KEALAKEKUA – The BIIF boys’ soccer season is officially underway.
For Kealakehe, the season opened with a bang; the Waveriders visited Konawaena Monday afternoon and left with a resounding 9-0 victory over the Wildcats.
The Waveriders were led offensively by Mathew Enriquez – who recorded a hat trick – and Micah Carson, who netted a pair of first-half goals before leaving the field with an injury. Kealakehe head coach Hayato Fukumitsu was just glad his team was finally able to step onto the field and compete again, nearly two years after their last contest in January of 2020.
“I’m happy that they have their moment again,” said Fukumitsu. “I’m happy they can come onto the field, do what they love to do… They can finally showcase their skills. That’s what I’m most happy about.”
The majority of the contest was spent on Konawaena’s half of the field, as the Waveriders dominated the battle for possession. Kealakehe goalie Duke Becker had a quiet day, making zero saves in the shutout victory.
Other players finding the back of the net for Kealakehe were Elyjah Condon twice, Marcos Garcia-Creus and Kaiser Kelly. The Waverider offense kept the pressure on all afternoon, ensuring Konawaena goalie Timothy Huerta rarely had a moment to relax.
“Their urgency, the pace, the hunger, the desire; it’s there,” said Fukumitsu when asked what he was most impressed with. “Wanting it definitely is something that I enjoyed.”
While happy with Monday’s result, Fukumitsu was quick to acknowledge his team still has plenty of room for improvement.
“Job’s not done; we’ve got a lot of games ahead of us,” he said. “We were close a couple years ago, and we’re hungry.”
Both Kealakehe (1-0) and Konawaena (0-1) will be in action again on Thursday; the Waveriders will host Hilo, while Konawaena will travel to Makua Lani.
Kealakehe 4 5 – 9
Konawaena 0 0 – 0
First half
Kealakehe – Carson goal, 9:17
Kealakehe – Enriquez goal, 17:23
Kealakehe – Carson goal, 24:15
Kealakehe – Garcia-Creus goal, 34:20
Second half
Kealakehe – Condon goal, 52:32
Kealakehe – Kelly goal, 55:55
Kealakehe – Enriquez goal, 60:53
Kealakehe – Enriquez goal, 66:04
Kealakehe – Condon goal, 68:53