The Campbell girls soccer team won one of the biggest games in school history Saturday, and Sabers coach James Curran couldn’t bear to watch the most exciting part of it.
Amaris Ishikawa made three saves in the penalty kick shootout as Campbell beat Mililani 1-0 (4-3 PK) in the final of the OIA Girls Division I Tournament at Kapolei.
“We practiced a lot of PKs this week, so I was very confident I could do it,” Ishikawa said.
Curran said he was too nervous to watch the shootout.
“Half the time I was on one knee, head down, eyes closed,” he said. “I heard she did an amazing job in the PKs. I’ll watch the game tonight.”
Campbell will receive a first-round bye at the Motiv8 Foundation/HHSAA Girls Division I State Championships, which start Jan. 29. The Sabers previously won a D-II title in 2007 and a D-I crown in 2015. They also snapped the Trojans’ three-year reign as OIA champions.
“It’s a tough way to learn, but we’ll take it in stride and remember this feeling. We don’t want to feel this way again,” Mililani coach Darren Smith said.
Mililani, Moanalua, Waipahu, Kapolei and Kaiser also will represent the league at the 12-team event.
The Sabers (11-0-2) missed their first two PKs, but still were able to pull it out.
Leia Tupper, Raeah Raymondo, Jaylee Curran and Marie Piho made penalty kicks for Campbell. One attempt was saved and two more hit off the crossbar.
“It was surprising we didn’t start out too well because we do a lot of visualization, we do a lot of reps in PKs, especially the past few weeks,” James Curran said. “But the girls pulled through. Super proud of them.”
Mililani’s Gabriella Ferrante, Camryn Kunihis and Jaslene Cayetano made their PKs. Besides Ishikawa’s three saves, another attempt sailed over the crossbar.
Mililani and Campbell had a high-scoring affair on Dec. 29 that ended in a 3-3 tie.
Both teams had opportunities Saturday but just couldn’t get the ball in the net through 80 minutes of regulation and a pair of 10-minute golden-goal overtime periods.
Mililani nearly scored in the 25th minute after Iai Maafala dribbled down the left side and slotted a pass to Andriah Watson, who sent a shot just wide left.
Both teams had one shot on goal before halftime.
The Trojans (10-1-2) had another opportunity in the 47th when Sabers goalkeeper Ishikawa bobbled a one-hopper, but she was able to block Malia Wagatsuma’s shot from just off the goal line.
Campbell’s Tupper uncorked a shot from 22 yards in the 57th, but Mililani goalkeeper Jordan Labajo-Cleaver made a diving save.
The Trojans nearly broke through again in the 75th when Ferrante sent a pass from the right side for Maafala. The Sabers couldn’t clear the ball and Maafala wound up having her shot blocked by Ishikawa.
The ensuing corner kick from the left side wound up at the far post, where Ferrante placed a header off the right post.
