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JAY METZGER / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER
Pearl City celebrated after defeating Kamehameha in penalty kicks on Thursday.
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Soraya Santos said she was nervous.
The walk from midfield to the mauka goal at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex can take a while. By the time the Pearl City freshman got inside the box for her penalty kick, she was ready. Santos drilled her shot in the Chargers ninth PK, ending the match to give unseeded Pearl City a stunning 1-0 sudden victory over top-seeded Kamehameha on Thursday night in the quarterfinals of The Queen’s Medical Center/HHSAA Girls Soccer State Championships.
“My heart is starting to beat again,” Pearl City coach Frank Baumholtz said. “It’s a shame it came down to shootouts. Their kids did a great job. It was very competitive. We’ve been practicing shootouts since November and our kids did their jobs, even the ones who missed. They love each other and they’ve got each other’s backs.”
The match was nil-nil at the end of regulation, and Pearl City (15-1) missed two grand opportunities to score in the first overtime. Nobody scored in the second extra period, and through the set of five kickers in PKs, the match was still tied. Each team made four of the five PKs.
Following that, each round of PKs was immediate victory for the side that got advantage. Pearl City goalkeeper Naomi Takata got a crucial save to set up the winning PK.
“We just needed a save and score in sudden death. It’s difficult, but it’s your duty,” Takata said. “Sometimes players look to the other side and kick the other way, so I thought maybe she’s going to kick to my right.”
After Takata’s save, Santos was the ninth overall Charger to get a chance against Kamehameha goalkeeper Kendal Stovall.
Pearl City, the 2016 state champion, will meet Kaiser in the semifinal round.
Kamehameha dropped to 12-2-1.
