Major Island Soccer

Here's an excerpt from Hawaii Soccer Association's Major Island Soccer Organization's June newsletter.

 

 

 

The last Championship game (among all MISO Divisions) of the 2012 season was the Div I Final, amongst two of the most successful teams in MISO's history, LANIKAI TUESDAY FC and HSC BULLS. The two teams had also finished the season as the top two teams in Division I. Lanikai Tuesday finished the season with an impressive 15-1-2 record, while the Bulls finished 2nd at 12-3-3. However the Bulls managed to be the only team to ruin Lanikai's undefeated season, and later eliminated them from the Robledo Cup competition.

 

The game promised to be very tight and competitive, as both teams were well balanced. The game began with both teams studying each other. Then little by little both teams began pushing forwards. At the 16 min mark, Stephen Fung (the Bulls goalkeeper) made a BIG save to preserve the 0-0 score. The game became a tight midfield battle with occasional threats on goal. In the 26th minute, after a scramble inside Lanikai's box, Bradley Kuske picked up the loose ball about 15 yards out and was able to slot it past Lanikai's keeper Josh Fouts to give the Bulls a 1-0 lead. A few Lanikai players heavily protested the goal to the referee, but the goal stood. The game began to pick up on intensity, but Lanikai wasn't able to change the score before half time.

 

The second half picked up where the first had ended, and little by little as the clock kept ticking away, it became a very physical & grueling match.

Lanikai kept pushing forwards looking for the much needed goal, but the Bulls were well poised in defense and closed most gaps. In the 80th minute, Lanikai created their best chance, with a cross from the right wing that was connected with a header causing a save and a rebound. The rebound was picked up by a Lanikai forward and shot on goal, beating Fung, only to be cleared inches away from the goal line by a Bulls defender. The game became even more heated in the final 10 minutes, but the Bulls managed to deny Lanikai a clear path to the goal and secured the 2012 MISO Cup.

 

Lanikai claimed the Sullivan Trophy with a 15-1-2 record, while setting a new MISO record this season, by allowing just 4 goals and surpassing the previous record set by HPU Green of 5 goals in the '05 season. Furthermore HPU's record was accomplished in fewer games (14) making their GAA (goals against average) at 0.36. Lanikai's record was accomplished in an 18 games season, making their GAA at 0.22, another MISO Div I record.

WINSTON JACKSON (Lanikai) claimed the Leading Scorer title with 14 goals to his credit. Surprisingly enough, this marked the first time that a Lanikai Tuesday player claimed this award.

JOSHUA FOUTS was selected for the 2nd consecutive season as the Div I MVP. This marks the 5th time that Fouts has been named MVP, making him the player that has won the award the most times, surpassing Jimmi Hemmenbach with whom he was tied at 4. Oddly enough, in the Fall of 2004, Fouts and Hemmenbach shared the award, as both players received the same amount of points. That was the only time that the MVP Award had been awarded to two players.

 

SIDE NOTES: This was the first time since '05, that the three major MISO trophies (Div I Sullivan Trophy, Div I Cup and Robledo Cup) have been split among three different teams. In 2005, HPU White claimed the Sullivan Trophy, Lanikai Tuesday claimed the Div I Cup while the HSC Bulls claimed the Robledo Cup. Since the introduction of all three major competitions, only one team has been able to claim all three in the same season (the MISO Triple Crown). That was in the 2007-08 season, when the HSC Bulls lifted all three.

For more details and information on MISO, please visit:

http://www.islandsoccer.com