Kapa‘a’s Crain heading to MSUM for soccer

LIHU‘E — Kapa‘a High School graduate Larissa Crain’s career on the soccer pitch will be continuing into college, though it will be taking her to a far different climate.

Larissa is heading to play for the Minnesota State University-Moorhead Dragons after a strong career for the Lady Warriors.

“Going from sunny days on Kaua‘i to snowy days in Minnesota will be a lot different, but I’m ready for the change,” she said via e-mail.

As a four-time letterwinner at Kapa‘a, Larissa received a number of scholarship offers during her senior year, a season in which she helped lead the Lady Warriors to an unbeaten Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation record and a third-place finish at the HHSAA state tournament.

With the Dragons, Larissa will be coached by Rollie Bulock, who is heading into his 11th season as the team’s head coach. He sees her role on the team as potentially significant right from the start.

“Larissa is tremendously athletic and a very savvy soccer player,” Bulock said. “She contributed to her highly-successful high-school team and I expect her to compete right away for a midfield or defensive role on the Dragons.”

The school pointed out Larissa’s “tremendous ball-handling skills” and her “good downfield vision” in a release announcing her signing.

Having been a captain the past two seasons on very accompllished teams, Larissa was highly-recruited once her name began getting circulated. The Crains decided to record her games senior year and create a profile with the National Collegiate Scouting Association, netting almost immediate results.

Cindy Crain, Larissa’s mother, said that within 24 hours of creating the NCSA profile, Larissa had been contacted by 22 coaches, a number that grew to 50 over the next three months.

“When Rissa was 10, she decided she was going to play college soccer,” Cindy said. “We thought it was cute and we also knew that very few players make it to the college level… As a parent, it’s beyond thrilling to watch your child go through the process of making their dream a goal and then turning it into a reality.”

Manny Crain, Larissa’s father, also noted his excitement for his daughter’s accomplishments and how he recently got to join her on the field.

“I’m really proud of Larissa,” he said. “I got to play with her in the adult co-ed league this spring and it was one of the best times of my life. Not many dads get the opportunity to play on the same team with their daughter and I wouldn’t trade that for anything. I’m looking forward to seeing her play college soccer.”

Larissa has expressed an interest in both physical therapy and sports training as post-college careers, with her eyes set on helping people with their injuries, as she has been helped to this point as an athlete. She was mentored by Dr. Rick Goodale and did her senior project on sports injuries.

Those interests were one part of the decision to head to Moorhead over some other opportunities.

“I chose MSUM because it has a very good sports science program, I will receive a soccer scholarship and get to play on a solid team with a coach I respect, and I want to experience new things,” she said.

Her new experience has already begun, as Larissa is currently on campus to take six credits during a three-week Summer Bridge program.

“I like the people, community, and the campus itself,” she said. “I’m looking forward to playing soccer here and getting a good education. I’m excited to come back in the fall, meet new people and be on my own because I know it will teach me a lot about life.”

Larissa pointed out all of her coaches from both youth soccer and Kapa‘a High School who have helped get her to this point, as well as her family, teachers and friends. Cindy and Manny are on that list twice, having been Larissa’s coaches in AYSO and HYSA since she was six years old.

“I want to make my mom and my dad proud of me because I made it this far; they helped me get to where I am today and I’m so grateful for them,” she said.