Baldwin is trying to do something no team from the neighbor islands has done — win a Division I boys soccer state title.
The third-seeded Bears took a huge stride forward Thursday night with a 1-0 victory over Mililani in the D-I quarterfinals of The Queen’s Medical Center/HHSAA Boys Soccer State Championships at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium.
The game was decided on penalty kicks after 80 minutes of scoreless regulation time and two 10-minute overtime periods.
And, as is usual during PKs, it came down to the goalkeepers. Both keepers scored during that final portion of the match, when Baldwin (10-0-3) prevailed 5-4 after each team took six shots.
Jorge Perez-Martin, the goalkeeper for the Maui Interscholastic League champion Bears, got the better of the Trojans’ Rusty Crowder. They both made saves on the first set of penalty kicks. Later, with the PK score at 4-4, Perez-Martin dove to his right to stop a low shot from Mililani’s Chad Uyejo. The next attempt, by the Bears’ Caleb Soo Hoo, found the top right corner for the 5-4 PK finish.
“I trusted my ability to save it (Uyejo’s shot) and I trusted my next teammate to score it,” Perez-Martin said. “It was a great game. My defense did great. We gotta believe and we’ve just got to play our game. We’re really looking forward to playing tomorrow.”
Baldwin moves on to play Kaiser in today’s semifinals.
The Trojans (12-2-1) failed in a bid to go on and win their first state crown since 2012. They held a slight edge in first-half field position, but the second half was evenly played and Baldwin grabbed more of a territorial advantage in the overtime periods.
Dangerous scoring chances were few and far between. Crowder robbed the Bears’ Steven Jacob Hogin late in regulation, and Perez-Martin did the same to Mililani’s Hudson Zeisman.
In the second OT, Mililani’s Darnell Williams busted in on the left wing alone, only to be denied by Perez-Martin.
Baldwin nearly went ahead a few minutes later, when Kapono Hoopii’s long pass went to Daniel Souza, who sent a ball toward an open corner of the goal, but it was kicked away at the last second by the Trojans’ Trystan Wright.
Crowder then made an amazing leaping stop of a high header by Nahoa Foster after a long chip pass by Hogin.
“I tried to hold my ground and tried to follow the ball the whole way,” Crowder said.
“We just couldn’t finish,” he added about the loss, just as teammate Jamin Fonseca shouted, “Best goalkeeper in the state right there.”
Foster put his hands to his head in dismay after that spectacular save.
SUMMARIES
Kaiser 2, ‘Iolani 1
The Cougars took a 2-0 lead and then held off the comeback attempt by the second-seeded Raiders.
Kaiser’s Hunter Yamanaka and Makana Srivongsana scored in the first half for that two-goal lead.
Tanner Shimamoto got ‘Iolani (10-2-2), the Interscholastic League of Honolulu champion, within one goal in the 46th minute.
The unseeded Cougars (13-1-1) will play MIL champion Baldwin in the semifinals tonight.
Kapolei 2, Pearl City 1
Braden Bantolina scored in the 74th minute to lift the top-seeded Hurricanes (12-0-2) past the Chargers (12-3-1).
Kieran Raquedan also scored for Kapolei for a 1-all tie after Daniel Woo gave Pearl City a 1-0 lead in the 47th minute.
The Oahu Interscholastic Association champion and top-seeded Hurricanes face defending state champion and unseeded Punahou in the semifinals today.
Punahou 3, Kealakehe 1
The Buffanblu (11-2-2) remained in the chase to repeat as state champions by knocking off the Big Island Interscholastic Federation champion and fourth-seeded Waveriders (11-2-1).
Duncan McKenna broke a 1-all tie with a goal in the 30th minute and then added an insurance goal in the 75th minute. Noah Williams also scored for Punahou. Kolby Martin had Kealakehe’s only goal.
DIVISION II
Hawaii Prep 5, Makua Lani Christian 1
Austin Schneider scored twice and Jake Schneider, Kento Komatsu and Bip Padrnos added one goal each as the defending Division II state champion Ka Makani downed Makua Lani Christian in a quarterfinal match at the Waipio Soccer Complex on Thursday.
BIIF D-II champ Hawaii Prep is the top-seeded team and pulled through once again against their league rival, the Lions (6-7). Michael Christensen scored the lone goal for Makua Lani Christian.
Kailua 5, Seabury Hall 3
The Surfriders clung to a 4-3 lead with five minutes to go, but two minutes later, Ripley Quebral scored his second goal of the match to seal it.
Fourth-seeded Kailua (9-2-2), the Oahu Interscholastic Association D-II champion, also got two goals from Dylen Pedrina and one from Nick Faulkner. Quintin Tanaka, Louie Smith and Thomas Lee all had a goal for the Spartans (1-10-1) of the Maui Interscholastic League.
Saint Louis 5, Farrington 0
Five players scored for the Interscholastic League of Honolulu D-II champ (7-6-1) and second-seeded Crusaders — Skyler Goo, Jo Kasahara, Noah Alejado, Mitchell Quinn and Rick Sandry Jr. — in the shutout of the Governors (4-9-1).
Kamehameha-Hawaii 2, Waimea 1, OT
The Warriors (8-7) fought back from a 1-0 deficit with David Erskine’s tying goal in the 57th minute. Jonathan DeMotta then scored four minutes into overtime for the win.
The Kauai Interscholastic Federation champion and second-seeded Menehunes (7-2-3) took a 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute on Tayedyn Francisco’s goal.
