The Mililani boys' soccer team has allowed just five goals by the opposition all year — two of them coming in a state quarterfinal win over Kahuku last weekend.

Friday night, the Trojans' stingy defense got back to form, posting a 1-0 shutout of perennial-power Punahou in a semifinal match of the Outrigger Resorts/Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division I State Championships.

Leading the way was senior fullback Jeron Cunningham, who not only helped anchor the Mililani backline, but also netted the game's only goal on a 22-yard free kick in the 50th minute.

Junior goalkeeper JP Carson recorded five saves for the Trojans, including three big-time stops in the final minutes of the match.

"It was an incredible job by JP and the rest of the defense," Mililani coach Steve McGehee said. "They were just under pressure all night long from a really, really strong, tough Punahou team."

Carson blocked a point-blank shot by Punahou's Steven Yoshimoto in the 77th minute on a play that began on a corner kick. Three minutes later he came out and leapt for another spectacular save on a long free kick into the box by his counterpart, Connor Goo.

"We pulled a defender and we threw an extra forward up there," Buffanblu coach David Trifonovitch said. "We actually turned a forward and put him in the midfield, so it just gave more offensive attack and offensive threat."

Despite the late adjustments, Trifonovitch said it was too little, too late on the part of his team.

"You can't rely on last-minute heroics to win games," Trifonovitch said. "We came out really flat in the beginning. You could see the nerves, the touch wasn't there, the passing wasn't there that we normally can do and move the ball around, so when you're not having quality chances on goal you can't hope for a miracle at the end. You can't just go Hail Mary and cross your fingers."

Punahou registered more shots than Mililani, 15 to 12, as well as corner kicks, 4 to 1.

"It was a lot of work. I give all my kudos to JP, because he did work. He saved a lot of shots and calmed us down when we needed to calm down. This Punahou team is great and they did really good."

As for his goal, Cunningham shrugged it off as a secondary chore.

"I think that was my fifth goal this season — it's not that much — but I worry more about the clean sheets on the defensive side. The scoring I leave it up to my forwards."