“Evidently, they all knew what was at stake,” Edwards said of his team’s state berth. “It’s the third year in a row, and they couldn’t be more happy.”
By JOE FERRARO
Stephens Media
This wasn’t even close to the lopsided victory Makua Lani enjoyed two weeks ago.
The same St. Joseph team that suffered an eight-goal loss to the Lions gave Makua Lani all in could handle Tuesday, and the Lions weren’t too happy about it.
“They shut us down, and our girls got flustered,” Makua Lani coach John Edwards said.
During a halftime speech, Edwards gave his players a simple message: Settle down.
They did, and in addition to opening the floodgates offensively, the Lions got what they wanted out of Tuesday’s Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division II first-round playoff match: another trip to Oahu.
Junior Tiffany Nakamura collected two goals and an assist, leading Makua Lani to a 5-1 win over St. Joseph at Old Kona Airport Park.
Senior Malia Kaiwi, sophomore Karissa Komo and freshman Keili Dorn also scored for the Lions (7-6), who clinched their third consecutive berth in the Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division II state tournament, which takes place Feb. 1-4 at Oahu’s Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex.
“The girls are really excited,” Edwards said. “They worked hard all season, and it’s nice to be rewarded for their effort.
“We’re a small school. It takes some effort just to field a team let alone be competitive.”
Makua Lani, the No. 4 seed in the BIIF Division II tournament, will face two-time defending BIIF Division II champion Hawaii Prep (11-1) at 3 p.m. Thursday in the BIIF semifinals. The winner will advance to Saturday’s 5 p.m. championship match at Keaau.
The Cardinals, who ended their season 2-10-1, pulled into a 1-1 tie with Makua Lani after Tiara Inoue gathered a lob and found the net from 6 yards out in the 25th minute.
“I think they did a great job,” Edwards said of St. Joseph. “Defensively, they were solid.”
Makua Lani also played St. Joseph at home on Jan. 14, beating the Cardinals 9-1.
“They were scoring at will (in the regular-season match),” Edwards said of the Lions. “When that didn’t happen, I think they got flustered a little bit.”
Makua Lani took the lead for good in the 39th minute when Nakamura, operating from the right flank, delivered a cross to Kaiwi, who scored from 3 yards out.
Nakamura gave the Lions some breathing room in the 43rd minute, when her lob bounced over a St. Joseph defender and into the net for a 3-1 Makua Lani advantage. Then the junior forward also delivered a corner kick that led to Komo’s goal in the 53rd minute before scoring on a penalty kick in the 70th minute for her team-high 17th goal.
“Evidently, they all knew what was at stake,” Edwards said of his team’s state berth. “It’s the third year in a row, and they couldn’t be more happy.”