"Red Raider Nation" will enter unchartered territory tonight, as Kahuku makes what is believed to be its first appearance in an O'ahu Interscholastic Association girls soccer championship game.

The Red Raiders, who finished fifth in the OIA Red Conference Eastern Division, continued their improbable run through the postseason with a 1-0 victory over West runner-up Pearl City last night at Roosevelt's Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium.

They improved to 6-5-4 in league play and will face West champ Mililani (13-0-1) in tonight's 6:30 title game at the same venue.

"It feels good," said Kahuku sophomore Zhane Santiago, who scored the game's only goal last night in the 16th minute. "We're the underdogs, but we've got adrenaline and we're more hyped. Everybody is playing together."

That was exhibited on Santiago's goal, her fourth of the week.

Amber Abregano spun and centered the ball to Kaylee Au near the top of the penalty box, and Au then pushed it to Santiago on the right side, about 15 yards out. Santiago controlled the pass, squared toward the goal and shot it across to the lower left corner of the net.

"My coach (Krisha Kai) taught me to be calm," Santiago said. "I just tried to pop it into the corner."

Pearl City co-coach Frank Baumholtz III said the early deficit may have unnerved his young team, which had three sophomores and a freshman on the field and was playing on Vasconcellos' artificial surface for the first time.

"They got that early goal, and a lot of times in the playoffs one goal is all you need," Baumholtz said. "We played tentative in the first half and we didn't do a good job adjusting at all. We played better in the second half, but you gotta play two halves if you want to win."

The Chargers out-shot Kahuku 3-2 in the second half, including an attempt in the 51st minute from the top of the penalty box toward an open net. But it rolled just outside the left post.

In the final minute, Pearl City had one last breakaway attempt from the left side, but the low-velocity shot was scooped up by keeper Puanani Silva.

The Red Raiders' historic playoff run — which started with a 3-2 upset of West No. 4 seed 'Aiea at Kaiser on Tuesday followed by a 1-0 victory at East champion Moanalua the next night — has even surprised Kai, a former Kahuku standout.

"Honestly, I didn't think we could get this far," Kai said. "This is a very young team (only three seniors), but they're gaining self-confidence and the young players are stepping up. Our two captains (senior midfielder Kaha'ionakolo Polvado and senior defender Tajana Santiago) have done a good job leading the rest of the team."

Kai said taking the early lead last night and maintaining the intensity afterward was an example of how the team has progressed.

"In our first few games, if we scored first, they would settle for that and then lose," Kai said. "But in our first playoff game against 'Aiea, we didn't have anything to lose so they played with intensity the whole game.

"Our regular-season record (3-5-4) shows how we were all making mistakes, even the coaches. But we're in a better position now."

Read his blog on high school sports at http://preptalk.honadvblogs.com.