Baldwin scores thrice after the intermission to get past Moanalua

Baldwin's Aatiyana Racado-Kahoohanohano (15) and Bree Toma (8) celebrate after Racado-Kahoohanohano scored the first goal of the match for the Bears in the first round of the Motiv8 Foundation/HHSAA Division I Girls Soccer Championships at War Memorial Stadium. CJ Caraang | SL

Baldwin got a goal in each half from Aatiyana Racado-Kahoohanohano in a 4-2 win over Moanalua in the opening round of the Motiv8 Foundation/HHSAA Division I Girls Soccer State Championships.

"Just knowing that Baldwin girls soccer hasn't been in states for a very long time makes me really happy just to know that we've gotten to this point," said Racado-Kahoohanohano.

The Bears, making their first state tournament appearance since 2016, also won its first match since 2015, where it knocked off Kamehameha and Mililani in succession (both on penalty kicks) before falling to Pearl City in the final.

Racado-Kahoohanohano was a consistent threat in the attacking half for the Bears, and made her mark early with the game's opening goal in the 27th minute.

"Knowing that Kena (Tihada) our right back is very consistent with her ball (passing), I was waiting for it, got a good touch on it, looked up, looked for the corner and buried it," said Racado-Kahoohanohano.

The game remained 1-0 through the 53rd minute when a handball was called in the Baldwin box, resulting in a penalty kick for Na Menehune.

Krislyn Uyeda lined up for the shot and booted it cleaned past the keeper to tie the game up at 1-1, but the deadlock was short lived as the Bears quickly moved into the Moanalua third and to the foot of Racado-Kahoohanohano, who took the ball from the left edge, dribbled past one defender then made a nifty move on another before lining up a easy finish past the keeper to put Baldwin back in front.

Baldwin got the all important insurance goal in in the 58th minute, as Tamilyn Ebisu received a through ball just in front of the goal outside the box and booted a shot with pace into the back of net for a 3-1 cushion.

It became a 4-1 contest in the 76th minute, when a shot by Racado-Kahoohanohano was deflected by the Moanalua keeper and back into the field of play to a waiting Sydneylee Anduha, who placed a decisive shot past the keeper to extend the margin to three.

"It's really exciting (to win) because all these years we've come really close, like always third to Kamehameha (Maui) and King K, and this year I feel like we really needed to prove ourselves," said Anduha.

The final goal of the game came with less than a minute in regulation, a rainbow boot by Moanalua's Laila Harrington from about 35 yards out that tucked into goal just inches from the far post to make it 4-2.