Back when he was a smooth-dribbling Dragon on the soccer field, achievement came in abundance for 2012 Honokaa graduate Chayce Moniz, who often made the game look easy.
He was a driving force for Honokaa’s back-to-back HHSAA Division II state championships in 2011 and ’12, and three consecutive BIIF titles. The Dragons missed states in 2013 and haven’t captured either crown since.
Playing college ball at Colorado Mines has been a different story.
It’s the first and last time Moniz will be in the NCAA Division II national championships, and it will be a challenge to extend his run.
The No. 8 Orediggers (17-0-3) play at No. 2 Midwestern State (17-0-1) at 3 p.m. on Friday at Wichita Falls, Texas in the round of 16.
Moniz is a senior midfielder and three-year starter and helped Mines to a 2-1 victory over No. 13 St. Edwards in the second round on Saturday at home with the match’s first goal.
About 20 minutes into the first half, the Orediggers sent a cross to the center of the box, and Moniz buried it for his third goal of the season.
The efficient Orediggers had just three shots on goal while the Hilltoppers took seven attempts on target. Mines scored the game-winner in the second half on a header off a corner kick.
“I’m glad we got a goal,” Moniz said. “I haven’t had too many this season. I’m glad I helped the team out. I was pretty ecstatic.”
Should the Orediggers upset Midwestern State, they would play West Region champion No. 17 Cal Poly Pomona or No. 23 Cal-State Dominguez Hills on Sunday.
Mines is in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and part of the South Central region, which has just four teams in the NCAA tournament while other regions have six. The RMAC also doesn’t have an automatic qualifier for its champion.
That’s a tougher road and part of a college environment Moniz had to learn how to tackle, balancing academics and sport.
“In high school and stuff, I was playing around. I’m a lot more focused,” he said. “I know what I want to do and go after it. That’s for both, on the field and off.
“To get through college, you have to balance the academics. Time management is all it is. You have to be willing to put in the work. Playing the level here gets you better every day. I’ve grown up here.”
One reason for Honokaa’s state championship success was a core of players under coach Maurice Miranda grew up playing AYSO for him.
It’s taken a little longer for the Orediggers to find themselves, but Moniz sees the same type of championship team chemistry his Dragons had.
“This team, we’re so close. It’s a big family and everyone gets along and has fun together,” he said. “Everyone wants to work for each other. It’s a team in every sense of the word, and that’s why we’re doing so well.
“The Honokaa team in my senior year is really similar. We had a core group of guys who grew up together and played together. Here, we’ve got six guys like that all starting.”
The Colorado School of Mines is located in Golden, Colo., which has a population of just over 19,000. Hit up the city on Goggle and it could be the background for a Disney movie.
“I’ve really enjoyed the school. Golden is a beautiful place,” Moniz said. “It’s close to Denver. You get the city life and the foothills of the Rockies. It’s the best of both worlds.
“The school is hard, but it’s nice to know you have to put in the work to get through it. The friends I’ve made here are incredible. That’s one of the biggest things I’ll take from here.”
Well, there’s a soccer match on Friday that could move into Moniz’ Top 10 of all-time favorite memories.
“We’ve watched Midwestern play Colorado Mesa (4-2 win in the second round) on video. They’ve got a midfielder who’s pretty good, a 28-year-old forward, and one guy on the outside who dribbles well,” Moniz said. “If we defend well as a team and work together, we’ll be able to win.”
Then the mechanical engineering major had to get back to work. He had important things to do. It was time to hit the books.