KEALAKEKUA — Before they could move on to their third straight BIIF Division I championship game, the Konawaena Wildcats had to get past their west side rival Kealakehe a third and final time this season.
The Wildcats had already shut out Kealakehe twice in the regular season, 6-0 on Dec. 28 and 2-0 Saturday. Wednesday’s match proved to be more difficult, with Kealakehe coming up with a goal in each half, both scored by freshman Ciara Blaber.
It wasn’t enough to stop the No. 1 seed Wildcats, as they defeated the No. 4 Waveriders 6-2 in a BIIF girls soccer semifinal match at Julian R. Yates Field.
The win sends Konawaena to the BIIF girls soccer Division I championship game, a rematch with No. 3 Hilo at 3 p.m. Saturday at Hawaii Preparatory Academy. The Wildcats won last year’s match 1-0.
“We had a few breakdowns, and they were able to capitalize on that,” Konawaena head coach Kaua Wall said.”We’re super excited and we’re looking forward to Hilo. It’s going to be a rematch of last year’s BIIF championship game where they came into that trying to defend four BIIF titles, and we upset them last year and we’re looking to defend that title.
“It’s definitely going to be a tough match, and we’re looking forward to it.”
Konawaena’s Avrie Salinas-Gouveia led the Wildcats in scoring with two goals. Sophomore Caiya Hanks and seniors Zane Garrigan and Jadyn Hanks also scored one goal a piece. A Kealakehe own goal in the second half also contributed to the Wildcats’ high score.
Konawaena has already earned an automatic berth to state after finishing the regular season as the outright BIIF Division I champions.
Wall said that no matter the outcome of Saturday’s championship game, she believes the Wildcats are ready for the state tournament.
“We took a good, hard preseason trip before the regular season and all the teams we play are the teams we would potentially see at state,” Wall said. “Our eyes are always on the state level, and we’re always looking to compete with those girls because that’s where the competition is at.”
The loss Wednesday ended the season for Kealakehe.
“We knew it was going to be tough — we know this team — and the girls knew it was going to be hard and they worked hard and gave their all. It’s just unfortunate,” Kealakehe head coach Kim Evans said. “But on the positive side, we were able to get two goals on them, and we weren’t able to do that before.”
The Waveriders have missed the state tournament for seven straight seasons. Their last appearance in the BIIF championship game was in 2013.
“We thought it was important to let the starters play out the game and give them chance to keep fighting,” Evans said. “I didn’t want them to give up, and they didn’t. They’re strong players, and we’re working on playing as a team. They’re passing and moving well, and I think in the end we just got tired and our passes weren’t as clean as they needed to be.”
Evans acknowledged that the Waveriders have had a “rough” season. The Waveriders will lose two seniors, Anastasia Tuifua and Amanda Schiff, after this year, but Evans is optimistic the season provided the team’s younger members with enough experience and exposure to their BIIF opponents to begin a brighter future.
“I just want them to be proud of how hard they worked,” Evans said. “It’s hard. It’s not just the loss that’s hard, it’s the end of the season, too. And to have them all leave disappointed is hard, but that’s the game. I’ve enjoyed working with this group and I’m going to miss seeing them every afternoon. It’s a hard working group of girls, and they have a lot of potential.”