The shock wave is complete and Campbell is the new OIA Division I girls soccer champion.
The Sabers’ Lauryn Cabudol headed in a corner kick by Aliani Lorenzo in the 77th minute for a 2-1 victory over Moanalua at the Castle High field Saturday night.
It’s the first title for Campbell (11-2-1) since 2007, when it took the OIA White (D-II) crown.
"All the years of failure hurt," Sabers coach Ryan Leong said after the game. "We were underdogs and we don’t get as much respect. The girls were playing to get as much respect as some of the other teams."
The first big inroad to the title came on Thursday night in a 2-1 upset of powerhouse Mililani.
On Saturday, midfielders Lorenzo and Chardonnay Curran and defender Ashlynn Chargualaf fueled Campbell’s passing game.
Chargualaf broke a 0-0 tie just after halftime, in the 41st minute, by firing a 38-yard high shot toward the goal. Jumping Na Menehune goalkeeper Maddie Price reached up and got a piece of it with her hands, but the ball fell to the ground and rolled over the goal line.
Moanalua (10-3-1) didn’t wait to get it back. Hoku Afong broke in on the left wing in the 42nd minute and rocketed a shot over Sabers goalkeeper Kiley Haraguchi and off the crossbar for a 1-1 tie.
It remained that way until Cabudol’s game-winner on the corner kick.
"Set pieces are always dangerous," Na Menehune coach Nikki Dela Pena said. "They were really quick on getting that corner kick off, not allowing us time to set up properly."
Afong, a senior, and her Moanalua teammates were hoping to add an OIA title to the one they won in 2012 as freshmen.
"It’s devastating," she said. "We wanted it real bad. It’s not over, though. We’re still in states."
Cabudol, a sophomore, now has a moment that she’ll always remember.
"I knew the defender wasn’t going to get it (the corner kick)," she said. "She had a bad angle, so I went around her and headed it in. We believed in ourselves. We knew we could do it."
Haraguchi made a gigantic stop in the first half for the Sabers, diving to thwart Hailey Graham on a breakaway.
"Campbell is very well coached," Moanalua’s Dela Pena said. "We knew they were going to come out to get it. Our girls played to the last whistle."
A large gathering of Campbell fans greeted the Sabers on the way out of the stadium, congratulating them and wishing them well in the upcoming state tournament, where they are sure to cause more than a little concern for opposing coaches.
