Moanalua Midfielder Adria Diza gains possession of the ball against Kahukuku. Greg Yamamoto | SL

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Moanalua Midfielder Adria Diza gains possession of the ball against Kahukuku. Greg Yamamoto | SL

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KANEOHE — Less than two weeks after a difficult road loss to the very same team, the Moanalua girls' soccer team got some payback Thursday night.

Haley Graham and Shania Mohika each tallied a second-half goal to lead eighth-ranked Moanalua to a 2-1 win over Kahuku in a semifinal of the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I Tournament played at Castle High School.

Na Menehune, who were playing their third game in four days, improved to 10-2-1 with the win and advanced to Saturday's 7 p.m. tournament final against Campbell, which edged Mililani in overtime in the other semifinal.

"I think we just didn't want to lose," said Graham, who opened the scoring with her goal in the 45th minute. "We just came back more motivated and really wanted it and worked."

Moanalua coach Nikki Dela Pena said the difference from the last time the teams faced off — which resulted in a 2-0 Kahuku win on Jan. 17 — was in her team's preparation and mindset.

"We knew how hard they came in the last game," Dela Pena said. "They won every ball. Every 50-50 ball their jersey was in front of ours, so during practice we made sure we knew what we needed to do and coming in to pregame we reiterated the same things. The seniors, I asked them to step up and they pushed the underclassmen and they executed the game plan fine."

Dela Pena also pointed to the fact that Thursday's game was played on an artificial surface, whereas the previous meeting came at the Red Raiders' Carleton E. Weimer Field.

"I think it definitely helped," Dela Pena said. "Kahuku has a field similar to ours, which is currently under construction and playing on some level field allowed us to be runners. We have some speed up top and the turf allows for a faster pace, so I think that did help."

The teams played a scoreless first half before Graham opened the scoring five minutes into the second half.

"I just had to shoot. That's basically it," said Graham, a senior midfielder. "I knew the defender was by me and I just had to shoot."

Sophomore midfielder Shania Mohika extended Moanalua's lead with a goal in the 58th minute.

"I was running down and Haley crossed it and I had an open space and I just followed," Mohika recalled.

However, Kahuku's Kamaile Aluli put one in the back of the net about a minute later. It ended up being the Red Raiders' lone score of the game.

The Red Raiders held the advantage in shots on goal, 12-9. Goalkeeper Haley Abregano made five saves.

Maddie Price made four saves in goal for Na Menehune.

Moanalua will be vying for its fourth league title in school history and first since 2012.

"We've been to the championship before in our freshmen year and it'll be great for us as seniors to go back finally," Graham said.

Kahuku, the Eastern Division champion and No. 6 team in the ScoringLive/OC16 Girls Soccer Power Rankings, fell to 9-2-1 and will face West champion Mililani for third place Friday.