New season, new players, new coach, same old result for the Mililani girls soccer team.
Maya George scored off her own rebound, Jas Cayetano blasted in a 45-yard free kick and Leila Leano scored off a spectacular self-volley as Mililani beat Waipahu 3-0 in the final of the OIA girls Division I tournament Saturday at Kaiser.
Brendyn Agbayani, in his first season as a high school coach, led Mililani to its 21st OIA championship.
“It’s a special group of girls. They know that hard work cannot be defeated,” said Agbayani, a long-time club coach with Leahi. “They know that this is not over yet. They have a big goal as far as what they want to accomplish and this is just the start. I’m happy they won the OIA championship and brought it back to their school.”
Agbayani said he has preached an unselfish attitude for his players.
“This year, Coach B has been a huge impact for this team,” Cayetano said. “He’s really motivating us to be better than we were yesterday and it’s so much better than last year.”
Mililani (13-0) earned the OIA’s seeded berth and accompanying first-round bye for the Motiv8 Foundation/HHSAA Division I tournament, which starts Jan. 27. Waipahu (11-2), Campbell, Kaiser, Moanalua and Kapolei also will represent the league at the 12-team event.
“We just want to do better than last year (state semifinal appearance),” Leano said. “We’re in a really good position to do well at states and to put our best foot forward.”
The Trojans, the West’s No. 1 team, not only completed a perfect OIA season, but also went unscored upon in 11 games played. Two games were forfeited by their opponents. Mililani scored 64 goals.
George received a throw-in from Kalena Yamashita near the top of the penalty box, had a shot blocked, but maintained her composure, fought off defenders and blasted the ball past Marauders goalkeeper Zinn Kurose at 38:04.
“There were a bunch of defenders in front of me, but Coach B always tells me I need to be stronger and body up,” George said. “I was thinking about that and trying to make my way. I toe-poked it into the goal and I heard my teammates cheering.”
About one minute after George’s goal, the Trojans nearly scored again, but Kurose blocked a shot, with the ball bouncing behind her just in front of the goal line. She spun around while on the turf and batted the ball away. A Mililani player immediately ran onto the ball and blasted a shot from in close, but Kurose was there to block it.
The Trojans went up 2-0 at 43:03 when Cayetano’s free kick went off Kurose’s outstretched hands and into the goal. The shot attempt was with the wind.
“You look at that second shot there, Zinn saves that ball,” Waipahu coach Brent Murakami said. “That happens again, Zinn saves that ball. That’s one of those freaky things.”
Leano received a throw-in from Kyla Okamoto, knocked the ball up with her chest and hit a spinning shot into the goal at 55:31.
“I just tried to put myself in the best position I could and I kind of knew where the goal was, so I just hit it and thankfully it went in,” Leano said.
The Trojans finished with 10 shots on goal, while the Marauders, the West’s No. 2 team, had seven.
“We knew what we were going to be facing,” Murakami said. “First half, we had the wind, so we had a little bit of an advantage. The girls came out ready to play.”
Mililani beat Waipahu 3-0 on Dec. 13.
