Marlie Mandaguit has been through the grind before, and she’s all for Hawaii Prep pacing itself. ADVERTISING Marlie Mandaguit has been through the grind before, and she’s all for Hawaii Prep pacing itself. In one of her first set pieces
Marlie Mandaguit has been through the grind before, and she’s all for Hawaii Prep pacing itself.
In one of her first set pieces of the new season, she trots over to take a corner kick Saturday at the Hilo Bay Classic and promptly hits it into the side of the net.
“Sorry,” Mandaguit said.
A teammate replies: “It’s OK.”
It usually is with Ka Makani.
When Mandaguit was last on the high school pitch last February, she was at her best. The senior scored two goals to kick-start Hawaii Prep to a 5-1 victory against Mid-Pacific for Ka Makani’s second HHSAA Division II title in a row.
“It was a huge confidence booster for me,” Mandaguit said. “We had a big target on our backs into the state final.”
She dismisses the notion that HPA has another big target on its back this season, at least not yet.
“A little to early for that,” she said. “We haven’t even thought about that. We’re just trying to get through the season right now.”
HPA will try to do so without a few key cogs from last season, including BIIF Division II Player of the Year Gabbie Ewing and prolific scorer Bri Vallente. Both recently turned in solid freshman seasons in college.
However, losing personnel hasn’t stopped HPA of late, so if coach Stephen Perry has any concerns entering this season they center more on intangibles than skill level.
“Soccer will take care of itself,” Perry said.
It usually does with Ka Makani.
Mandaguit and goalkeeper Taimane Kamaka, each a senior co-captain, fill the leadership void, each offering a strong mental and physical presence.
If Kamaka comes out to get a ball, she’s an imposing target.
“She’s super strong,” Mandaquit said. “She has a really good voice.
“She knows what to say and when to say it. If we’re frantic, she knows how to calm us down. If we’re not frantic, she gives us a good positive influence.”
Heading into her fourth year as a starter, Mandaguit has the potential follow in the footsteps of former teammates Ewing, Nanea Tavares and Emily Evans in winning BIIF Player of the Year.
“She has got some talent and the way she finished last year gives her some good momentum,” Perry said.
HPA may not be the deepest team in the BIIF this year, but it returns a wealth of talent, including all-league players Mandaguit, Kamaka, Kaui Taylor, Erin Evans, Teah Van Bergen, Julia Perry and Jordan Grainger.
Mandaguit, Taylor, a senior, and sophomore Jordan Zarate will make up the triangle at midfield.
“Good field vision and strong girls physically,” Perry said. “It’s good to have some force.”
Evans, a senior, will move to center fullback alongside Perry, a sophomore. Van Bergen, a sophomore, and Grainger, a senior, are on the outside.
“That’s been a good combo,” Stephen Perry said of his center backs. “Erin has a great vision of the field and can run all day. I think she is going to do well. Totally new for her, but she and Julia have clicked.”
Emi Higgins is just a freshman but she brings a high soccer IQ to the fold and will get immediate playing time, and while senior Emma Taylor isn’t as seasoned as some of her teammates on the pitch, the reigning HHSAA hurdling queen offers something else.
“She’s just so damn fast,” Stephen Perry said. “She gets to a lot of balls.”
Mandaguit was a fifth-grader that last time HPA failed to win the BIIF Division II title. She’s not ready to talk about the target on her teammates back, but she’s well aware that the rest of the BIIF, even some of her friends, have the six-time defending champion in their cross-hairs.
“We’re just getting used to everybody and getting back in the groove,” she said. “We’re working hard and that makes us have a lot better presence on the field.
“A lot of players can move around easily and are interchangeable. Our defense is very aggressive on offense, and we have some very good speed on the outside wings.”
That’s how it usually works for Ka Makani.
