Hilo bounced back, but it never could get one to bounce in.
The Vikings fell 2-0 to Mililani at wind-heavy Hilo Bayfront in a state Division I first-round girls soccer match, making Monday the final go-around for a group of seniors coach Skee Saplan has come to call the “great eight.”
“We responded well,” Saplan said of a team that didn’t expect to be in a spot reserved for the BIIF runner-up.
Hilo (12-2-1) saw its bid for a fourth consecutive league title derailed last Wednesday by Konawaena, but Saplan said practices in between the two matches were strong.
“They took the loss well, it was just hard, with so much to lose; such a career, that would have capped it off,” Saplan said. “I think we played well (today), in the second half we really wanted it and could have won. We just needed to get that equalizer, but their second goal killed us.”
Cecelia Jenkins scored both goals for the Trojans (11-1-2), who also entered the state tournament after missing a chance at a fourth consecutive league title. Mililani lost to Aiea in the OIA semifinals, and advances to face top-seeded Kamehameha-Kapalama on Thursday in the quarterfinals at Oahu’s Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex.
Jenkins’ goal midway through the first half, a bouncing ball, was wind-aided.
The crosswind was stout during a noon boys match between Kealakehe and Hilo, and it was whipping even stronger later in the afternoon.
“I knew the wind was either going to help us or kill us,” Saplan said, “and unfortunately it killed us.”
Even the wind couldn’t knock down Jenkins’ laser in the 75th minute, a back-breaker that tucked inside the right post. The two goals were the most the Vikings allowed in a match all season.
Hilo pushed the pace in the second half, allowing Hollie Saplan to send multiple crisp corner kicks through to the goal area. The Viks’ best chance came when Jordyn Pacheco volleyed a shot over the crossbar from point-blank range.
This loss, Saplan said, would not define his seniors – Miya Clarke and Pacheco up top, Hollie Saplan, Kalamanamana Harman and Haley Miyasato in the middle, Karla Ishii and Glory Medeiros in the back with Saydee Bacdad at goalkeeper – who started from their freshmen season all the way through Monday and finished 40-3-3 in their BIIF careers, taking home as many league championships as they did defeats.
“I just reminded them of what they accomplished,” Skee Saplan said. “That fourth title would have been icing on the cake, but nobody has been able to do it. I think we just faced so much pressure.
“We have bright future and really good underclassmen. I always tell them the great eight left big shoes to fill, and they left a lot of knowledge.”
Also Monday, ILH runner-up and two-time defending state champ Iolani beat Moanalua 3-0, advancing to face third-seeded Konawaena in a quarterfinal at 3 p.m. Thursday.
Division II
Two-time BIIF champion Kamehameha (11-4) drew the top seed at the state tournament and will face either either Sacred Hearts or Leilehua at 3 p.m. Thursday in the quarterfinals at Waipio.
BIIF runner-up Hawaii Prep (12-2-1) starts its bid for a sixth consecutive state title with a first-round match at 3 p.m. Wednesday against Waialua.
