Solala Nasu boots lone goal to give Pac-Five Division II state soccer title

Pac-Five’s Solala Nasu wasn’t daunted when she lined up for a 30-yard free kick in the second half Saturday against Kauai.

For some reason, the goal didn’t look that far away and the Wolfpack sophomore knew she could score.

Nasu scored on the free kick at 43:31 as Pac-Five defeated Kauai 1-0 in the NIU Health Urgent Care/HHSAA Division II Girls Soccer Championships on Saturday at Radford.

“It honestly seemed kind of close to me,” said Nasu, who attends University High. “I had three free kicks (go in) prior to that, so I just learned from them and I got it in and I was so happy.”

Pac-Five (6-3-2) claimed its fourth state title, with the previous crown coming in 2010. Most of the players on this year’s team were from Maryknoll and Sacred Hearts.

“The girls, that was their goal from the get-go. They wanted to reach states and win states,” said Pac-Five coach Ryan Leong.

Nasu’s blast from the right side traveled down the center of the goal and over the outstretched arms of Red Raiders keeper Jaeda Planas.

“It was coming off a soft foul, but it is what it is. They had one shot and that was pretty much the only shot that went in and that was the game,” said Kauai coach Chance Bukoski, who added that he had only eight players at the first practice and started a couple of games a player down.

The Wolfpack shut out three KIF schools in the tournament: 11-0 over Waimea in the quarterfinals and 1-0 over Kapaa in the semifinals.

“Kauai, they’re tough, tough schools,” Leong said. “Hat’s off to all three teams. They’re all good. They battled till the end and they’re all well coached.”

The Wolfpack got the better of play early on, with Sara Cruz’s shot going just wide right in the 1st minute and Ashlyn Dowda-Gates’ attempt traveling wide left in the 2nd.

The Red Raiders settled down about 15 minutes in and played on even terms with the Wolfpack the remainder of the half.

“I knew they were going to come out hard because we both really wanted it, so we just had to come out harder and we definitely did that today,” said Pac-Five’s Leila Leano, a freshman from Hawaii Baptist.

In the 40th minute, Dowda-Gates had a shot from the right side that was saved by Planas, who leaped to make the catch.

Pac-Five, the ILH champion and No. 2 seed, had four shots on goal in the first half, while Kauai had one.

In the 63rd, Dowda-Gates was just in front of the goal and chested down a ball that bounced just wide right.

Kauai (7-2-2) had one last chance in the 80th minute when Coral Turner lined up for a free kick from 20 yards out, but her shot went into the wall as the final seconds ticked off the clock.

Pac-Five finished with 11 shots on goal, while Kauai, the No. 1 seed, had six.