On scholarship: Former HPA player Vallente will continue soccer career at Cal State East Bay

After two injury plagued years at Peninsula College, former Hawaii Preparatory Academy soccer standout Bri Vallente will have a chance to continue her soccer career at Cal State East Bay.

Vallente, who graduated Hawaii Prep in 2015, was a part of two state championship winning teams. However, at Peninsula, she suffered through injuries, partially tearing her ACL in her freshman season, and then spraining her ankle in the fourth game of her sophomore campaign, missing the rest of the Pirate’s regular season.

With Vallente out of the lineup, Peninsula managed to steamroll through its competition in the Northwest Athletic Conference, winning 15 straight games on the way to the playoffs. Defense was key as the Pirates allowed only two goals during the run.

In the postseason, Vallente made her triumphant return in the quarterfinals, but she did not really start seeing playing time until the semifinal game, where she scored two goals.

Vallente then helped Peninsula claim the NWAC title for the third consecutive year when her kick found the back of the net in double overtime of the championship game. She was named the MVP of the tournament and later to the NWAC All-Academic Team.

“I cannot even put into words what that meant to me,” Vallente said of the game winner. “I was not yet 100-percent coming off my ankle injury and I did not expect it. My teammates and coaches were always supportive of me, even through the injuries. Scoring that goal means the world to me.”

Though she spent little time on the pitch, during her playoff success Vallente caught the attention of the Cal State East Bay coaches, who offered her an athletic scholarship to continue her career at the NCAA Division II school, which plays out of the California Collegiate Athletic Association.

“They came and watched a few of our games and after the finals they got in touch with me,” Vallente said. “I went for a visit and loved it, then I committed a couple of months later.”

Vallente had plenty of offers on the table and was looking at quite a few schools including Notre Dame-California, Eastern Washington, Central Washington, Washington State, Cal State Monterey Bay, San Francisco State and Cal Baptist.

In the end, Vallente said she took the school that made the best offer.

“I really liked the size of the campus because I had never really been on a big campus before,” Vallente said. “It was a cool experience and a new feeling. The facilities are also really nice.”

Despite the transition, Vallente will maintain her role on offense as a striker. She also plans to major in biology and then go to graduate school for physical therapy.

“I would like to work with little kids as a pediatric physical therapist,” Vallente said. “I am actually interning in Washington right now.”