HHSAA Girls Soccer
PAC-5 edges KS-Hawaii in penalty kicks to complete three-peat


  



Sat, Feb 3, 2024 @ Waipio


Final/PK 1st 2nd OT 2OT PK Tot
KS-Hawaii (7-2-3) 0 0 0 0 4 0
PAC-5 (7-3-1) 0 0 0 0 5 1

WAIPIO - It's a three-peat for PAC-5.

Kana Smith buried home the fifth and final penalty kick for the Wolfpack to secure a 5-4 penalty kick victory over Kamehameha School Hawaii in the Motiv8 Foundation/HHSAA Division II Girls Soccer State Championship Saturday night. 

"It feels great," said Smith. "I feel like we just had to trust each other and just play hard, work hard, and have fun and I am so thankful that we won."

This is the sixth Division II title for the Wolfpack. 

"This was one heck of a game right here," said PAC-5 co-head coach Rich Wentling. "This should go down as one of the greatest games in Division II in years. Two teams fought it out to the end and unfortunately someone had to lose by penalty kicks and I'm glad it wasn't us."

The game started out with both teams feeling each other out. PAC-5 used the first 10 minutes of the game to pepper some shots on the Warrior goal, but nothing too dangerous for KS-Hawaii sophomore goalkeeper Lahela Cootey. 

The Warriors did a decent job in keeping PAC-5 playmaker Solala Nasu at bay. With space and touches limited, Nasu moved to the left wing to try and create, but found little success. 

"Kamehameha, they played it smart," said PAC-5 co-head coach Ryan Leong. "They put a lot of players in the back, which made it hard for us to score. That was the strategy they used and I thought it worked."

The best chance of the first half went to the Warriors. In the 36th minutes, KS-Hawaii sophomore midfielder Mikaela Aina played a nice one-two with sophomore forward Alohi Marquin-Kalaola and was in on goal, but Wolfpack keeper Kanai Gundaker came up big and forced a safe out for a corner. The freshman made six total saves on the night. 

At the start of the second half, the Wolfpack were pushing the issue and were piling pressure on the Warriors. They won three free kicks in the opening few minutes of the half and Nasu was tasked with taking them. Her best free kick attempt came in the 54th minute, but her kick dipped just over the bar and out for a goal kick. 

In the 64th minute, the Wolfpack nearly found the breakthrough goal. Off of a Nasu corner, a PAC-5 player headed a ball down and it bounced up hitting the base of the cross bar. It would eventually be cleared by Warrior defenders. 

Cootey would make her biggest save of the night minutes later. In the 70th minute, Nasu hit a free kick that was destined for the roof of the net. However, Cootey used every inch of her frame to deflect the ball forward and her defense cleared the danger. 

"That save she made on that free kick was absolutely world class to me," said KS-Hawaii head coach Steven Cootey. "That's my daughter too. So for her to be acknowledged is awesome. I am so happy for her."

Cootey made 11 saves throughout the night for the Warriors.

After regulation time, a first, and second overtime, the teams had to go to penalties to decide a champion. 

"We only started practicing (penalties) two weeks ago," Wentling said. "We knew somewhere down the line that we might have to do it. So we allowed girls to decide who was going to take the kicks."

Motiv8 Foundation/HHSAA Girls Soccer State Championships 
Division II All-Tournament Team
As selected by the HHSAA

Kailee-Ann Baltazar, Kapaa
Mia Chow, Kamehameha-Hawaii
Ashlyn Dowda-Gates, PAC-5
Kanai Gundaker, PAC-5
Madisyn Meyers, Kamehameha-Hawaii
Camrynn Nitta, PAC-5
Rhacelyn Respicio, Kamehameha-Hawaii
Rebekah Sipinga, Kamehameha-Hawaii
Kena Smith, PAC-5
Sienna Yamashita, Kapaa
GK: Lahela Cootey, Kamehameha-Hawaii

Most Outstanding Player: Solala Nasu, PAC-5

Shooting first were the Warriors and Rebekah Sipinga fired home the opening penalty. Jaeana Monalim would convert for the Wolfpack and make it 1-1.

KS-Hawaii would miss their next penalty. However, the next three Warrior kickers (Callie Chong, Tejia Moses, and Cootey) would all convert. The Wolfpack's next three kickers (Nasu, Camrynn Nitta, and Hayley Smith) would also convert their kicks.

With it tied at 4-4, it all came down to Smith, the PAC-5 starting center back, to convert.

"I was really nervous," Smith said. "When we were choosing the lineup, they (the coaches) were like ‘Do you trust yourself?' and ‘Do you trust yourself as the #5.?' The last shot was up to me and it was the last one we had to make. I was really scared, but I tuned everything out and tried not to hesitate. I trust God and was praying walking up and everything turned out the way we wanted to."

Smith finished her penalty and then was bombarded by her fellow teammates and fell to the ground as the final whistle blew.

Although the result did not favor them, Cootey was proud of his team's effort. 

"I thought the team played well," said Cootey. "It's unfortunate that someone had to lose and it was us, but I am so happy with the girls. So proud of what we did and how we played today. It's hard to be upset."

Although this is the third Division II title for PAC-5 in a row, it is the first time that Leong is doing it with Wentling as his right-hand man instead of his father, Shannon Leong. Leong credited his father for the recent success of the team.

"If it wasn't for my dad, we wouldn't be here," Leong said. "He brought us here. Unfortunately, my dad has had health issues the last year and a half so I took a break last year. He's still in the hospital now, but we are praying that he gets better. I am so proud of these coaches for stepping up here. They did an awesome job."





Show your support

Every contribution, no matter the size, will help ScoringLive continue its mission to provide the best and most comprehensive coverage of high school sports in the state of Hawaii and beyond.

Please consider making a contribution today.

ADVERTISEMENT


IMAGE GALLERY



MORE STORIES

Surfriders cash in on Na Alii miscues to claim 15th league crown, ninth under Ishigo

Kailua sent eight batters to the plate and scored five runs in a tide-turning bottom of the third inning,...

Waianae rolls past Radford to claim first OIA championship since 2017

Shysten Nagasako did work on both the mound and at the plate in the Seariders' mercy-rule shortened win...

No. 1 seeds Aiea, Kailua to face off for OIA Division I baseball crown

Na Alii posted a 3-1 win over Roosevelt behind Aidan Yoshida's complete game, while two pitchers combined...

Sabers, Na Menehune to meet in OIA semifinal round Monday

Campbell defeated Roosevelt in four sets Thursday, while Moanalua topped Waipahu in the nightcap as both...

Late surge propels Kapolei to mercy-rule win over Kalani

The Hurricanes found their offensive groove in the late stages, scoring 14 runs down the stretch to back...

Kapaa takes down Kauai for second straight league win

Bob Manintin pitched six strong innings as the Warriors snapped the Red Raiders' seven-game winning streak.