LIHU‘E — Monday-night victories by Kaua‘i High School and Kapa‘a High School girls soccer teams will force a playoff tonight starting at 7 p.m. at the Vidinha Stadium.
“Girls soccer ended in a tie,” said Greg Gonsalves, the Kapa‘a High School athletic director who coordinates the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation soccer program. “Kapa‘a and Kaua‘i girls ended with 20 points apiece.”
The deadlock will be broken Wednesday during this playoff championship.
“The KIF boys soccer game, Kaua‘i vs. Island School will be moved from 6 p.m. to 5 p.m., to accommodate this championship game,” Gonsalves said. “The girls playoff championships will start at 7 p.m.”
The KIF is allowed three representative teams to the 2022 Niu Health Urgent Care Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association Division 2 girls soccer championships that will start Feb. 23 and run through Feb. 26.
Both Kapa‘a, and Kaua‘i teams will be participating in that tournament. Waimea High School, by virtue of its 2-0 win over Island School Saturday will be the third KIF representative, this year.
Monday night at Vidinha Stadium, Coral Turner got the ball rolling for Kaua‘i High School after finding the net in the sixth minute against Island School. The Red Raider ladies wrapped up a 2-0 win over the Voyagers following a Shania Kelley goal that dropped in at the 87th minute.
Over at the Hanapepe Stadium, there was speculation the game might be called after the Westside town lost power in the mid-afternoon.
“We were looking at 7:15 p.m.,” said Waimea Athletic Director Jon Kobayashi. “If the power did not come back on by then, there would be no game.”
But the power returned shortly after 6 p.m., and following a brief period to warm up and condition, the contest between the Waimea and Kapa‘a girls started just before 6:30 p.m. to the elation of Menehune fans who were preparing Hanapepe Stadium for the Waimea Senior Night celebrating the high school careers of seven graduating Menehune, including Jasmine Semblante who already committed to play soccer for Hawai‘i Pacific University.
Hanna Wamsley of Kapa‘a found the goal up the middle in the first 10 minutes of play while the Menehune made adjustments to its defense.
Following a bone-jarring scoring effort to Menehune goalkeeper Shai-Lein Acosta, Kapa‘a found the net in the 22nd minute when Julia Durocher went one-on-one with Acosta and booted the ball straight in the fold for a Warrior 2-0 lead at the half.
Liliwai Kaleiohano opened the second half with a goal in the 60th minute, and Trachelle Iwamoto sealed the contest on a header off a corner kick in the final 10 minutes of play for the 4-0 win.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
