High school girls soccer: KSH suffers defeat in penalty kick decider
Hawaii Prep Advances to Fifth Place in DII State Tournament
After a successful start to the HHSAA Division II (DII) state soccer tournament, Hawaii Prep encountered some challenges in the later stages.
In the first round, they beat Seabury Hall 4-0, securing a place in the quarterfinals. However, they were unable to maintain their momentum against Pac-Five, losing 4-0 and entering the consolation bracket.
In the fifth place consolation match, Hawaii Prep faced Kalani High and emerged victorious with a 2-0 win. The goals were scored by Madie Buczyna at the 37-minute and 64-minute marks, and further contributions were made by Mixtli Lindsey-Robles, Nina Cipriano, and Caroline Betlach.
Meanwhile, Pac-Five, who have won three consecutive DII state titles, had a closer match against Kamehameha Schools - Hawai'i (KSH). The final score was 1-0 in favor of Pac-Five, with Aneala Sibayan scoring the only goal for Hilo in the first half. Pac-Five's goal came in the second half, and they held off an aggressive KSH offense throughout the match, with goalkeeper Lahela Cootey notching ten saves.
The KSH vs Pac-Five match was a highly anticipated one, as Pac-Five had knocked KSH out of the DII state quarterfinals in the previous year. This year, the match went into a penalty kick shootout after two regulation periods and two overtimes without a score. Pac-Five outscored KSH 5-4 in the shootout, securing their fourth consecutive DII state title.
Elsewhere in the tournament, the BIIF DI champions, Hilo, fell from the state championship, losing 2-1 to Baldwin High in a consolation bracket match. Waiakea High, who started strong with a 3-0 rout of Kapolei High in the first round in Hilo, ended the state tourney with a record of 1-2, and an overall record of 12-4-0. They lost to KS-Maui in the state tourney, with the final score being 1-0, and the goal scored by KS-Maui in the second half of the match.
In conclusion, the HHSAA DII state tournament saw some exciting matches, with Hawaii Prep and Kamehameha Schools - Hawai'i putting up a fight but ultimately falling short against Pac-Five, the defending champions. The team that took home the title this year was the Hilo Vulcans.
