Mililani's JP Carson scored the go-ahead goal in second half to snap 1-all game to keep the Trojans' undefeated in the OIA West. Steve Erler | SL

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Tue, Jan 5, 2016 @ Mililani

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Kapolei

1

Mililani

2

Final	1st	2nd	OT	2OT	PK	Tot
Kapolei (12-4-1)	1	0	-	-	-	1
Mililani (12-3-0)	1	2	-	-	-	2

A. Ines    J. Carson    I. Manding

MILILANI – There's no such thing as "just a game" when Mililani and Kapolei meet in boys' soccer. Regular season, Oahu Interscholastic Association tournament or state tournament, it's always a battle for the perennial contenders from the Western Division.

Tuesday night's regular-season meeting wasn't any different as the host Trojans fought off the Hurricanes, 2-1, in a battle of unbeatens at John Kauinana Stadium. Mililani improved to 4-0, while Kapolei dropped to 3-1.

Isaiah Manding and JP Carson scored for the Trojans, the latter's coming in the 55^th minute that snapped a 1-all game. Aaron Ines tied the game at 1 in the 16^th minute after Manding staked the Trojans to a 1-0 lead in the 12^th minute.

"Every year when we get our schedule, this is the game we have to circle," Mililani coach Steven McGehee said. "This is the game we lead up to, this is the game we have to get ready for because we know it's a battle no matter what team is set out there. We can be playing poorly, they can be playing poorly leading up to it, but both of us have to bring our ‘A' game to compete."

How big was this for the Trojans?

"Kapolei was our big concern this week," Manding said. "We trained very hard. We had double practices (during the winter break) and we're just happy we came out on top."

Two-a-day practices generally are frowned upon by the players, but this year's squad, which has 14 returnees playing new positions, took them well, McGehee said.

"Last year, they were a little, ‘uh, uh,'" but his year, they were looking forward to it," McGehee said. "After the first two practices last season, they got into (them). They enjoyed getting out and working hard. That's one thing I'll give credit to this group. They may not be the most talented group we've ever had here, but they'll work their socks off."

It was Kapolei's first game away from its wider, grass field. Kauinana Stadium has an artificial surface.

"We emphasized playing our game," Kapolei tri-coach Ryan Lau said. "This was our first away game. Making the adjustment to FieldTurf, our field's wider. Not to take any credit away, but on this type of game, we didn't want to become a real heavy 50-50 ball game, balls up in the air. We wanted to get on the floor a little more. To (Mililani's) credit, they had a lot of energy to win those 50-50 (balls) and make kind of like a dogfight. They didn't really let us get settled in into what we like to do with the ball."

The Trojans broke the in the 12^th minute when Manding's intended cross from the left sideline took a wider angle and found the front opposite corner of the net past Hurricanes' keeper Jarvis Rabaino. The goal came rather suddenly, as the Hurricanes spent the first 11 minutes on the Trojans' side of the field, but were unable to find the net.

"Supposed to be a cross," Manding admitted with a laugh. "I was just trying to put it in the box and make it dangerous and just got lucky that it hit the outside of my foot and the keeper wasn't ready for it."

The Trojans didn't have long to enjoy their lead. Four minutes later, a throw-in from about 25 yards out set up Ines' goal right up the middle from about five yards out to tie the game at 1 and it stayed that way until halftime.

Then just 15 minutes into the second half, Carson, a former goalie, found himself dead on from 10 yards out and booted the ball just to keeper Rabaino's left to give the Trojans a 2-1 lead.

"We had a great throw-in by Hudson (Zeisman)," Carson said. "I just put down my head and ran and I was fortunate to get the one-time finish. "I used to play keeper, so I anticipated how he'd come down to cut off an angle; he did a very good job actually of cutting my angle, so I just tried to lay it off where he wasn't.

The Trojans were humble about their accomplishment.

"It's nice to be able to compete against a great team like that," Carson said.
For Kapolei, it's back to the drawing board.

"We had some chances and that's what soccer comes down to," Lau said. "They made their chances, we didn't, so we move on. We knew regardless of what happened tonight, we still need to get better."