Campbell slips past Waiakea with quick second-half strikes
Feb. 2—The Campbell and Waiakea girls soccer teams played a game Thursday with ominous clouds above, intermittent showers and a pair of lighting-quick goals by the Sabers to start the second half.
Sierra Sam Fong scored in the 42nd minute and Miyah Suster headed in a shot in the 45th as second-seeded Campbell beat Waiakea 2-1 in the quarterfinals of the Motiv8 Foundation/HHSAA Girls Division I State Championships at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex.
Kayla Manipon assisted on both goals in a game played on a difficult pitch.
"It's obviously a muddy field, so we couldn't really get a clean shot on goal," Campbell coach James Curran said. "We were just trying to get the ball in the scrum and tried to get a finish."
Campbell, the OIA champion, will face Kamehameha in today's semifinals at 5 p.m. at the main stadium.
It rained heavily prior to Thursday's quarterfinal games, which were played on adjacent fields.
The Sabers got the better of play in the first half, getting six shots on goal to one for the Warriors.
Campbell broke through shortly after halftime when Manipon received a cross and dropped the ball off for Sam Fong, who shot into the left side of the goal.
"We kind of ran on to the ball at the same time," Sam Fong said. "Their goalie and center back didn't communicate well, so it got past them."
The Sabers struck again a short time later when Manipon crossed to Suster, who scored on a header.
"Leia (Tupper) was able to win the ball back for us and we switched fields," Suster said. "There was a combination going on and Kayla was able to find me in the air and I was able to re-direct it."
It was a rewarding moment for Suster, who missed last year's state tournament after breaking her toe in the OIA semifinals.
"She has a bright future in soccer," Curran said. "Any Division I coaches reading this article, please give her a shot because she's got what it takes. I'm excited to have her all the way through the tournament."
Waiakea nearly answered in the 52nd when Ailani Franklin's shot from the left side hit the right post.
The Warriors cut their deficit to 2-1 in the 60th on a tap-in goal by Franklin, who capitalized when Sabers goalkeeper Amaris Ishikawa mishandled the ball in muddy conditions in front of the goal.
"The field is really tough. She didn't stop," Waiakea coach Steve Petner said of Franklin. "She continued to play and she got a goal out of it. That's how you want to play. It's just good hustle."
Petner added his team "was terrific today."
He also said he likes competing against teams the quality of Campbell in the state tournament.
"We want to play the good teams. It makes you better. We like playing teams like Campbell and the OIA and ILH teams," Petner said.
