Turns out, ‘Iolani didn’t have to travel so far to find a challenge.
The Raiders girls soccer team, two games removed from going 6-0 in the Arizona Soccer Showcase and earning a No. 35 in the Powerade Fab 50 national rankings, got all they wanted from Kamehameha on Wednesday.
‘Iolani (6-0-3) and Kamehameha (7-1-1) played to a 1-1 tie on Kamehameha’s field as the Raiders escaped without a loss. ‘Iolani jumped to an early lead on a goal by Kama Pascua, then spent most of the rest of the game looking to survive.
"We saw that type of pressure on our trip in Arizona. There were different factors, like field surface, that we had to make adjustments to," ‘Iolani coach Kristin Masunaga said. "You have to give it to Kamehameha, they played well, played hard. I don’t think we played to our full potential."
Pascua, the ILH’s leading scorer who did not play on the trip to Arizona because of an elbow injury, scored on ‘Iolani’s second threat 14 minutes into the match. Pascua dribbled between three Kamehameha defenders before earning some space and rocketing a shot into the top right corner of the goal with her right foot from 15 yards out.
The Warriors, who lost to ‘Iolani 2-1 in December, had not given up a goal since Pascua made them pay in their last meeting, outscoring opponents 25-0. Pascua has scored in every game for ‘Iolani except one.
"She is money," Kamehameha coach Missy Moore said. "With Kama, you can’t give her any room, you give her an inch and she is going to destroy you. We made adjustments and did a better job defensively on her in the second half, but my hands are out to that No. 2. She is amazing."
Kamehameha didn’t show up on ‘Iolani’s end for more than a few seconds until 35 minutes had bled off the clock. The Warriors got three good chances in the next 5 minutes, but ‘Iolani goalkeeper Lexi Felix stopped them once and watched two attempts sail over the goal.
Kamehameha picked up right where it left off in the second half, beating ‘Iolani to nearly every ball and getting eight shots in the first 14 minutes. The Warriors broke through in the 55th minute when Carly Neal bent a corner kick straight for the goal and watched Shaney Sakamoto get a foot on it to beat Felix, who was forced to respect the heat on Neal’s pass. The Warriors rushed to congratulate Neal, then went back to work.
Kamehameha got seven more chances, but didn’t cash in, with Tia Kinilau drilling a shot into Felix’s gut and Neal using some fancy footwork to leave Felix on the ground deep in the corner but watching her centering pass in front of the keeperless goal get cleared by ‘Iolani as time ran out.
"It’s too bad we didn’t get that team in the first half, but that’s OK," Moore said. "They turned it around, I’m really proud of them to come out in the second half and do what they did. They created a lot more opportunities. That shows a lot of character. They didn’t get down and they just kept playing for each other. That’s special."
‘Iolani has not taken states since 1999, losing to Punahou in last year’s state tournament. The Raiders played to a scoreless tie with Punahou (6-1-1) in December and host the Buffanblu Saturday at 2 p.m.
The Warriors host St. Francis on Saturday before visiting the Buffanblu on Jan. 24. There are 12 games in the ILH regular season.