The King Kekaulike High School girls soccer team accomplished a pair of rare feats in the 2018-19 season.

Na Alii successfully defended their Maui Interscholastic League title and advanced to the semifinals of The Queen’s Medical Center/HHSAA state tournament.

Sophomore forward Teani Arakawa was a big reason for that success.

After scoring 13 goals for Na Alii, Arakawa emerged from a crowded list of candidates to earn The Maui News MIL Player of the Year award after voting by the league’s coaches.

“It’s very cool since I’m only a sophomore, it’s a good honor,” Arakawa said. “I am surprised.”

Arakawa scored both regulation goals in a 3-2 penalty-kick shootout win over Pearl City in the state quarterfinals. King Kekaulike’s roster had just one senior.

“We had a lot of fun because we all worked hard, worked hard to get there, MILs and states,” Arakawa said. “I feel we were really good this year. I think more people were committed and worked hard.”

King Kekaulike’s Gundi Dancil, the MIL Coach of the Year, is happy to have a goal scorer like Arakawa around for two more seasons. Arakawa settled in to the forward slot after playing both midfield and defense in the first portion of the season.

“She’s very composed, she has good vision on the field,” Dancil said. “It doesn’t matter what position we put her she seems to know where to put the ball. She’s got a strong work ethic. She does well in school, she’s there for all of the practices we ask her to attend.”

Zoe Asue, a junior, led the Kekaulike defense and is also a first-team All-Star.

“Zoe is really good, as Teani was this season, Zoe was a sophomore captain last year,” Dancil said. “For Zoe, having her move to lead defender because we needed her back there, it was a work in progress for her — it was a new position that she has never played in. She realized near midseason that ‘this is where I need to be’ to do her part.”

The two have been playing together since they were 7-year-olds for the Maui Girls club team.

“I think we can be good if we all work hard, have leadership on our team, and get along super good,” Arakawa said. “Just be committed and work hard. … We’re all friends and we play together, so in order to play as a team, we have to get along.”

The first team is rounded out by Mackenzie Ventura, Teija Tuitele, Brynn Rodrigues and Kahiau Bonacorsi of Kamehameha Maui; Akasha Kauhola, Sela Panuve, Aiyana Kotter and Malie Kuia of Baldwin; and Lauren Mitra and Dzana Alibegic of Maui High.

The King Kekaulike coaching staff, which includes veteran assistants Ken Hayo, Ronnie Kihara and David Makua, builds team chemistry with community service off of the soccer field that includes directing parking for King Kekaulike football games and events at the school’s state-of-the-art performing arts center, campus cleanups and helping Makawao Elementary School with its Christmas bazaar and decorations.

“I think it brings them closer together, doing things other than practicing soccer,” Dancil said. “It shows them that there’s other things in the school and community to do.”

Dancil said this team outplayed expectations.

“With the returnees that we had, we knew that we’d have to work really hard to defend,” Dancil said. “There were doubts, but when we had the young girls come up from the junior varsity, it helped us a lot.”

* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com.

Second Team

Madelyn Dougherty Seabury Hall Forward Freshman

Madisun Gouyetes KS Maui Forward Freshman

Kalena Pfaeltzer Seabury Hall Midfielder Senior

Kaehukai “Ui” Kaaihue King Kekaulike Midfielder Freshman

Bailey Keator Baldwin Midfielder Senior

Halia Kalehuawehe Baldwin Midfielder Sophomore

Chanelle Cortez Maui High Defender Sophomore

Maile Dougherty Seabury Hall Defender Senior

Makenna Robinson KS Maui Defender Junior

Sofia Stupplebeen KS Maui Defender Sophomore

Kiralynn Francisco-Pu King Kekaulike Goalkeeper Sophomore

Sheylyn Ranis King Kekaulike Utility Junior

Honorable Mention

Baldwin–Kyra Cambra, Nikki Ooka, Penelope Noland, Olivia DuBach, Jacylin Nakamura, Tysja-Lee Kaanana. Kamehameha Maui–Kiana Over, Takare Lee Kiesel, Kamahie Samudio. King Kekaulike–Emma Ayersman, Sarah Fusato, Jaycie-Ann Valoroso. Maui High–Alyssa Antolin, Melia Bonofiglio, Ashley Taoka, Erikah Dowells; Seabury Hall–Bella Lalo.