Former Mililani Soccer Standout Getting It Done For Chaminade

Protecting the goal is often a battle for Ishii. Photo by Courtney Metzger.

Being in a position to make a difference comes with the territory for a goalkeeper in soccer. As a standout player at Mililani High School, Lauren Ishii always thrived under pressure, earning OIA West First Team honors as a senior. And it didn’t take her long to have an impact at Chaminade University, where she has quickly elevated herself to the starting goalkeeper position in only her freshman year. Ishii recently visited with MidWeek‘s Central Oahu Islander to discuss playing at the next level as well as other topics.

Who’s had the biggest impact on your life? My parents (Dean and Donna) because they’ve always been there for me. They’re at every game, and they’ve helped me through a lot of things. I can always talk to them if I’m having a bad day, and I can talk to them about soccer.

What is your earliest sports-related memory? When I was in seventh grade, my (REAL) Club soccer team went to Minnesota to play in a tournament. I just remember that there were a lot of big and fast girls. We were proud that we could hang with the Mainland girls.

What’s been the biggest adjustment for you in stepping up from the high school level to competing at the college level? The level of play in college is way faster, and forwards in college will make you pay if you make a mistake. The shots are also a lot harder and faster.

What is your favorite road destination so far as a college soccer player? I really liked Cal Baptist University (in Riverside, Calif.). The campus was really big, and everything looked clean and new.

What’s the most important thing you’ve learned through athletics? I’ve learned that it’s not about individual players but the team as a whole. I’ve been on teams with good individuals, but we didn’t come together. Like in life, you have to be able to work together to be successful.

Who is Chaminade’s hardest worker – the girl who gives 110 percent at all times in practice? I think there are several, but the one main one is sweeper Kristen Fujinaga. Our defense really works hard because the ball is usually on our side of the field a lot.

What Internet site do you frequent the most? I guess it would be Instagram. I like to look at people’s pictures.

What is your least favorite household chore? I hate mowing the lawn. My dad is kind of lazy, and all the lawns around us always look nice, and ours sometimes looks messy, so I usually decide to mow the lawn myself.

What movie could you watch over and over? A Walk to Remember. It makes me cry all of the time. I thought it was a good movie.

What is in your iPod?

I basically have everything except for country and dubstep. I don’t really like that.

How do you like to spend your spare time?