Rain and a flooded field early in the day pushed Saturday’s HHSAA Division II boys soccer state championship match between Hawaii Preparatory Academy and Saint Louis to Monday, despite sunny skies around game time.
Hawaii Prep, which was already planning on staying in Oahu through Sunday, has elected to stay one more day instead of flying back for its rescheduled 3 p.m. game at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex.
“It’s beautiful right now but the park is closed,” said HPA coach Richard Braithwaite about an hour before Saturday’s original game time start of 5 p.m. “We will be fine with the wait though and it is better for us if the field drains. We are a possession team and we play better with better field conditions.”
While Hawaii Prep deals with the logistics of a longer than expected stay in Honolulu, the Crusaders will have the advantage of sleeping in their own beds.
Saint Louis, which played out of the ILH, is a team that shows a similar style on the pitch to HPA, while playing out of a 4-2-3-1 scheme, according to Braithwaite.
The Crusaders (8-6-1) enter the title game as the No. 2 seed and they are on a four game winning steak. Saint Louis defeated another BIIF team in the semifinal round, taking out Kamehameha-Hawaii 4-2. They also defeated Farrington 5-0 in the quarterfinals. Saint Louis is led by Skyler Goo, who has a team high 15 goals this season.
“They have speed on the flanks and move the ball up the midfield,” Braithwaite said. “They also have an outstanding keeper and two big, strong defensive midfielders and another guy (Goo) who likes to attack.”
The Saint Louis keeper is also a big threat, especially on the counter attack.
“Their keeper is a tall, lanky kid and he is a good decision maker and can throw the ball to his midfield on a laser,” Braithwaite said. “We usually have one or two outside defenders come forward on set pieces, but we may not be able to do that against him. We will have to be ready to sprint back.”
Hawaii Prep (12-0-1), the No. 1 seed for the tournament, has dominated its two tournament opponents. Ka Makani opened with a 5-1 victory over Makua Lani, before dismantling No. 4 seed Kailua 10-1 in the semifinals on Friday.
The 10 goals is the most by any Division II team in the state tournament in more than a decade. Scores were unavailable prior to 2008.
“Every time we touched the ball, it seemed to go into the back of the net,” Braithwaite said. “Jake Schneider was playing out of his mind.”
Jake, along with his older brother Austin Schneider, lead Hawaii Prep with three goals apiece in the tournament.
“Both have had good seasons, but over the last two weeks, Austin has really hit is stride,” Braithwaite said.
While offense has not been a problem this year, it has typically overshadowed the defense, which has pitched six shutouts and has allowed only seven goals total, proving that Ka Makani can beat their opponent on either side of the pitch.
HPA is the reigning state champion and will look for a repeat on Monday. Kaiser and Punahou will meet in the Division I championship match, which was also rescheduled for Monday. Saturday’s fifth place matches featuring Makua Lani in DII and Kealakehe in DI have been canceled. They will not be made up, ending the season for both Big Island schools.
