KEAAU — Kamehameha waited until the BIIF Division II girls soccer championship against Hawaii Prep to explode on offense.
The Warriors have had trouble scoring this season. They have played three scoreless ties, one against HPA in Waimea.
Their only goal allowed was in a 2-1 win over Waiakea. The Warriors have only scored four goals prior to the championship.
The Warriors blanked Ka Makani 3-0 for their first BIIF crown since 2019 on Saturday at Paiea stadium in a game that only looked close on the scoreboard.
The BIIF Division I championship between Hilo and Waiakea finished after the Tribune-Herald’s deadline. The story will be posted online at www.hawaiitribune-herald.com.
Nanea Wong Yuen scored in the first half, and Raeshayln Respicio and Lei Lin Ching each scored second-half goals, all shots over the head of goalies Sarah Kiernan and Jule Dahmen.
“I’m very happy and proud for my team. They were committed,” Kamehameha coach Steve Cootey said. “They worked hard and deserved it. We made the point to step a little higher, and we had to make some adjustments at half because we were a little too aggressive at times and left spaces in the open. But we adjusted. I was very happy we were able to score some goals, which was a struggle this season. We worked on attacking since our first game against HPA, and it has finally paid off.”
Kamehameha (3-0-3) next plays in the first round at the Division II state championships on Wednesday, Feb. 23 at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex on Oahu.
The season is over for HPA (1-3-2), which loses five senior starters. The BIIF didn’t have enough teams to qualify two state squads.
“I feel bad for HPA. I think they deserve to be there also,” Cootey said. “I believe we would both contend for a state title. It’s unfortunate because other teams dropped out.”
For a decade, HPA has been pretty much synonymous with BIIF girls soccer success, almost in the same way that Konawaena is with BIIF girls basketball.
Though there is one big difference. The Wildcats play on the Division I level against the state’s best. Ka Makani play in Division II, a level where schools with smaller enrollments reside.
Kona has a pair of the BIIF’s most impressive streaks: 10 BIIF championships in a row (2009 to 2018) and a 116-game winning streak in league play. The Wildcats have also won nine state championships: 2004, 2007, 2009, 2011-2012, and 2015-18.
Since statewide classification in 2007, HPA has won nine BIIF titles and seven state championships.
The Warriors won their lone state title in 2008, and they’ve captured three of the last four BIIF crowns. They lose six senior starters: Wong Yuen, Respicio, Galindo, forward Kirstyn Mahaulu, midfielder Tabitha Pacheco, and defender Kelcie Aniu.
But Wilson, a forward and tireless threat, is a junior as is defender Yamanoha and midfielder Jane-Grace Cootey. Midfielder Mia Chow is just a freshman, and midfielder Teija Moses is a sophomore.
In the first half, Kamehameha took a 1-0 halftime lead after Wong Yuen kicked a 55-yard direct kick over the head of Kiernan, a senior goalie.
For most of the 80 minutes, the Warriors dominated ball possession. They were the faster and more physical team and often beat Ka Makani to the ball. If a Ka Makani player had the ball, a Warrior would often simply steal it.
In the first half, HPA’s Emilia Tretau had two chances to score, the first when she took a 30-yard shot that went right to Kamehameha goalie Galindo with 8 minutes and 50 seconds left.
About a minute later, Tretau got tangled up when Galindo missed the ball but recovered just in time before Tretau could do any damage.
Yamanoha had a strong first half. When Dani Rojas-Castelblanco had a breakaway down the left wing, Yamanoha stuffed her and neutralized the attack.
Wilson put heavy pressure on HPA’s defense, chasing after and winning 50-50 balls. At the 29-minute mark, Wilson fired a shot wide right from 20 yards out.
In the second half, Dahmen took over in goal, and Lin Ching booted a shot from 20 yards out over the head of the sophomore goalie for a 2-0 lead.
At the 1:47 minute mark, Respicio kicked a ball from 30 yards out that went over Dahmen’s head again for a 3-0 lead.
HPA’s only solid second-half scoring chance came at the 28-minute mark when Mixtli Lindsey-Robles kicked a shot off a corner kick that went wide left.