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One spectacular goal was the only difference in Saturday night’s suspenseful finale.
And it was Kamehameha’s Anuhea Aluli who provided it to give the Warriors a 1-0 victory over King Kekaulike and a second straight Division I crown in The Queen’s Medical Center/HHSAA Girls Soccer Championships at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium.
In the 51st minute of an intense, back-and-forth struggle, Aluli broke a scoreless tie with a booming 35-yard shot that arced from the right to the left into the high corner of the net over the head of backpedaling Na Alii goalkeeper Kiralynn Francisco-Pu.
The victory marked top-seeded ILH champion Kamehameha’s 10th state title in the 39th edition of the tournament that began in 1982.
>> PHOTOS: King Kekaulike vs. Kamehameha
In the early going, third-seeded MIL champion King Kekaulike (11-1-1) had a slight edge in field position and had more top-notch scoring opportunities. In the first half, Warriors goalkeeper Marley Roe denied an in-close effort by Zoe Rehrer, and then Na Alii’s Leiana Aruda sent a shot just a few feet wide.
Roe remained busy. Just one minute after Aluli gave the Warriors a 1-0 lead, King Kekaulike’s Madelyn Dougherty busted through for a golden chance to tie, but Roe made a diving stop.
Kamehameha (11-0-2) nearly struck again in the 76th minute, when Francisco-Pu came way out to deny Kalia Kalua’s hard shot on a breakaway.
Two more King Kekaulike chances — including a rocket off the crossbar by Teani Arakawa — in the late going missed, allowing the girls from Kapalama to walk away with state supremacy for the fourth time in the last nine years under coach Missy Moore.
“They didn’t give up, we didn’t give up,” Na Alii defender Zoe Alexandra Asue said. “That’s what made it a great match. Both teams played really well. In the end, it was the team that just put it away. It was a nice shot and from far out, too.”
Moore thought the Warriors were off their game in the first half and was thankful that the halftime break gave them a chance to regroup with the score still 0-0.
“I wish soccer had timeouts,” she said. “But it doesn’t. At halftime we discussed what we needed to do. And I’m glad we finally got an opening to take a shot, and what an amazing finish by Anuhea. It was a perfectly placed shot.”
Added Kamehameha’s Tausani Tavale, the leader of the team’s defenders: “I’m thankful and proud for my team and what we did together. We accomplished a lot. I jumped for joy when Anu scored.”
And what about the near miss when Na Alii’s Arakawa hit the crossbar?
“On my God, I was so scared,” Tavale said. “I was like, ‘God, please be with us.’ ”
For King Kekaulike, who was playing in the state final for the first time, the fortunes are bright. This runner-up finish comes one year after a fourth-place showing in 2019.
“I’m happy with the way the girls performed,” Na Alii coach Gundi Danci said. “We pressed. We knew we could press them. Unfortunately, we saw the lane open up for the lady who came across and she was going to put it up high. I could see that (goal coming). We’ll go back and make another goal to go higher next year.”
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