Mililani reached the final four for the 10th year in a row Thursday night with a 3-1 victory over Aiea in the Division I quarterfinals of The Queen’s Medical Center/Hawaii High School Athletic Association Girls Soccer State Championships at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium.
Twice in that 10-year span, the Trojans made it to the final, and they won it all in 2015. The semifinal opponent tonight is ‘Iolani (11-0-3) in a battle of unbeatens and a rematch of the final in ’15, when Mililani edged the Raiders 1-0.
Tia Rodriguez scored twice Thursday for the Oahu Interscholastic Association champion and second-seeded Trojans, who, with the exception of a late-game lapse, played near flawless defense against Na Alii.
“Tia is a very special person,” Mililani coach Ray Akiona said. “She’s motivated and will give you everything she has. Most of the goals she scores are because she’s giving a third and fourth effort. One of her strongest traits is that she’s tenacious.”
Randi Macadangdang got the ball rolling for the Trojans in the 12th minute. From the left wing, she got inside position on a defender and snuck a 25-yard shot into the low left corner for a 1-0 lead.
Other good scoring chances in the first half and early in the second went by the wayside for Mililani, and Aiea had trouble penetrating deep into Trojans territory.
In the 51st minute, Rodriguez stormed down the right side on a breakaway. Na Alii goalkeeper Tessie Tavale made an initial stop by rushing and sprawling out to meet Rodriguez, but the momentum of the ball kept going and so did Rodriguez, who easily slipped the ball into the open goal to make it 2-0.
Rodriguez came through for her second goal on a break down the right wing to finish her team’s scoring in the 62nd minute.
Aiea finally got on the board 14 minutes later, when Jenna Turne sprinted through the Mililani defense to get a through ball from a teammate and finished it off with a low shot to break the shutout.
“Mililani has a great defense, but we didn’t really give a good showing to test that defense,” Aiea coach Benji Villaflor said. “Their win was well deserved. You can never count Mililani out.”
Villaflor thinks Mililani can find success as it moves forward in the tournament if it can continue to play a possession game and if its defense can “step up big against that (‘Iolani) powerhouse.”
Akiona pointed to the defensive work of inside fullbacks Jodi Lillie and Karlin Wurlitzer as a big factor in holding Na Alii (10-3-3) at bay.
“They don’t really get rattled. They lead the left and right sides from the middle,” he said. “You can’t ask for a better duo.”
Punahou 4, Castle 1
Jamie-Lyn Shimamoto scored twice to help push the Buffanblu past the Knights and into tonight’s semifinals.
Punahou (11-1-1), the defending Interscholastic League of Honolulu champion, also got goals from Layla Santos and Lauren Mukaigawa.
Ciana Rivera scored the only goal for Castle (11-3-1).
‘Iolani 3, Hilo 0
The Raiders stayed unbeaten with the shutout of the fourth-seeded Vikings and will face OIA champion Mililani in a semifinal tonight.
‘Iolani (11-0-3) got goals from Kylee Kim-Bustillos, Taylor Venenciano and Shantel Torres-Benito.
Hilo, the Big Island Interscholastic Federation champion, dropped to 8-2-1.
Pearl City 2, Baldwin 1
The defending D-I state champion Chargers stormed back from a 1-0 deficit to reach the semifinals tonight against Punahou.
Daelenn Tokunaga sped down the left wing around a defender, cut in toward the goal and nestled a shot on the ground just inside the far post for the game-winner in the 67th minute.
The Maui Interscholastic League champion and third-seeded Bears (11-1-1) grabbed that 1-0 lead on Skylar Littlefield’s goal in the 26th minute.
Pearl City (11-3-3) was facing defeat, but stayed in it on Sunshine Fontes’ goal in the 65th minute. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s state player of the year in 2016 fended off a defender on the right wing and unleashed a rocket that found the net.
The game was a rematch of last year’s final, which the Chargers won 3-0.
DIVISION I |
Monday |
At school sites |
‘Iolani 3, Moanalua 0 |
Castle 2, Waiakea 0 |
Pearl City 2, Kapolei 0 |
Aiea 2, Kamehameha-Maui 1, 2 OT |
Thursday |
At Waipio Soccer Complex main stadium |
‘Iolani 3, Hilo 0 |
Punahou 4, Castle 1 |
Mililani 3, Aiea 1 |
Pearl City 2, Baldwin 1 |
Today |
At Waipio Soccer Complex |
Semfinals (main stadium) |
‘Iolani vs. Mililani, 5 p.m. |
Punahou vs. Pearl City, 7 p.m. |
Consolation |
Aiea vs. Hilo, 3 p.m., field 7 |
Castle vs. Baldwin, 3 p.m., field 8 |
Saturday |
At Waipio Soccer Complex |
Fifth place, 1 p.m., field 7 |
Third place, 3 p.m., field 7 |
Championship, 7 p.m., main stadium |
DIVISION II |
Wednesday |
At Waipio Soccer Complex |
Sacred Hearts 4, Waianae 1 |
Seabury Hall 3, Kauai 2 |
Makua Lani 2, Kalaheo 1 (2OT, 5-4 PK) |
Kamehameha-Hawaii 5, Radford 0 |
Thursday |
At Waipio Soccer Complex |
Quarterfinals |
Hawaii Prep 3, Sacred Hearts 2 |
Seabury Hall 4, Waipahu 3 |
Kapaa 2, Makua Lani 0 |
Pac-Five 3, Kamehameha-Hawaii 2 |
Consolation |
Kauai 2, Waianae 0 |
Kalaheo 4, Radford 3 |
Today |
At Waipio Soccer Complex |
Semfinals (main stadium) |
Hawaii Prep vs. Seabury Hall, 1 p.m. |
Kapaa vs. Pac-Five, 3 p.m. |
Consolation |
Kauai vs. Waianae, 1 p.m., field 8 |
Sacred Hearts vs. Waipahu, 3 p.m., field 9 |
Makua Lani vs. KS-Hawaii, 3 p.m., field 10 |
Saturday |
At Waipio Soccer Complex |
Fifth place, 1 p.m., field 6 |
Third place, 3 p.m., field 8 |
Championship, 5 p.m., main stadium |