It was a surprising outcome in a showdown yesterday between two of the premier goal-scorers in the O'ahu Interscholastic Association.

The Kalani and Moanalua girls soccer teams finished in a 1-1 tie despite the play of Falcons forward Tani Costa and Na Menehune midfielder/forward Tiana Fujimoto.

With the tie, Moanalua (8-1-3) clinched first place with 27 points (three for a win and one for a tie). Kalani (7-1-4) finished in second place with 25 points.

Both teams already earned first-round byes in the OIA Tournament by virtue of finishing in the top two of the Red East Division. Yesterday's game determined the division champion.

"These girls are hard, hard workers, so for them it's well deserved," Moanalua coach Nikki Dela Pena said. "It's been a while (since we last won). We've had a tough time with Tani here; she's dominated."

Kalani senior forward Alex Aguirre scored in the seventh minute after putting in her own rebound. The play started on a pass from junior midfielder Amanda Kobayashi, who fed junior midfielder Sonya Aguirre down the left flank. Sonya Aguirre passed to Alex Aguirre, whose shot was blocked by the Moanalua goalkeeper. But the ball bounced back out to Aguirre, whose follow shot found the right side of the goal.

Moanalua was awarded a penalty kick in the 20th minute, and Fujimoto put it away.

"That definitely wasn't expected, but when Tiana had it we knew we would tie the game," Dela Pena said. "It shifted the momentum and kept us in the game."

Fujimoto, who leads the division with 17 goals, played at midfield for most of the game. She moved to forward in the second half, setting herself up for an early shot.

Na Menehune changed their defensive scheme, including using Kaisha Chu to man-mark, to adjust to Costa's outstanding ability.

"I knew it was going to be a tough game and I anticipated it would be intense," Kalani coach Michelle Richardson-De Alameida said. "So a low-scoring game is not particularly surprising. I feel like we possessed and dominated."

Costa, a two-time All-State selection, missed the start of the season because of a stress fracture in her ankle. But she returned to score 10 goals. Yesterday, she broke free numerous times, seemingly dragging a trail of defenders with her.

"I think both defenses are strong, but we didn't capitalize on our opportunities," Richardson-De Alameida said. "That's the last piece of the puzzle for this team."

Richardson-De Alameida said that two starting midfielders, Arden Matro and Tambrie Awai, were participating in the Olympic Development Program on the Mainland. That made Costa's decision to miss the NSCAA Awards ceremony, where she was to be honored as a high school All-American, even more special.

"So I can't really be disappointed, except that we didn't finish," Richardson-De Alameida said.