Two teams from the Kauai Interscholastic Federation will be vying for a state title.
The 2019 The Queen’s Medical Center Girls Soccer Championships–Division II state tournament begins Wednesday at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex on Oahu.
This year’s KIF champion Kauai High School is seeded No. 2 in the tournament and has a first round bye.
“Having a bye can be a good and a bad thing,” said Kauai head coach Auika Metcalfe on Saturday. “Obviously, the good part about it is we do get to rest and recover for an extra day while the other teams get their chance to play, which in turn makes them a little more tired for when we get our chance. It also puts us at a disadvantage in terms of, we don’t get the opportunity to play. So, the spark of playing and winning just takes a little longer for us to get to at that point.”
The Red Raiders will face the winner between Waianae High School of the Oahu Interscholastic Association and Makua Lani Christian Academy of the Big Island Interscholastic Federation in the quarterfinals. That match is scheduled for 3 p.m. Thursday.
Kauai was an undefeated 12-0 in the regular season.
“We’ve definitely worked really hard for the results that we had. We were constantly looking for improvements,” Metcalfe said. “The girls were able to continue to move through this process with us. It can be easy to become more overconfident, but I think the girls handled themselves very well.”
KIF runner-up Kapaa High School (6-4-2 KIF) is unseeded at the tournament. The Warriors will play Seabury Hall of the Maui Interscholastic League at 3 p.m. Wednesday.
“I’m excited for the seniors. I’m excited for the first tourney,” said Kapaa head coach Andrea Alfiler. “It’s a culmination of our season, and our girls have developed a friendships and relationships on and off the field. So, it’s about just having that chemistry translate onto the field.”
She added: “It was a pleasant surprise to learn that there’s two teams that go from KIF. Just the two teams representing Kauai and all the talent that comes from here, just really proud to be a part of that.”
Alfiler said she doesn’t know much about her upcoming opponent.
“I’m preparing the girls mentally and physically, and understanding and being aware of any potential situations that can happen in a playoff championship tourney situation,” Alfiler said. “So, just preparing them, and I hope to always create joy in those experiences.”
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Nick Celario, sports writer, can be reached at 245-0437 or ncelario@thegardenisland.com.
