Cierra Toledo-Muragin’s first soccer recruitment, from middle school to high school, landed her at Waiakea.
There was one problem – the Warriors didn’t have a field of their own on which to practice, let alone play matches.
Toledo-Muragin left St. Joseph after the eighth grade because of athletics, and, with options in hand, she wound up at Waiakea. As luck would have it, the school was renovating its field in 2013, so Toledo-Muragin found herself back at a familiar spot her freshman season as the Warriors used St. Joe’s field for their home matches.
“All I could say was wow,” Toledo-Muragin recalled.
A starter from Day 1 with the Warriors, she increased her goal production each season, and her second soccer recruitment likely will be a smoother transition.
Toledo-Muragin is trading one fine field turf for another, accepting a scholarship to play soccer at Chaminade in Honolulu. With approximately half of her college costs covered, she’s entering the nursing program.
“When I was little I would tell my parents I wanted to play in the World Cup,” she said. “I wanted to be a professional when I grew up. It’s so difficult to score, so it’s the best feeling ever when you finally do get to score, and all the hard work you put in really pays off when you win.
“I always wanted to play college soccer, for sure.”
Toledo-Muragin, a midfielder who began playing in the American Youth Soccer Association at age 7, is a member of a core four. She, Starcia DePonte, Tori Teanio and Kadara Marshall, all recent Waiakea graduates, helped lead the Warriors back to Division I prominence with BIIF runner-up finishes and HHSAA berths during their final two seasons.
Ask one of them what they’ll miss most about Waiakea, and they’ll likely mention the school’s ever-evolving field, which the Warriors moved into during Toledo-Muragin’s sophomore season.
“I’m pretty bummed that we don’t get to play with the bleachers and all, but I’m pretty stoked to have played on such a gorgeous field,” she said.
Now she has a new one. The Silverswords play on the well-kept football field of Saint Louis School.
Chaminade coach Michelle Richardson watched Toledo-Muragin play in the 2015-16 preseason on Oahu, and while Richardson liked what she saw, Toledo-Muragin liked what she heard.
“Just how she described me, I thought, wow, that’s totally me,” Toledo-Muragin said. “She noticed how I like to create my own space and take a shot. I have a good eye for the middle and can read the game well.”
She also had offers from Lees-McRae, a Division II school in North Carolina, Pierce junior college in Washington and Pacific Lutheran, a D-III school in Washington.
“Everyone says they’re going to get away from Hawaii, but (Honolulu) is good enough for me,” she said. “It’s a gorgeous campus. Not too big, not too small.”
Playing in the PacWest, she’ll have a chance to knock heads with her Big Island Rush club coach, Gene Okamura, who was recently named UH-Hilo’s interim soccer direct director and is among the mentors Toledo-Muragin ranks as her biggest influences.
DePonte, Teanio and Marshall (volleyball) are also continuing their athletic careers in college. Coach Jason Nakayama credited the bunch for opening the door for themselves and the athletes that follow them at Waiakea.
“That’s really great,” Toledo-Muragin said. “It shows our program has really grown. Freshman year to not winning a lot of games, to junior and senior year making it to BIIFs and states twice.
“It shows Hilo-grown kids can do it. And we mostly played AYSO, we didn’t have club when we were younger. From AYSO, if you put in the hard work, you can become something you want to be.”
Such as a college soccer player or a nurse.
