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ScoringLive staffJanuary 26, 2023, 11:15pm
Thu, Jan 26, 2023 @ Kaiser
And then there were two.
West top seed Mililani will face off with East top seed Kalani for the OIA Division I title Saturday, a matchup many had penciled in from the get go.
But while things went as expected in the Falcons' win over Kapolei in the early semifinal, it was a different story altogether for Mililani, who needed overtime to take down Kaiser.
Kai Martin found a through ball in the box with just enough space to place it over the keepers head for the golden goal in the 84th minute.
"I didn't even know who got it to me," said Martin. "I actually thought the keeper was going to run into me, but I was able to get a poke at it and score the goal."
The game ending score came just a minute after Andre Estaniqui was sent off with a red card for misconduct after an exchange of words following a hard challenge in the box by a Cougars' defender.
Making good on the scoring chance despite being a player down due to disqualification was exactly what Martin and his team needed.
"After we got the red (card), all I knew is we had to make it up together and we had to win for Andre," said Martin.
Mililani's bench erupted with cheers following the game ending goal, but it might as well been a collective sigh of relief, following a game that saw the Trojans see chance after chance on goal throughout, but just not find the back of the net.
"We've had our way a lot of times this season," said Mililani head coach Steve McGehee. "So it was good to have a game that was difficult."
The Trojans' best chance in the first half came on a shot on goal that went off the hands of Kaiser keeper Gabe Stevens, and caused him to drift away from goal in the save attempt. A second shot followed, but Brevin Newman laid out to deflect the ball out of bounds.
Amongst the second half chances, the biggest missed opportunity came in the 70th minute, when a well placed through ball by the Trojans found the foot of Estaniqui, who raced down the left side and laced a ball with some pace towards the left post. The ball veered just inches to the left of the post, however, keeping the game scoreless.
Unlike the Trojans, the match for the Falcons went much more according to script.
Kalani got on the board early, as Raine Fujimura was in the right place at the right time to neatly tuck away a ball loose in the Kapolei box past the keeper in the ninth minute.
"The ball kind of just fumbled around outside the box," said Fujimura. "So I took a shot, and just finished it."
That opening goal loomed large, as the chances on goal, much like it did for the Trojans, just did not materialize.
It remained a 1-0 contest through the 58th minute, though the Hurricanes found their set of chances on goal with the change in field on a number of occasions.
That changed when Fujimura was dragged down in the box in the 59th, and on the ensuing penalty kick, Chase Kaetsu calmly placed the ball into the back of goal for a 2-0 lead.
Things did get a bit interesting in the waning stages, as the Falcons' keeper Robert Pruner was called for an illegal touch, giving the Hurricanes a point blank free kick and a breath of a chance at a comeback.
The attempt rattled through the Falcons' wall and eventually was cleared to end the threat.
"I trusted my wall to cover the far post," said Pruner. "My job was to just cover the near post."
Saturday's game between Kalani and Mililani is a rematch of the OIA semifinals a year ago, where the Trojans' prevailed 3-1.
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