It was anybody’s match for nearly 70 minutes, but that’s when the reigning champs kicked into gear.
Hawaii Prep scored three times in the final 10:50 to defeat Kauai 4-1 in the Division II final of The Queen’s Medical Center/HHSAA Girls Soccer State Championships on Saturday at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium.
The top-seeded BIIF champions have collected seven D-II koa trophies in a row.
“It feels so amazing to carry on the legacy,” said Ka Makani’s Emily Thompson, who scored the winning goal. “It’s something that we all strive for, to keep carrying it on. That was our goal throughout the whole season.”
>> PHOTOS: Kauai vs. Hawaii Prep
With the score knotted 1-all, Hawaii Prep kept the pressure on late in the second half. Finally, Angela Cipriano sent Thompson in alone with a pass up the middle past a defender. Thompson wasted no time booting the ball into the right low corner in the 70th minute to go for the 2-1 edge that took away the pressure that had been building.
“The person who passed me the ball is my best friend on the team,” Thompson said. “She’s a senior who is graduating, so it meant a lot to me to finish her ball.”
More relaxed, Ka Makani went on a rampage with two late goals to sew it — one by Malia Brost and another by Kahala Erskine on a cross from Isabella Police.
“We have a wonderful group,” Hawaii Prep coach Stephen Perry said. “We have a lot back from last year, but it’s a totally different dynamic. We have more of a dynamic attack and more options and good leadership. Tonight, the goals were nice, but the passes that set them up were spot on.”
In the first half, Jenna Perry, on a pass from Cipriano, gave HPA a 1-0 edge, but Kauai fought back for a tie on Jessica Hreljac’s goal.
It got a bit tense for Ka Makani (14-1), who had trouble breaking that tie.
“We did some good stuff in the first half, and we felt like we were down because we made a mistake and gave them a goal,” coach Perry said. “We said, ‘Look, relax, play our game.’ We kept going, kept going, kept going and our defense was squeezing hard.”
Kauai coach Chance Bukoski knew Hawaii Prep was a whisker away from losing, but only if the Red Raiders had pulled through for another goal.
“All our girls contributed and stepped up and it was quite a sight to see,” Bukoski said. “I think the other side (Ka Makani) was kind of sweating at one point in time. Coming from a small school in Kauai, I’m very proud of the girls. Personally, I think they (Hawaii Prep) should be D-I. It is what it is.”
Asked about the possibility of moving up, Perry said, “We’re a D-II school with 300 kids. We’re comfortable where we are.”
The Red Raiders (13-1), who have never won a state girls soccer title but entered the title match undefeated, were in the final for the first time since 2011.
“Everyone played their hearts out and we all tried our best,” Hreljac said. “We pushed ourselves this season to just play as hard as we can. It got very close. We had a few opportunities at the beginning of the second half, too.”
