net.
Girls
Waiakea 1, Kealakehe 0: The Warriors and Waveriders played to a scoreless stalemate until the 75th minute, when Xailynn Lyman-Moke notched the eventual game-winner off an assist by Aiyanna Fourshey.
Tiani Kow got the shutout.
Hilo 2, Konawaena 0: Samantha Chung gave the visiting Vikings the lead just before halftime, heading home a Hollie Saplan free kick, and Miya Clarke tacked on her team-leading 17th goal as Hilo (11-0-1) remained the BIIF’s only unbeaten team.
Saydee Bacdad kept the Wildcats (8-3-1) off the scoreboard in what was her team’s ninth shutout of the season.
Glory Medeiros assisted on Clarke’s goal.
Makua Lani 8, Ka‘u 0: The Lions used six different goal scorers in the lopsided home victory, moving to 5-6-1 this season.
Skyler Cho had a pair of goals, while Mara Duarte, Anuhea Winters, Moni Monilaite, Witney O’Halloran and Enjolique Hughes also scored. An own goal by the Trojans rounded out the scoring.
Emilia Walker got the shutout in net.