Varsity Girls Soccer Falls To Puns, 1-0
December 10, 2008
by Al Linsky
There are certain matchups that are must-sees.
'Iolani soccer vs. Punahou is on my list and for good reason. If you are lucky enough to watch all the divisions and teams play (intermediate, JV and varsity - both boys and girls) you soon realize that the game is played at different speeds and different levels of athleticism (acrobatics?).
The number of headers and the number of plays executed totally in the air multiplies greatly when you reach the varsity level, as does the raw speed.
Add to all this the extra intensity of playing against our friends up the road and you have a matchup that anyone who loves soccer just can't miss.
The weather was iffy. The forecast was calling for heavy rain, but not immediately. It was very dark but except for a brief shower, the weather mostly cooperated. I kept thinking that Someone up there also wanted to see this matchup.
There was no scoring throughout the first half and the first 30 minutes of the second half. That doesn't mean there wasn't any action though. These two teams kept slugging away at each other (not really slugging, it was a very clean game) with some good scoring opportunities that either missed the goal or were handled by the two excellent goalies.
The two teams were very even, with the Puns probably having a slight edge in time of possession.
With about 15 minutes left in the contest, the Pun right wing made a good rush up the right side. Jennifer Kiyotoki tried to slow her down with a slide tackle but she made a great move to avoid it getting free momentarily. She then made a good crossing pass to a large crowd in front of the goal. Lauren Brown had no chance on the shot from in close. 1-0, Puns.
The Raiders didn't hang their heads as they redoubled their efforts to tie the game, but it wasn't to be on this dreary day as time ran out.
To see more photos, please visit iolani-events.org.
