PEARL CITY - A tight match up of OIA title contenders ended in a tie tonight as the Pearl City Chargers took on the Lady Trojans of Mililani.

The Chargers, coming off a 4-0 win against Nanakuli, caught a break tonight as Mililani allowed an own goal in the first half.

Despite the miscue, the Trojans were able to rally and score a goal in the second half, ending the game at a 1-1 tie.

"When you're playing Mililani, it's always tough," said Pearl City co-coach Frank Baumholtz III. "We had our opportunities to win the game, but a tie is better than a loss."

"Pearl City is a good team," said Mililani coach Ray Akiona. "I think as time goes, they are going to get better. They are very organized and very aggressive. We're lucky to get them early in the season."

The first goal scored came in the first half at the 36th minute. A Pearl City throw in on the Mililani side of the field resulted in an own goal against the Trojans as the ball came off a Mililani player and into the net.

"After the goal, I told them this is our chance to show what character we got," said Akiona. "We could either get back up or are we just let it take us down."

"We felt that that we still had the second half and more time," said Trojan Tarryn Miyamura. "We believed in everyone that we can do it and we came back."

Miyamura scored a goal in the 44th minute of the game. A rolling shot from Miyamura came after a through ball sent by Mililani through the Charger defense.  The goal by the junior tied the game at 1-1 in the second half.

"It felt like a relief for our team because we were down 1-0," said Miyamura. "But it wasn't just me; the whole team cooperated in the play."

"We gave them a rolling shot that should have been cleared," said Baumholtz III. "Everybody felt that someone was going to get it and it happened to go in the goal."

For Miyamura, that was her first goal for the regular season.

"She's a fabulous player," said Akiona. "She is all over the field and she's doing what's expected of her."

The Chargers suffered from injuries coming into the game as well as during play tonight. Two Pearl City players were still dealing with concussions while the one of its goalies got hurt due to a shoulder injury during the first half.

"We were running out of people," said Baumholtz III. "Once we get everybody back, I think we will be a much stronger team."

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