A penalty kick shootout worked out for the Punahou girls soccer team this time.

The Buffanblu beat Mililani 3-2 in the second semifinal of the Outrigger Hotels and Resorts Girls State Soccer Championships at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Park on Friday, after outscoring the Trojans by the same score in a shootout to reach the state championship match against ‘Iolani tonight at 7.

Punahou, which lost the ILH championship in a shootout to ‘Iolani last week, shuffled its lineup this time because it knew Mililani was in attendance for its loss. The new lineup worked just fine. With top scorers Jensen Toner and Dempsey Banks sitting it out, defender Megan Ching stepped up knowing that if she beat Mililani keeper Tasalina Leoso her team would move on to the final.

No worries, though, their coach told them before their shootout that no matter what happens they are winners.

"It’s a shootout, it can go any way," Punahou coach Starr Johnson said. "That’s why they are so horrible to lose to and so horrible to win and why they are so stressful because any given day anyone can score one. That’s why we didn’t pick the girls who scored the most during the year."

Ching, who had never taken a penalty kick in a game before, drilled one in to set off a celebration. Liana Lau and Meagan Lau also made PKs for Punahou.

"All my teammates believed in me and so I knew I could do it," Ching said. "I just had to calm myself down and the ball went exactly where I wanted it to. I knew if I missed my team would still have my back."

Punahou keeper Noelani Kong-Johnson stopped Mililani three times in the shootout, the last one from Madison Reed that stuck right in her gut.

"I was so nervous because we lost to ‘Iolani in PKs and I was like ‘OK, we have to win and I can do this,’ " Kong-Johnson said.

Punahou was a minute away from returning to the championship game when Mia Crail-Yusif put it on hold.

The Trojans earned a free kick from just outside the box and 10 yards away from the end line. Alisha Miyashiro took the kick for Mililani and lofted it over Punahou’s small wall, and Crail-Yusif found it with a header that zoomed past Kong-Johnson. That score effectively sent the game into overtime.

"We were disappointed because we were just in a horrible end-game shootout a week ago," Johnson said. "And we didn’t want to revisit that, but these girls are mentally tough and they kept fighting."

Punahou had the edge in the first overtime, getting three big chances but coming up with nothing because Mililani had Leoso.

Mililani set the tone in the early part of the game and broke through in the 22nd minute when Brittney Gideon hit TJ Reyno for a header on a throw in.

Punahou came to life in the second half, with Banks getting a run down the sideline and hitting Lindsey Hodel for the equalizer in the 50th minute.

The Buffanblu scored again in the 66th minute when Toner juked defender after defender to get to the corner, then juked two more before sliding a pass to Banks for the 2-1 lead.

Mililani has been ousted from the state tournament in each of the past 10 years, including four times in the state final.

"You get down to penalty kicks and it goes the way it goes," Mililani coach Ray Akiona said. "No regrets."

‘Iolani 6, Kaiser 1

Six Raiders scored and the ILH champions blistered the Cougars in the first semifinal.

"We had a lot of bombs going at her, falling from the sky," Kaiser coach Adolph Samuels said. "The way they shoot, once they get an opening you have to be on your toes. Credit to them, I knew when they get their chances they were going to put the ball away. Good team."

Nikki Mitsuyasu started the barrage for ‘Iolani in the 19th minute, and the Raiders (12-1-1) needed only five minutes to score after that, when Ashley Park-Hunt converted on a pass from Alyssa Kim.

Jill Shimabuku got the ball deep in the corner in the 32nd minute and unleashed a wicked bender that curved around the post and in for a 3-0 Raiders lead, and Kama Pascua scored ‘Iolani’s fourth goal in the 37th minute on a sizzler from the top of the box.

‘Iolani had 11 shots in the first half to Kaiser’s three.

"We possessed well and finished our opportunities," ‘Iolani coach Kristin Masunaga said. "She’s a good keeper, so we knew we had to keep shooting. We are excited for either of these teams and hopefully we will come through this year."

Kristen Hori scored ‘Iolani’s next goal in the 53rd minute, and the Raiders pulled their starting front line shortly thereafter.

Emily Tanaka tallied the Raiders’ final goal at the 64th minute.

Kaiser (13-2-1) avoided the shutout when Courtney Okazaki beat ‘Iolani backup keeper Katie Yuu in the 70th minute.