Baldwin High School’s Kekoa Kiesling takes a shot on goal during the first half of the Bears’ 3-1 loss to Kaiser in a Division I state tournament first-round game Monday afternoon at War Memorial Stadium. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photos
WAILUKU — The Baldwin High School boys soccer team fought hard all season, and did so again on Monday in the first round of the Niu Health Urgent Care/HHSAA Division I state tournament.
The young Bears scored first on a pretty goal by Kekoa Kiesling in the 24th minute, but it was Kaiser that scored the final three goals of the match.
Baldwin’s season is over at 7-2-2 after the 3-1 loss to the Cougars.
The Bears said goodbye to seniors Colin Crawford, Obed Ramirez, Landon Wong and Ian Kikuchi after the loss.
Baldwin held the lead until Kaiser’s Ian Ngonethong nailed a 30-yard free kick into the upper right-hand corner of the net in the 60th minute.
Baldwin’s Obed Ramirez (left) and Kaiser’s Richard Yang battle for a first-half ball Monday.
Baldwin was given four yellow cards in the second half.
“It was tough, man,” Baldwin coach Kaniela Palazzotto said. “I thought the first 20 minutes (of the second half) were good and then it was just, like, a card-fest after that. I thought both teams were playing pretty good and (the referee) was letting that stuff go in the first half.
“Then, we got four yellow cards and you could tell our boys were, like, ‘Should we go hard?’ And that changed the way we really wanted to play and then obviously they got a really, really good free-kick goal. That was beautiful.”
The Cougars (12-1-1) took the lead for good on another goal by Ngonethong in the 75th minute and as the Bears pressed for the equalizer, Leo Davies added the final tally in the 78th minute.
“We were just trying to push the game at the same time, but all the momentum was with them on the goal and then we’re trying to adjust, right?” Palazzotto said. “Give it up to them, you can say we ran out of gas, but we were trying to make sure we got a tying goal.”
The Bears successfully defend a corner kick by Kaiser during the first half Monday at War Memorial Stadium
Kaiser now gets a Thursday quarterfinal date with No. 2-seeded Mililani. The Cougars stayed calm after falling behind on Kiesling’s goal that came on a beautiful crossing pass from Ramirez after a long run down the right side by Kanata Kuwahara.
“We didn’t want to panic, number one, keep our poise,” Kaiser coach Layne Abalos said. “I think they started running out of gas a little bit so we just tried to keep the momentum from the first half going to the second half. Good team, good team, hats off the them.”
The momentum completely switched to the Cougars when Ngonethong blasted his long free kick into the high corner of the net.
Kuwahara was stoned on a good chance from close range by Kaiser goalkeeper Lucca Tammasino in the 65th minute.
In the first half, Tammasino stopped a header by Kiesling that appeared headed for the back of the net in the 26th minute, and Kiesling just missed another wonderful chance in the 29th minute when he sent a shot slightly wide right.
Kanata Kuwahara of Baldwin advances the ball to set up the Bears’ goal in the first half Monday.
“We got lucky at times and then Ian turned the game around on the free kick,” Abalos said. “Once we got that tying goal we’re not chasing, we’re able to play our game. As you could tell once we started possessing the ball and passing the ball, everything started opening up and it happened. We should have had at least two more (goals).”
The Bears will return with a solid nucleus led by the Maui Interscholastic League’s leading scorer in Kiesling.
“That was a pretty goal, man,” Palazzotto said. “We worked it down the right side with our overlapping fullback, which we were dominating on. I could also go back — we had three really, really good opportunities and we didn’t score. That’s kind of been our Achilles’ heel.
“We’ll be back strong next year.”
* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com.
Niu Health urgent Care Boys Soccer State championships
DIVISION I
Monday’s Results • First Round
Kaiser 3, Baldwin 1
Aiea 1, Iolani 0
Kalani 2, Kealakehe 0
Kapolei 1, Pearl City 0
Thursday’s Games • Quarterfinals
At Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex
No. 4 King Kekaulike vs. Kapolei, 3 p.m.
No. 1 Punahou vs. Kalani, 3 p.m.
No. 2 Mililani vs. Kaiser, 3 p.m.
No. 3 Hilo vs. Aiea, 3 p.m.
DIVISION II
Thursday’s Games • Quarterfinals
At Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex
No. 4 Radford vs. Seabury Hall, 3 p.m.
No. 1 Hawaii Prep vs. Roosevelt, 3 p.m.
No. 2 Island School vs. Waialua, 3 p.m.
No. 3 Le Jardin vs. Kamehameha Hawaii, 3 p.m.
