Aiea's Cierra Hamilton knocks in the game winning penalty kick against Mililani. Sylvia Lee | SL

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Aiea's Tamera Mikamura heads the ball as a Mililani player defends. Sylvia Lee | SL

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Mililani's Alyssa Stiles battles Aiea's Tiana Ono for possession of the ball. Sylvia Lee | SL

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Aiea players celebrate after defeating Mililani in a game decided by penalty kicks. Sylvia Lee | SL

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Tue, Jan 7, 2014 @ Mililani

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Aiea

2

Mililani

1

Final/PK	1st	2nd	OT	2OT	PK	Tot
Aiea (13-5-0)	0	0	0	0	0	2
Mililani (14-4-0)	0	0	0	0	0	1

C. Hamilton    K. Kaeo

MILILANI — Cierra Hamilton displayed some nerves of steel Tuesday night.

Hamilton scored her team's only goal in regulation and put away the game-winning penalty kick to carry Aiea to a 2-1 win over Mililani in an Oahu Interscholastic Association Western Division game at John Kauinana Stadium.

Na Alii rallied from a one-goal deficit at halftime en route to their seventh consecutive win to improve to 7-1, while the Trojans dropped to 6-2 in league play before a home crowd of about 150 spectators.

"It was a really big win for us, we were looking forward to this game all season," Aiea coach Benji Villaflor said. "Mililani is the returning OIA champs and they're always a powerhouse so it was a solid win for us."

With the teams tied at 3-all in the penalty-kick portion of the contest, Hamilton had the final shot and a chance to give her team the win. She approached the ball and kicked it with her right foot to the lower left side of the goal, just out of reach of the diving Mililani goalkeeper.

"I was so scared," said Hamilton, a junior midfielder/defender. "I was thinking 'Oh my God, I've got to make this for us to win.' When I started walking up to the ball, I was shaking. It was so nerve-racking, I don't want to go through that again."

Aiea goalie Kanoe Griep-Kadokawa — who played in the field during regulation — set-up Hamilton's game-winner when she denied Mililani's Taylor Cadiz on the previous penalty kick. Griep-Kadokawa replaced starting keeper Kayla Higuchi, who limited the Trojans to a late first-half goal.

"Kanoe is actually one of our better players on the field and we actually would like her to be on the field, but she plays volleyball and we know her reaction is really good for PK's," Villaflor said. "We're comfortable putting Kayla in there, too, but Kayla is a senior and she's just comfortable in there — she's a senior, so she's not intimidated or anything."

Na Alii actually overcame a big stop by Trojan goalie Genevieve Vea on their leading scorer, Raisa Strom-Okimoto, in the third round of penalty kicks. Strom-Okimoto has scored 19 goals on the season, second most in the OIA.

"We thought that it was bad that she missed, but we knew that it was OK because we had faith in our players enough to make their shots and stop the goals," Hamilton said.

Mililani's ensuing attempt was high and wide right, which kept it tied at 2-all after three rounds. Jayna Morikawa put her shot into the goal for the Trojans before Taylor Cazimero-Bushaw returned the favor for Na Alii before Griep-Kadokawa saved the final Mililani attempt.

Vea was playing in goal in place of Trojans' starting goalie Tasalina Leoso, who was out due to an injury suffered against Campbell Friday.

"It's tough but you've got to give credit to (Vea)," Mililani coach Ray Akiona said. "She did really well for us and kept us in the game. (Leoso) has a little bit more experience in there, but I think (Vea) did the job, so we were happy for that."

The Trojans opened the scoring in the 38th minute when sophomore forward Kailana Kaeo headed a ball past Higuchi off a corner kick from teammate Nicole Nishiki. It was the first goal allowed by Aiea since Dec. 10 and Kaeo's eighth this year.

"Their goal came off a corner kick set-piece and set pieces can go either way," Villaflor said. "If you don't step up in front of it and clear the ball, that's what happens. At halftime I told the girls to keep playing, keep pressuring and eventually we'll get one."

Aiea tied it just six minutes into the second half on a 40-yard blast off the right foot of Hamilton that was just out of Vea's reach and just beneath the cross bar. The score came on a free kick as a result of a Mililani foul.

"I just really kicked the ball — no thought — I just took a breath and I just kicked the ball," Hamilton said of her third goal scored this season. "Sometimes it goes in, sometimes it doesn't, but I'm so glad it went in this time."

It was just the second goal allowed by the Trojans this year.

"It was pretty exciting," Hamilton said. "Some of my friends play for Mililani and it was good seeing them and all, but once you step onto the field it's a whole different game."

The teams entered Tuesday's game in a three-way tie with Kapolei for second place in the Red West — half a game behind division-leading Campbell, which was idle Tuesday. Aiea visits Kapolei next Tuesday in another pivotal league game.

"We knew that the beginning part of our season was going to be tough, but we knew that everything was building up to Mililani and Kapolei," Villaflor said. "That's where we knew we would really get tested."