Both of Kauai’s teams advanced to the semifinals of the 2018 The Queen’s Medical Center Girls Soccer Championships – Division II state tournament.
No. 2 Kapaa High School defeated Makua Lani of the Big Island Interscholastic Federation, 6-1, Thursday in the tournament quarterfinals at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex.
Unseeded Kauai High School beat No. 4 Kailua of the Oahu Interscholastic Association, 3-nil, on Thursday.
Kapaa (11-1-1, 1-0 HHSAA) came out firing in the second half and scored five goals after the game was tied, 1-1, at halftime.
“The girls were really nervous. A lot of them never played before in a state tournament,” said Kapaa head coach Mytra McKeague in a phone interview Thursday. “All of them started to work together, played a simple pass — played a simple game and played for each other. It all worked out.”
Warriors senior forward Brianna Binder recorded a hat trick in the win. Senior forward April Barnes, sophomore midfielder Talia Washington and senior midfielder Nevaeh Arruda-Kapu each scored goals in the quarterfinals match.
Senior winger Halle Nottage scored Makua Lani’s lone goal in the first half.
Kapaa will play unseeded Hawaii Prep of the BIIF in the semifinals at 1 p.m. today in the Main Stadium at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex. Hawaii Prep defeated Sacred Hearts of the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, 4-2, on Thursday.
In last season’s tournament, Kapaa lost to Hawaii Prep in the Division II championship match.
“They’re motivated,” McKeague said. “I’m not too sure how much pressure there’s going to be. It’s not a championship game. It’s a semi … but we’re going to be in the stadium, too. So, it’s pretty much like a (championship game). Every game, we take it one at a time. It’s a big game for us. They’re excited, and we’re just keeping it positive the whole time.”
Kauai (11-2-1, 2-0 HHSAA) scored twice in the second half to clinch its quarterfinal win.
Red Raiders sophomore midfielder Mia Takekuma scored in the first half. Sophomore midfielder Eryka Napoleon and senior midfielder Shayna Shigematsu each scored in the second half for Kauai.
“The girls really took today in stride. They came out and played their style,” said Kauai head coach Auika Metcalfe on Thursday over the phone. “They were able to move the ball around quickly. It was windy, so that was a factor in terms of how were were actually able to play.”
She added: “They had a pretty strong midfield. We changed things up a little and marked tighter. They just came out and played really well. The defense was communicating, moving around and distributing the ball. Midfield was able to set up plays, and we were able to finish on our three goals. It was really an exciting game.”
Kauai will face tournament No. 1 seed Kamehameha Schools-Hawaii of the BIIF at 3 p.m. today in the Main Stadium. KS-Hawaii defeated Leilehua of the OIA, 10-nil, Thursday.
Metcalfe said her team played KS-Hawaii during preseason. She said the team wasn’t so prepared in that preseason match but hopes it is more so this time.
“It will be nice to see how much we’ve grown and see how much we can battle and challenge this upcoming team,” Metcalfe said. “The No. 1 seed is pretty big, but I think — as we always do — take it one game at a time. We really look forward to being in the stadium. Half of the girls have not been in the stadium before. I think this is a really, really awesome moment for them.”
Information from Hawaii High School Athletic Association.
Good luck girls!