LIHUE — Ian Souza scored at the 77th minute of the match to earn a 2-1 victory for Kapaa High School over Kauai at Vidinha Stadium on Saturday. Teammates and supporters jumped and cheered the second the ball hit the
LIHUE — Ian Souza scored at the 77th minute of the match to earn a 2-1 victory for Kapaa High School over Kauai at Vidinha Stadium on Saturday.
Teammates and supporters jumped and cheered the second the ball hit the net.
“We played our own little off-side trap counter,” Souza said. “We got to learn to play that off-side trap better and recognize it more often.”
Kapaa head coach Gary Hudson said Kauai’s High School’s trap prevented them from getting scoring chances, but his team adjusted accordingly at halftime.
“I think the first half we had what must have been 10 or 15 offside calls. Then the second half, I think, we maybe had one,” he said. “We were telling them how to beat the off-side trap and that last [goal] was played to perfection.”
Kauai High School Head Coach Mark Brandeburg said mistakes on defense ultimately undid his team’s chances of winning.
“We had a few mistakes and it cost us two goals,” he said. “Kapaa is a very tough [team]. It’s been like this for years.”
Before Souza kicked the game-winning goal, Kapaa had several opportunities to score toward the end of the game but a lot of shots went wide.
“We need a bigger goal at that end,” Hudson said. “We had a lot of shots. We were getting through. We just couldn’t get them in the net.”
Kauai had its own chance to take the lead at the 55th minute of the match when Scrappy Garma was fouled and had a penalty kick.
Warriors goalkeeper Austyne Carvalho-Toloai, however, was equal to the task and blocked Garma’s shot attempt.
“I was just thinking what the coaches taught me to do, which was read the person’s hip,” Carvalho-Toloai said. “I read his hip and I caught the ball. It felt good.”
Hudson said Carvalho-Toloai’s save on the penalty kick emotionally charged his team for the rest of the game.
“Anytime your keeper comes up with a big save on a penalty kick, it’s a big boost for your team,” Hudson said. “The team elevated after that. After he blocked that kick was when we were getting all those shots on goal.”
Kapaa got its first lead early in the match when Daniel Alonzo scored at the 10-minute mark.
Kauai tied things up at the 23rd minute when Pono Bukoski scored a goal.
“I just seen a good cross to the corner to Reggie [McFadden] and I just like, ‘somebody got to follow up to the net,’” Bukoski said. “I was just at the right place at the right time.”
Kapaa’s Caleb Neumann was injured during the first half of play and didn’t return.
“He had a banged knee from a previous [game]. He banged somebody else’s knee. He said he just hurt it,” Hudson said. “He went to the ER to get X-rays. So we’re going to go check it out.”
Hudson said he isn’t sure if Neumann will miss any time but said he hopes he won’t be out for long.
“I need him back,” Hudson said. “He’s another speedster up top. We’ll miss him.”
During the second half, Kapaa’s Jonathan Paleka and Kauai’s Jared Okayama both received yellow cards for dissent toward the game official.
“We’re pretty much where we want to be,” Brandeburg said. “Now, we just go to keep improving on it. We’re playing the style we want.”
Waimea 2, Island School 0
PUHI — Waimea got goals from Jaron Parongao and Acetyn Emayo to lead the Menehune to a 2-0 edge over the Voyagers, both scores coming in the first half.
Island School will next host Kapaa on Jan. 4 with the varsity boys starting at 10 a.m. followed by the girls kicking off at noon.
Waimea will travel to Vidinha Stadium with the junior varsity boys starting at 10 a.m. and the JV girls starting at 11:45 a.m.
The varsity boys start the afternoon series starting at 1:30 p.m. followed by the varsity girls starting at 3:30 p.m.
Varsity girls
Kauai 1, Kapaa 0
LIHUE — Marissa Ruiz scored the game’s only goal for the Red Raiders during the middle of the first half, according to a game official.
Waimea 1, Island School 1
PUHI — Jourdan Correia scored a goal for Waimea and Island School answered with a goal from Brianna Griep Saturday at Island School.
The result was a 1-1 tie which heralded the start of a holiday break for Kauai Interscholastic Federation soccer.
The varsity girls played its final game before the break in a scattering of mist with both scores coming early in the game.
