HONOLULU – The Chaminade University men's soccer team finished the short 2021 spring season by forging a 1-1 draw Saturday at Saint Louis Field.
In some respects, it was redemption after suffering a three-goal loss the last time the two teams met on Feb. 27.
It didn't take long for the Vulcans to strike, getting a John Grover goal just under 90 seconds into the contest.
Chaminade's defense stood tall for the remainder of the game with the help of
Clay Ah Soon (Ewa Beach, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Kamehameha-Kapalama) who made his first career appearance as the team's goalkeeper while defenders
Tatsushi Hirata (Tokyo, Japan/Monroe College/Wako HS),
Lyric De Leon (Kapolei, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Grand Canyon/Kapolei HS) and
Kekoa Kuloloia (Mililani, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Mililani) limited the Vulcans to just three shots on-goal of 13 total tries.
The 'Swords got a huge break in the 73rd minute when the UH Hilo goalkeeper attempted to clear the ball away from the net by punching it out on a Chaminade shot. But the keeper mis-hit the ball which sailed under the crossbar and into the net. The own-goal knotted the score at 1 to give the Silverswords life.
However both teams had just two shots each in the final 17 minutes which resulted in the tie.
Saturday also marked the final game for seniors
Tyler Ebisuya (Kaneohe, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Iolani) and
Tasman Turner (Kailua, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Iolani).
Chaminade ended the spring with a 0-3-1 mark while UH Hilo is 1-1-1 with one game remaining.
