No. 1 Punahou roars past No. 6 Iolani to lock up state berth

Punahou senior Dominic Gusman celebrates after finding the back of the net against Iolani Wednesday afternoon. Michael Lasquero | SL

Punahou barely earned the win against Iolani in its season opener on Dec. 12, with a penalty kick providing the lone goal of the match.

The Buffanblu silenced all doubters Wednesday afternoon in the rematch.

Top-ranked Punahou put the pressure on visiting Iolani early and often in a 2-0 victory at Alexander Field in a key ILH contest.

The victory ensured the Buffanblu one of the league's two state berths into the Division I state tournament. It also put Punahou in prime position to claim the league crown with 22 championship points as it only needs a tie in one of its final two matches to clinch the title.

The Buffanblu (7-0-1), the defending state champion, scored within the first five minutes of the match when senior Dominic Gusman broke free down the left side after receiving a pass from Jacob Moore.

Punahou pestered No. 6 Iolani's goal for majority of the half, but was unable to punch in another score until just before the break. After a corner kick was cleared, Liam Nichols-Shipley had a shot go off the post that went straight to sophomore forward Nathan Daehler for a point-blank goal.

The Buffanblu will wrap up league play with a 9 a.m. contest at Mid-Pacific (0-5-3) on Saturday and a home game against Kamehameha (5-2-1) next Wednesday.

The Raiders (5-3), who reached the state final last season, is battling the Warriors in the league standings for the second ILH D1 state berth. The two teams face off at Kamehameha's home field Saturday at 2 p.m.