Fired-up ‘Iolani shuts out defending state champion

A tie doesn’t exactly stoke competitive fire, so the ‘Iolani Raiders reached into the vault.

Saturday morning, the Raiders took a close look at last year’s loss to arch rival Punahou in the state final, and the fire was ablaze by afternoon.

Kama Pascua fed teammate Samantha Dacanay to end a defensive stalemate, then tapped in an insurance goal in extra time as ‘Iolani nudged past Punahou 2-0 at Eddie Hamada Field.

The teams had played to a scoreless tie a month ago.

"They’re always a difficult team to beat, but our team, we know that we have what it takes," said senior goalkeeper Lexi Felix, who now has two shutouts against the three-time defending state champions this season.

"We spent the whole morning bonding and getting in the right mind-set. We watched the state (final) game from last year. That got everyone fired up," she said of the 2-1 loss.

The victory widened the gap between the Raiders (7-0-3, 24 points) and Punahou (6-2-1, 19 points) as the Interscholastic League of Honolulu regular season winds down. With Kamehameha in first place at 7-1-1 going into Saturday’s matches and only two state-tournament berths available, the weight of Saturday’s ‘Iolani-Punahou showdown was heavy.

"It was a must-win situation, so we treated it like a state championship game," Raiders coach Kristin Masunaga said. "Now, we’re in control of our destiny."

The Raiders made some adjustments in this go-round with the Buffanblu.

"We had more people in the center of the field. so we were able to control it a little better. Our defense is definitely our strength," Masunaga said, noting the play of Felix, Taylor Kipilii and Ashley Park-Hunt. "Lexi is pretty incredible."

Losing midfielder Jensen Toner to an ankle injury at the 7-minute mark didn’t help the Buffanblu against a quick, aggressive and surprisingly physical Raiders squad.

"Obviously, you lose a player like her, it takes its toll," Punahou coach Matt Martinson said. "I’m just proud of the way the team came together. The rest of the players saw what happened and they stepped up and filled in well."

Punahou had some good opportunities, but Felix was rangy, relentless and fearless with several saves, particularly in the second half. Saturday’s shutout was the second in as many tries this season against powerhouse Punahou.

Pascua was in the middle of the action, taking a corner throw-in from Alyssa Kim and, timing the bounce perfectly, lobbing a high pass to Dacanay in front of the goal.

Dacanay’s header from 8 yards out gave the Raiders a 1-0 lead in the 37th minute. That ended a goal drought between the teams of 117 minutes going back to a scoreless tie a month ago.

"Alyssa threw in a really nice ball and Kama got it in and I happened to be there," said Dacanay, a senior.

"We practice crossing all the time," Pascua said.

"Sam has come through in big games this year and last year," Masunaga added.

The first half, with roughly a handful of shots on goal by both teams combined, was as tight as the second half was loose.

"We sent more numbers up and took more risk," Martinson said. "We did everything we possibly could."

Pascua’s lefty shot from the right side of the box got past Punahou keeper Noe Kong-Johnson but trickled just wide left at the 48th minute.

Punahou got more chances, including a header by Kaylin Okuma at the 67-minute mark, but again, Felix was there with a diving deflection.

Punahou’s risk with the numbers finally ran out of time in the final minutes when Pascua broke free on the left side and sent a 10-yard grounder past the keeper to ice the win.

"Kylie (Takafuji) challenged for a header and she flicked it over her head to me," Pascua said.

‘Iolani will host Mid-Pacific on Wednesday and Pac-Five on Saturday to close ILH play. The first time around, the Raiders blanked MPI 5-0 and tied Pac-Five 1-all.

Punahou, the three-time defending state champion, hosts St. Francis on Wednesday, Sacred Hearts on Saturday and Kamehameha on Jan. 24.