MIL Boys Soccer: LAHAINALUNA 1, King Kekaulike 1 - December 7, 2011

Last year, Lahainaluna was oh so close to winning its first ever MIL championship in boys soccer. But crucial losses at the end of the year prevented that from happening and King Kekaulike was crowned MIL champs. Tonight, they faced off against each other up at the windy and very cold King Kekaulike field.

Not sure if the scoreboard was working right, but when I got there just before the half, the board read 0-0. Then the Lunas scored in the middle of the 2nd half off a Jorge Hernandez penalty kick. So I thought the score was Lunas 1-0. But the scoreboard read Home 1, Visitors 0. Huh? WTF?

Then towards the end of the game, the scoreboard read 1-1. Wait. When did King K score? The game ended at 1-1.

After the game, I learned that King K had scored a goal in the first half and Lahainaluna's goal essentially tied it.

My Two Cents

• Being a workday, I was not able to get up to the field until just before halftime. I wanted to get some shots of the game while the sun was still setting. I got some, but then halftime occurred. After halftime, it was dark. Oh well.
• After making the long walk from the parking lot to the entrance, I was surprised to see that they were charging admission. Reaching into my bag, I realized I didn't have my MIL pass! Darn it!
• I paid the $5 to get in, but they handed me a magazine-style program. Was very nice! Obviously, the school is very proud of its soccer team.
• Unfortunately, I didn't have my bag with me so I ended up rolling the program up and sticking it in my back pocket.
• Did I already say it was cold? It was freakin' cold. And the wind chill factor must've lowered the temperature at least 10 degrees. My fingers were numb. Thank God I was wearing my thicker jacket.
• There were not too many people attending the match and what little there were were huddling up in front of the press box - which was the only shelter from the Arctic winds blowing through the stadium
• I felt bad for the players in their thin dri-fit uniform tops and shorts. Did I already say it was frickin' cold?
• When I got back to the car, I took a look through the program and to my surprise, I saw my picture in a full page ad! Yup, my law firm placed an ad in the program for King Kekaulike soccer. Even though their son plays for Maui High. Ha ha. Actually, their son played a long time for an Upcountry soccer club team, many members of whom are now playing for King K. Geez, hope no one recognized me!

For more pictures, click here.

For the Maui News article on the game, click here.