Kailua advances to OIA quarters with win over Waianae

Kailua's Miguel Alcaraz dribbles the ball downfield against Waianae. Alcaraz knocked home the game's first goal in the 34th minute. CJ Caraang | SL

Kailua endured a physical 80 minutes from Waianae en route to a 2-0 result in the opening round of the OIA Division I playoffs.

From the opening whistle, the East third seed Surfriders saw a number early chances go by the wayside in the first 10 minutes or so of play, after which the West fourth seeded Seariders seemed to get their legs under them.

To say that the match was not the prettiest would be understated. By the end of the contest, a total of four yellow cards were awarded, all of them booked to Waianae players.

Ultimately, the pace and style of play favored the Seariders, and a scoreless half was looking more and more likely.

That changed in the 34th minute, as Keaton Matsushita received the ball in the right corner, dribbled past a defender and set up Miguel Alcaraz on a touch pass.

"I just seen (Matsushita) pass it to me and I saw an open shot because the keeper was coming toward me," said Alcaraz of the play.

The junior striker then tucked a careful strike past the keeper and into the corner of the goal to give the Surfriders a 1-0 lead heading into the break.

Waianae showed much more intent offensively in the second half, and had what might have been their best chance in the early minutes of the second, as a shot came off just outside the box, but sailed just over the top bar.

The continued physical style of play did not phase Kailua, and they remained resilient and disciplined in their approach. That commitment eventually paid dividends in the 75th minute, as a ball was passed over and through the defense on the left wing, to a waiting Jackson Bunting.

"The pass went over the middle and to Jackson, and the defense missed the ball... it went right over," said Alcaraz.

Bunting got the one-on-one chance at the goal and made the most of it, pushing the ball deftly past the charging keeper to put the game out of reach.

Up next for Kailua (8-3-1) is a quarterfinal tilt against the West top seed Kapolei, a team that outscored West opponents by a 60-2 margin in the regular season en route to an undefeated record.

Waianae ends their campaign with a 4-6-1 record.