It’s been a little while since Max Ching had a restful night’s sleep.

Ever since ‘Iolani qualified for the state soccer tournament, the anticipation kept the freshman’s eyes from staying shut for very long.

"I couldn’t sleep for the past week," Ching said. "Just thinking late at night, thinking about the game."

He might have had a hard time dozing off Wednesday night as well, this time from the adrenaline of scoring the decisive goal in the Raiders’ 1-0 win over Aiea in the first round of the Outrigger Hotels and Resorts/HHSAA Division I boys state soccer championship at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex.

Ching headed in the lone score in the 56th minute off a corner kick from senior Kasey Chun and the Raiders advanced to today’s quarterfinals to face fourth seed and Big Island Interscholastic Federation champion Kealakehe at 3 p.m. in the main stadium.

"I was actually really, really nervous for my first game," Ching said. "But this goal definitely helps boost my confidence for the rest of the tournament."

‘Iolani hadn’t played since closing the Interscholastic League of Honolulu season on Feb. 3 with a win over Punahou to earn the league’s second spot in the state tournament.

After winning the state title in 2009 and finishing second in 2010, the Raiders didn’t qualify last year, heightening their appreciation for their opportunity this week.

"We had a chip on our shoulders just to get here," senior Jordan Lee said. "We put a lot of work in in the offseason and just to get here means a lot and hopefully we can continue what we’ve been doing."

That includes keeping the ball out of their net. With a relatively young roster that includes 12 sophomores and two freshmen, the Raiders gave up just two goals during the regular season and recorded six consecutive shutouts since a 1-0 defeat to Punahou on Jan. 17.

"Going through the ILH season and having only two goals scored against you is a good confidence booster," ‘Iolani head coach Chris Lee said. "We just have to finish more opportunities so we don’t have to rely on that all the time."

The Raiders had a few scoring chances turned away in a scoreless first half against Aiea, then converted when Chun took the corner kick about 16 minutes into the second half.

Ching said he recalled the coaches telling him the middle would be open on a cross and positioned himself accordingly prior to Chun’s kick.

"Kasey just served a really nice ball, had a little bend to it, and I was open and put my head on the ball and it went in," Ching said.

That proved to be enough as Aiea had a couple of late chances but couldn’t break through against the Raiders’ defense.

"We just couldn’t connect our ball from the midfield to the forward line," Aiea coach Jon Shirafuji said. "We knew if we couldn’t get it up to the front guys it was going to be tough."