LIHUE — Kauai High School forward Mia Takekuma’s foot found the back of the net early, and the Red Raider girls soccer team hung on to clinch a 1-0 win over Kapaa High School girls Wednesday afternoon, during the Kauai Interscholastic Federation soccer matches Vidinha Stadium.
Playing in a field shortened by injuries both teams, Takekuma pocketed her goal from the right-side traffic as a backup play in the first five minutes of play.
“Settle down,” Kauai coach Chance Bukoski from the sidelines as personnel adjustments due to missing players kept the Red Raiders
“We’ve got a 1-0 lead, slow down.”
Following 80 minutes of strong play on both sides of the field, Kauai girls walked off the one-goal win that brought the KIF girls soccer championship.
“It was all them,” said Bukoski. “We’re just here to support them, place them in the right spots — this is all them. Everyone — they say, ‘it takes a village to raise a child;” — this is every one, parents, family, the athletic department, the school administration, and the players doing their part.”
With the KIF title in hand, the Kauai High School girls earn one of two allocated berths to The Queen’s Medical Center Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division II 2020 girls soccer state championships that will be contested at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex on Oahu, Feb. 5-8
The Warrior wahine finishes, the KIF season with the second berth.
“By losing to Kauai, they clinch the title,” said Kapaa coach Andrea Alfiler. “The shortage was a rallying cry for us, getting girls to step up play. Life is like that — things don’t always go the way you want it to, and you have to adjust. We like the beautiful play (no cards issued), and our girls did what they needed to do.”
She liked the fact that Kauai has the possibility of having three spots at the upcoming Division II state tournament.
The third spot will be determined following the play-in game between Waimea, finishing No. 3 in the KIF, and an opponent from the Big Island Interscholastic Federation. The play-in game will take place, Monday starting at 1 p.m. at the Hanapepe Stadium.
“Waimea has come a long way with its girls soccer program,” Alfiler said. “We might have three (of the four KIF teams) teams at states? I might just go to the game to support Waimea. This is for the island!”
Over at the Hanapepe Stadium, the Waimea High School girls battled the Island School girls to a 0-0 stalemate.
On the boys’ field that took the spotlight in the nightcap, Kapaa High School, currently undefeated in league play, struck in the first half to take a 5-2 win over the Red Raider boys who were limited to a short bench.
Kellen O’Rourke, striking for two goals in the win, opened the books in the seventh minute and followed that with his second goal in the 13th minute, punctuated with a goal from La‘a Gonsalves in the 10th minute.
Anthony Durocher struck in the 15th minute off an assist from Gonsalves, and Kaulia Shiroma’s goal in the 24th minute gave the Warrior boys a 5-0 bulge at the break.
Coming back on the field with a header-only directive, Kauai capitalized when Mosiah Bautista found the net in traffic off a somersault throw-in at the 60th minute. Stoked by the shutout-preventing Bautista goal, the Raiders bolstered the emotion in the 67th minute when La‘i Na‘ihe found the net.
Kauai High School next travels to the Hanapepe Stadium, Saturday when the Junior Varsity boys launch at 10 a.m. followed by the varsity girls taking the field at 11:45 a.m., and the boys wrapping up with a 1:45 p.m. start.
Kapaa will visit the Island School fields, Saturday when the varsity girls kick off at 10 a.m. followed by the varsity boys taking the field at noon.
•••
Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
