Christian Liberty started the first Division II semifinal on fire, earning a penalty kick after just 4 1/2 minutes. Louis Moylan converted it for his third goal of the tournament. Honokaa responded with a goal from Preston Branco at 21:23. Honokaa currently holds a 10-3 advantage in shots with about 10 minutes left in the first half.
The Dragons (10-3-3) haven’t lost a game at states since the final in 2010 when they fell to Mid-Pacific. They won the tournament the two years after that and stayed home last year. This is the third straight tournament appearance for the Canefires (12-4).
Sequoya Kerr with two nice clears for Christian Liberty, but Honokaa is pressing the action with 2 minutes left in the first half.
Honokaa strikes just before the half on nice ball movement. Zechariah Ugalde gets a nice pass and puts it in to put Honokaa up 2-1.
Honokaa up 16-4 on shots at the half and has earned four corner kicks to Christian Liberty’s one.
Preston Branco with a shot over the bar to start the second half for Honokaa.The Dragons refused to sit on their lead and Christian Liberty’s Nakaiya Kerr makes them pay for it, converting a beautiful long shot in the 48th minute. He almost had another goal a minute after that. We are tied at 2 with 30 minutes left.
Preston Branco bends a corner kick around the post and into the goal untouched in the 52nd minute, Honokaa 3, Christian Liberty 2. Some nifty goals in this game.
Honokaa tagged with a yellow card, the Canefires get a direct kick from just outside the box, but Kerr’s shot is saved.
Injury time for Honokaa’s Gavin Laird with 10 minutes left, the crowd is screaming that he took an elbow to the gut. Laird is back on the field 2 minutes later. Kerr just misses the equalizer wide left.
Christian Liberty earned a free kick from just outside the box, but the center referee blows his whistle to end the match while the Canefires were setting up the shot.
Final: Honokaa 3, Christian Liberty 2
Up next, Mid-Pacific vs. Hawaii Prep
Halfway through the first half, no score between the Owls and Ka Makani. The game is being played in the middle on the bigger field and Hawaii Prep is still looking for its first shot. Mid-Pacific has had three shots.
The first half was uneventful, neither team got into a groove. The Owls outshot Ka Makani 7-1 and had a 3-1 advantage in corner kicks but Hawaii Prep keeper Trent Wise has three saves, one of them a diving effort off a header. Hawaii Prep has been whistled for 10 fouls to Mid-Pacific’s three, including yellow cards to Braden Kojima and Kama Hurwitz.
Mid-Pacific finally breaks through in the 48th minute on a goal by Boyd from Kai Umeda. Hawaii Prep comes right back with a run, but the attacker is flattened in the box by an Owl and no call. Mid-Pacific 1, Hawaii Prep 0, 30 minutes left.
There is a cart on the field attending to Mid-Pacific freshman Kohei Tomita. He has been down for a long time, at least three minutes. They fit him with a neck brace and bring out a board but appear to be waiting for the ambulance to arrive. The ambulance has arrived, and he is loaded up. They took great care not to move him, he appeared conscious.
The teams take the field after the delay. Umeda immediately bangs one off the crossbar.
Referees are struggling a little bit, trying to keep order in a physical game. The center ref misses a call in the box where a Hawaii Prep defender mugged an Owl, but gives out a yellow card to Hawaii Prep’s Brendan Moynahan at midfield a minute later. HPA’s Blake Hooser gets a yellow card of his own less than a minute later. Wise makes a nice interception to hold off Mid-Pac.
A minute after that, Hawaii Prep’s Kama Hurwitz is assessed a yellow after another flagrant foul and flips both middle fingers to the crowd on his way off the field. Ka Makani playing a man down the rest of the way. Hawaii Prep’s Shawn Ki puts his shoulder into an Owl behind the ref’s back, no call. This is getting uglier as it goes.
Hawaii Prep’s Zen Simone is helped off the field after a scrum in the box. Ka Makani is holding up pretty well, but being down a man they can’t mount any sort of an attack.
Mid-Pacific wins 1-0 and moves on to the final for the third time. HPA’s Zen Simone is assessed a yellow seconds before the whistle blows to end the game. It is HPA’s sixth card to Mid-Pacific’s zero.
‘Iolani and Kamehameha-Maui have hit the pitch, the Raiders are dictating the action in the rain. ‘Iolani scores first, 20 minutes in when Keoni Makekau bangs in a rebound off KJ Ahlo’s shot. ‘Iolani 1, Kamehameha-Maui 0. And the half ends like that, but the Warriors were threatening when the whistle blew. ‘Iolani outshot Kamehameha-Maui 7-3 in the first half.
The second half begins with Kamehameha-Maui threatening but ‘Iolani’s defense quickly snuffs it out. ‘Iolani’s Aaron Yanagi given a yellow card for a hard tackle, the Warriors make a stop at the other end. Kamehameha-Hawaii refuses to play boom ball, trying to outdribble the talented Raiders.
Spencer Ho takes a corner kick in the 60th minute for ‘Iolani, serves up a nice ball that is headed back to him. Ho dribbles a defender and buries a shot into the top corner of the goal. ‘Iolani 2, Kamehameha-Maui 0. And that’s how it ends. ‘Iolani returning to the state final.
Punahou and Baldwin have taken the field. Steven Yoshimoto takes advantage of a Baldwin mistake in the box and buries a goal just 11 minutes into the game. Punahou 1, Baldwin 0. Punahou has four shots to Baldwin’s none.
Alec Dinsmore takes a cross from Duncan McKenna and buries it. Punahou 2, Baldwin 0 in the 18th minute. Halftime arrives with Punahou holding a 2-0 lead. Baldwin can’t get anything going, getting only two shots to Punahou’s 10.
Antonio Espinoza adds Punahou’s third goal in the 50th minute off a direct free kick he blasted over Baldwin’s three-man wall and into the goal. Wuthrich never had a chance. Baldwin comes back with a rare chance but the shot goes over the crossbar.
Engel with a big punch save over the bar on a header. Duncan McKenna with a shot from point blank, saved by Wuttrich. Punahou’s Engel with a save on a shot by Baldwin.
And it’s over. Punahou vs. Iolani tomorrow.
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