LIHU‘E — The Kapa‘a High School boys soccer team, after clinching the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation boys soccer title, closed its season with a 1-1 tie against Kaua‘i High School Wednesday night at Vidinha Stadium. A string of hand balls in
LIHU‘E — The Kapa‘a High School boys soccer team, after clinching the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation boys soccer title, closed its season with a 1-1 tie against Kaua‘i High School Wednesday night at Vidinha Stadium.
A string of hand balls in the box during the second half was what Kapa‘a needed to open the scorebooks in a highly-defensive slugfest.
Kaua‘i had the opportunity for two goals when Warrior hands made contact with the ball, but both shots came up empty.
The tide switched and the Raiders were pegged for a handball on the opposite side of the field later in the game. Shane Nishioka-Healy, a Kapa‘a senior, was called on for the penalty kick, which went far right of Kaua‘i goalkeeper Alec King Martin.
Kaiea Iwasaki, the normal defensive anchor for the JV Raiders, found the net for the sole goal in another defensive slugfest in which two players received warnings for misconduct and unsporting conduct.
Alec King kept the door shut on any Kapa‘a goals during that JV game before moving up to the varsity match.
Dylan Snyder, the goalkeeper for the Raiders, was moved to the wing position where he was instrumental in getting the ball out to the forwards.
Nishioka-Healy, the Warriors’ starting goalkeeper, was moved out of the box during the second half and took up the mid-forward position, doing the second-half kicking chores.
The Menehune fell to the Island School Voyagers 2-1. Ryan Perez, the scoring leader for Island, opened the books on another hand ball miscue, scoring on the infraction with a penalty kick to give the Voyagers a 1-0 edge at the half.
Kaua‘i JV celebrated its first KIF title following a drought, and the Kapa‘a Warriors will wait for the seedings of Division II states.
The Warriors will represent the KIF at the 2012 Outrigger Hotels and Resorts/Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association Boys Soccer Championships for Division I and Division II starting Feb. 15 through Feb. 18 at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Park on O‘ahu.
