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Kalani Takase | ScoringLiveFebruary 8, 2022, 11:17pm
Tue, Feb 8, 2022 @ Mililani
MILILANI — Julia Oka and Aeryn Hatico each scored a goal to help unranked Pearl City get by No. 7 Kaiser, 2-0, in a quarterfinal match of the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I girls soccer tournament Tuesday night.
The Chargers, who finished third in the Western Division, improved to 9-2-1 with their sixth win in seven games since back-to-back losses at Campbell and Mililani last month.
With the victory, they clinched a spot in Thursday's tournament semifinals — where they will play No. 3 Mililani in a 5:30 p.m. semifinal at Kapolei's Alvin Nagasako Sports Complex — as well as a spot in the state tournament later this month.
The Cougars, who finished second in the Eastern Division and had a bye in Monday's first round of the 12-team tournament, fell to 7-2-1.
Oka, a freshman forward, scored her team-leading 18th goal of the season in the fifth minute Tuesday. Her teammate, Kayla Santa Monica, ripped a right-footed shot from about 20 yards out, but it hit the left post and ricocheted to a waiting Oka, who one-timed it past the Kaiser goalkeeper and in for a goal.
"When she was going down the line I thought that she was gonna score because I have confidence in Kayla, but I was just at the back post just in case being ready and when it popped back out, then I just stayed composed and tapped it in," Oka recalled.
"Right where she needed to be," Pearl City coach Frank Baumholtz quipped.
Oka's early goal allowed the Chargers to play without worry, she said.
"It gives us more confidence. You have a little bit more freedom to kind of relax a little bit, not lay off, but just have that off your chest for a little bit," Oka described.
By comparison to Monday's 8-1 win over Roosevelt — in which Baumholtz's team scored its first goal in 17 seconds — it took a while to find the back of the net Tuesday.
"Yeah, five minutes," he joked.
While the Chargers rode the momentum that they generated a day prior, the Cougars were playing their first game in 10 days — since a scoreless tie with Moanalua to end the regular season on Jan. 29.
"As far as intensity goes, I'm sure we could have used a game in between, but I think the rest really helped us because our regular season kind of beat us up a little bit, so it was helpful so that we could get the injuries on back board and get our game plan ready for the playoffs, but I mean, yeah, a little flat to start as opposed to them," Kaiser coach Noelani Bio said. "It's hard, we had a bye that final game for us, so it could have played a factor, (but) it's hard to say."
Kaiser registered its first shot on goal in the 25th minute, when Courtney Rosen's shot from distance was solidly struck, but easily saved by Pearl City goalkeeper Mikaela Maria Javar.
Just two minutes later the Chargers strung together a few passes on a well-orchestrated counterattack. Aeryn Hatico started the play with a well-placed pass to Kayla Santa Monica, who then crossed it to her sister, Maia Santa Monica, who managed to get off a shot on frame, but it was saved by Kaiser goalie Malia Felix.
The Cougars nearly equalized in the 31st minute, when Kealohilani Bloom made a run along the right sideline and beat the last Pearl City defender to leave herself a one-on-one look against Javar. Bloom got a shot off, but Javar made a diving save to deflect her shot and then covered up the loose ball to preserve her team's lead.
"Oh, that was fantastic," Baumholtz noted. "She had one against Aiea just like that, just came screaming out and flipped that girl right up over her head and then she's only a sophomore and she's not really a goalie. At the beginning of tryouts we said, ‘We need a goalie. Who's going to play goalie?,' and she said, ‘I'll play goalie,' so she's been a blessing for us, really; She's saved us many times."
Mililani's 1-0 lead held until the 45th minute, when Hatico took advantage of a misplayed ball by Kaiser that left the goal unattended to. Hatico lofted a high-arcing shot from well over 30 yards out that went over the defense and into the goal.
"Aeryn has really come on; She's starting to go north-south, goal-to-goal, instead of going east-to-west," Baumholtz said. "She's been a real asset and she's had a couple like that one where the ball pops way out, the goalie kicked it soft and she just volleyed that thing right back in there and took a lot of pressure off all of us."
Hatico's goal gave the Chargers a two-goal cushion, but only nine minutes later they saw Kayla Santa Monica have to leave the game due to an injury after a collision with Felix.
"She kicked the ball with her right foot and the girl went through her left knee," Baumholtz explained.
"She got whopped pretty good so it's good that we got a couple days (before the semifinals) and she's a tough kid. She's stepped up and really took a hold of that other starting forward position, which was surprising, so we need her," Baumholtz added.
Pearl City looked to build upon its lead, but was unable to cash in on back-to-back corner kicks by Hatico in the 70th minute.
Kaiser registered its first corner kick of the night in the 72nd minute, but couldn't muster a shot on goal off of it.
"My girls played hard, they gave it everything they got," Bio said. "We went in with a really good tactical strategy and just unfortunately couldn't capitalize on our opportunities. We had some opportunities that looked really good, just couldn't finish them off and then unfortunately they capitalized on our bad judgments on some of the balls and they lucked out with a few lucky ones, to me."
Kaiser posted eight shots on goal to Pearl City's 10 and was limited to only two corner kicks to 10 for the Chargers.
Felix and Javar made eight saves apiece in goal.
Baumholtz credited Oka and the rest of her teammates for turning things around since the back-to-back losses to the Sabers and Trojans on Jan. 7 and 11, respectively.
"It's the same team, but they're just playing together a little bit better and we've learned to connect to (Oka) a little bit better, which has helped the other forwards to get open and by doing that, that's allowed (Oka) to really show her true talents," Baumholtz said.
Kaiser will play Aiea in a fifth-place semifinal Wednesday, 5:30 p.m. at Waipahu's Masa Yonamine Athletic Complex.
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