‘Iolani Rallies, Then Rolls Past Punahou 5-2 to Defend Division I State Crown

WAIPAHU – For the first time all season, ‘Iolani faced adversity.

For the rest of the night, the Raiders responded like champions.

After falling behind early, ‘Iolani erupted for five goals — including two from sophomore Chase Yamashita — to defeat Punahou 5-2 Wednesday night at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium before an estimated crowd of 850 fans. The victory secured the Raiders’ second straight Division I state title, third in four years, and 12th overall.

“It feels pretty amazing. It might be one of the best feelings I’ve ever felt my whole life,” Yamashita said. “Everyone on the team, they all want to win so from the bench players to the actual starters, they’re all supporting each other no matter what.”

Early Punch, Immediate Response

Punahou struck first in the 16th minute when Thompson Cheever found the back of the net, giving the Buffanblu a 1-0 advantage.

It marked the first time all season that ‘Iolani (13-0) had trailed in a match.

“We haven’t been down all season, but we knew that we’d be okay and we just had to fight through that adversity and trust each other,” said senior midfielder Devin Lee, who was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. “It was just one early mistake that we had, a miscommunication, but it just mattered how we bounced back and we were able to come up with a goal right afterwards.”

That equalizer came in the 22nd minute when Yamashita converted off a pass from Lucas Ginoza, sending the teams into halftime tied 1-1.

Second-Half Surge

‘Iolani wasted little time seizing control after the break.

In the 45th minute, Lee finished off an assist from Yamashita to give the Raiders their first lead of the night. From there, the floodgates opened.

Brody Awaya made it 3-1 in the 57th minute with a header off a corner kick from Lee. Just one minute later, Soichi Amakata extended the lead to 4-1.

Brady Lau pulled one back for Punahou in the 60th minute, but Yamashita answered two minutes later, finishing off a pass from Amakata to close the scoring at 5-2.

“Our team’s energy just got up and it started from the bench to the players and the players just had all this energy,” Yamashita said. “Once we got one goal, it just piled on over and over. I thought that was a great team effort by us.”

‘Iolani outshot Punahou 14-12 and held a decisive 10-4 edge in shots on goal, capitalizing on its chances while maintaining steady pressure throughout the second half. Braydon Obero-Ueno made two saves in goal for the Raiders, while Ethan Eagle recorded five saves for Punahou.

A Perfect Season

The championship capped a dominant 13-0 campaign

in which the Raiders outscored opponents 54-8 and won 11 of their 13 matches by two or more goals. They finished as the lone undefeated team statewide without a loss or a tie.

“It wasn’t as easy as it seems,” said longtime ‘Iolani coach Chris Lee. “You know, motivating them every day — because they knew that they could play at a very high level — that was part of the challenge, but to their credit, this group rose to the challenge every time it was asked to them and especially tonight against a Punahou team that has been improving throughout the course of the season.”

The title game marked the third meeting between the Interscholastic League of Honolulu rivals this season. ‘Iolani previously defeated Punahou 3-1 on Dec. 17 at Alexander Field and 4-0 on Jan. 21 at Kozuki Stadium.

“We knew that they weren’t going to give up. We knew that they were going to fight to the very end and fortunately our players took that to heart and knew that they had to play up to our standard and play the way, as a team, that we’re capable of playing in order to beat a really good Punahou team,” Lee said.

Punahou finished the season 11-4 and was seeking its 23rd overall state championship — its first since 2020.

But on this night, after an early scare, ‘Iolani proved once again why it stands atop Division I boys soccer — resilient, relentless, and undeniably dominant.

By the Numbers (from official stats sheet)

• Final: ‘Iolani 5, Punahou 2

• Shots: ‘Iolani 14, Punahou 12

• Shots on Goal: ‘Iolani 10, Punahou 4

• Goals: Yamashita (2), Lee, Awaya, Amakata

• Assists: Ginoza, Yamashita, Lee, Amakata

• Saves: Obero-Ueno 2; Eagle 5

Hele/HHSAA Boys Soccer State Championships All-Tournament Team
(As selected by the HHSAA and media)