WAIPAHU — Courtney-Cree Aponte used her head to lift Pac-Five into the finals of the JN Automotive Group/Hawai'i High School Athletic Association Girls Division II Soccer State Championships.

Aponte headed in a shot off a corner kick in the 76th minute to help third-seeded Pac-Five beat No. 2 Kaua'i, 1-0, in yesterday's semifinals at Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Complex.

The Wolfpack (6-6-2) will face unseeded Kapa'a (7-3-1) —which upset No. 1 Kailua yesterday — in today's 5 p.m. title game. Pac-Five won the first state Division II title in 2007.

"We had some opportunities. We needed to finish to win," Pac-Five coach Eddie Wong said. "The credit belongs to all the players. They played good defense."

In the 76th minute, Cristine Tamamoto's corner kick from the left side was knocked out by a Kaua'i defender, giving the Wolfpack a second attempt. From the right corner, Tamamoto sent the ball into the middle of the 18-yard box, where Aponte headed it in — much to her surprise.

"I thought it was going to miss or go over or that it would go out," Aponte said.

The Wolfpack kept three defenders — Brandi Hutchins, C'era Oliveira and Rebecca Yonashino — in the backfield to mark Kaua'i's Skye Shimabukuro and Brandi Gomes the entire game.

"Their two strikers are some of the better ones in the state," Wong said. "We had to shut them down to keep the game even."

The Red Raiders (8-1-1) fired several shots in the game's opening minutes and nearly scored off an own goal in the 35th minute from a corner kick. In the 70th minute, Shimabukuro passed to Ashlyn Ubongen, whose shot from the left sailed over the goal.

"We couldn't have done it without the team," said Aponte, who attends ASSETS. "We had to do it as a team."

KAPA'A 2, KAILUA 0

Continuing their surprising run through the state tournament, the Warriors find themselves in the championship game.

Dakota Barnett and Kalia Mayer each scored in the first half to help Kapa'a upset top-seeded Kailua in a semifinal game.

"It's so good to show our island how really good we are," Barnett said.

It was Kapa'a's second straight upset in as many days. The Warriors (7-3-1) beat No. 4 and defending champion Kamehameha-Hawai'i in Thursday's quarterfinals.

"Coming in as the underdogs, the girls play well when the pressure is not on us and when not much is expected," Kapa'a coach Colby Ayonon said.

Barnett scored in the third minute and Mayer scored in the 35th. Both have scored three goals in the tournament.

"The first 10, 15 minutes really show you the end outcome," Ayonon said of his team's quick start.

Kailua (11-1-0) will face Kaua'i in today's third-place game.

CONSOLATION

KAMEHAMEHA-HAWAI'I 10, RADFORD 0

KSH: Pua Hall 4, Jessica Marote 2, Nani Davis 1, Tara Hottendorf 1, Natasha Ah Chong 1, Jaci Machida 1.

HONOKA'A 3, HAWAI'I PREP 2

Hon: Jenna Matsumura, Tialana Greenwell, Courtnie Kishimoto. HPA: Amelia Evans, Kuuipo Nakoa.