Reigning Division II state champion Mid-Pacific will host Division I state champion Iolani in a highly-anticipated ILH interdivision matchup. ScoringLive photo illustration

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Reigning Division II state champion Mid-Pacific will host Division I state champion Iolani in a highly-anticipated ILH interdivision matchup. ScoringLive photo illustration

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The state's two top-ranked boys soccer teams will start the new year with a much-anticipated showdown Saturday morning.

Mid-Pacific, the reigning Division II state champion, will host Iolani, the reigning Division I state champion, in a clash of unbeatens at 10 a.m. Saturday. The Owls (3-0-1) are ranked second in the ScoringLive/OC16 Boys Soccer Power Rankings, only behind the Raiders (4-0).

The teams are the frontrunners for Interscholastic League of Honolulu titles — albeit in different divisions — and have combined to outscore their opponents by a margin of 28 goals for to just two goals against. Each team has given up just one goal on the season.

"They were strong last year and even though Mid-Pac has been a D2 team, the way that they play, they could easily be playing with the Division I teams," Iolani coach Chris Lee said of the Owls. "Last year they gave a lot of teams a hard time and of all the teams in the ILH, they return the most players, so I know they're going to be tough again this year."

Mid-Pacific already has a 2-1 win over Kamehameha and a scoreless tie against Punahou on its resume. It will also have the benefit of not having played a game since a 3-0 win over Damien on Dec. 20.

"I thought we've played really well against some teams this season and early on in the preseason," Mid-Pacific coach Jayson Abe said. "I kind of found our team playing a little lax and not to the best of their abilities and a bit too complacent at times, but I think we just need to stay disciplined and focused and if we do that it'll lead to success. Maybe not immediate success, but success down the road and in the state tournament, so we need to learn to play with more consistency."

Leading the way for the Owls are a pair of seasoned veterans in Tyler Allen and Stirling Aponte, who have a team-leading two goals apiece this season.

"I know that Mid-Pac is very well-coached, very organized, so we're going to have to be creative in finding ways to breakdown their defense and create opportunities to score," Lee said. "At the same time, we have to worry about them defensively because they do have some talented players that can create problems as well."

Iolani has played twice since Mid-Pacific's last game. It notched a 1-0 win over Punahou on Dec. 27 and saw an offensive explosion in a 14-0 win over Damien three days later.

The Raiders have seen 13 different players score this season, led by Dillon Waidyatillka's three goals — all against Damien.

"We played Iolani once in the preseason and historically Iolani always plays the same; they're pretty similar to us," Abe said of the Raiders. "It's similar styles of play, in terms of both teams try to possess the ball, and I think it's going to be a real high-tempo, high-intensity game."

Abe said the game could go either way.

"We're both talented teams and we both have a lot of good things going for us. I think technically and tactically we're about even and we're both well-coached, so it comes down to the players being able to execute and grind out a win," Abe said. "It's just a matter of who comes out and makes the least amount of mistakes and it's going to be a game where it's going to be basically whose will to win is stronger."