Like most of the recent local graduates off to a mainland college for the first time, Taylor Matas carries that unbreakable island roots motto – there’s no place like home – in her heart.
Like most of the recent local graduates off to a mainland college for the first time, Taylor Matas carries that unbreakable island roots motto – there’s no place like home – in her heart.
The 2014 Hilo graduate is a freshman at Highline College, in Des Moines, Wash., where she’s often busy, majoring in accounting and psychology, and starting as a midfielder on the soccer team.
Still, she’s not immune to a common ailment: homesick blues. A lot of the local kids whether they’re in sports or not will eventually miss mom’s cooking, the comforts of home, and being in a place people from around the world call paradise.
At least, Matas has a shoulder to lean on. Well, actually she has a pair of homegrown soccer sisters: Nanea Tavares, a 2014 Hawaii Prep graduate, and Harper Hottendorf, a 2014 Kamehameha-Hawaii graduate. They were teammates on the Lanakila soccer club team.
The three are roommates at an off-campus apartment, two minutes from their school, which has an enrollment of over 17,000 and sits on a whopping 80 acres.
Des Moines is about halfway between the major cities of Seattle and Tacoma, where the clam chowder at both places is broke-the-mouth stuff on a scale to Hilo’s own loco moco.
The soccer team is pretty good, too. The Thunderbirds are 10-1-1, and suffered their first loss to Peninsula College 2-0 on Monday. Hottendorf also starts at midfield and Tavares at center forward.
In Highline’s last victory, a 4-0 rout against Olympic on Saturday, Tavares had two assists. For the season, Tavares has six goals and nine assists.
Matas, an attacking halfback, has three assists while Hottendorf, a defensive mid, has two goals and two assists. In a sign that Tavares and Matas have continued their aggressive play, each has a yellow card on the season.
The Thunderbirds next play at Lower Columbia on Friday in a Northwest Athletic Conference game. Both are in the same West Division, along with two-time defending champion Peninsula.
In the conference’s 20-year history, Highline has won one NWAC title way back in 1995. The Thunderbirds will have to survive a meat grinder to get another one. That’s because there are four divisions – North, South, East and West – with the West the toughest one.
It’s juco, so there are exiting players every year. But Peninsula doesn’t rebuild. If the Pirates aren’t capturing a conference championship, then they’re challenging for one. They were runner-up in 2011.
High level of play
Compared to her days in the Big Island Interscholastic Federation, Matas quickly took note that there are no tomato cans in college: Everybody has a shining resume, an all-league honor or much more.
“The competition is at a different level. I was thinking, ‘It’s just a two-year school. I know I can do this.’ But the first day at practice, my expectations were way too low,” she said. “I was caught off-guard by the talent up here. On the mainland, there’s an increased level of exposure and the talent is so much higher. I like to say it’s a good thing.
“I’m glad all three of us had to fight for our starting spots because we wanted to play against other girls who are just as good or better. You always have to work hard, and make sure you stand out.
“I like to say being an athlete you should never stop training. For example, if I’m sick or injured and take the week off I’ll notice on my first day back my touch is off, and I’m out of shape. Everything can go away so easily. That’s why consistency needs to be there.”
Life on their own
Tavares bestowed the title of best cook to Matas, who can whip up a mean dish of fettuccine. Hottendorf said the battle for the TV remote usually reaches some type of consensus.
However, Tavares holds the trump card. HPA pocketed the High School Athletic Association Division II state title in February. She also scored the game-winner in the 2-1 overtime win against Mid-Pacific.
That’s a good hammer to have. Something even better is a bear hug from a local sister when the heart beats hard for home.
“Being independent is not as bad as I thought,” Tavares said. “We cook something different every night. I guess Taylor’s all right, with her fettuccine. I cook mac and cheese. Having them it’s easier to deal with homesickness when we’re all going through the same thing.”
Tavares is undecided on a major while Hottendorf will head into physical therapy. Like the other two, Hottendorf said they find comfort with each other’s company, and food from home.
“It helps having them,” Hottendorf said. “We all have our days when we want to go home. But living with them is really nice. We get little Hawaiian meals, care packages from our parents.
“Our team is actually really good. We just lost our first game. We know how to move on, get better from here, and continue on.”
Matas got confirmation that she made the right college choice when Thunderbirds coach Tom Moore first addressed the team. He said something that still sticks with Matas.
“The good thing about coach Moore coming into his program is he’s setting us up to move on no matter what,” she said. “Being a freshman in a junior college is like being a junior in high school. He said on the first day, ‘Right now, you have to look at moving on, start the recruiting process right now.’ Our coaches really do care about us.”
Highline has a road rematch against Peninsula on Oct. 22. The regular-season final game is on the road at Tacoma on Nov. 1. Then it’s the playoffs, and before the three local girls know it one last year for the Thunderbirds.
“We’ve talked about going to another college together, after our two years and living together again,” Hottendorf said. “I’d love it. I’m not sure it would happen. But hopefully it does.”
To submit a candidate for the Big Island College Report, email kjakahi@hawaiitribune-herald.com.