Pearl City’s Sunshine Fontes is the Hawaii Gatorade girls soccer player of the year, the Gatorade Company announced Thursday.
The award recognizes outstanding athletic excellence, high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character on and off the field.
Fontes also won the award when she was a freshman in 2015-16.
While playing forward, midfielder and defender, she scored 24 goals to lead the Chargers to the state Division I quarterfinals.
Fontes suffered a knee injury while scoring the winning goal in the OIA semifinals and missed all games after that. She is also the leading scorer in U.S. Under-17 national team history with 22 international goals. She is also ranked No. 5 in the Class of 2019 by TopDrawerSoccer.com and will play for UCLA on scholarship next season.
“Sunshine is always a threat as long as she is on the field,” Waipahu coach Brent Murakami, who is also an TV color analyst for soccer, said. “She is a natural goal scorer, one we haven’t seen in a while here in Hawaii. Her team was 10 times better when she played.”
Fontes had a 3.56 grade-point average, according to a news release.
Gatorade has chosen Hawaii girls soccer players of the year for 22 years.
All past winners are below.
Hawaii Gatorade girls soccer players of the year:
>> 1998: Shaina Nishimoto, Punahou
>> 1999: Mia Moe, Punahou
>> 2000: Robin deHay, Kamehameha
>> 2001: Natasha Kai, Kahuku
>> 2002: Romy Trigg-Smith, Punahou
>> 2003: Adria Campbell, Punahou
>> 2004: Allison Lipsher, Punahou
>> 2005: Kelsey Baker, Punahou
>> 2006: Markee Nobriga, Kamehameha
>> 2007: Mari Punzal, Kamehameha
>> 2008: Tani Costa, Kalani
>> 2009: Jayann Gabrio, Punahou
>> 2010: Mari Miyashiro, Mililani
>> 2011: Caprice Dydasco, Kamehameha
>> 2012: Carly Neal, Kamehameha
>> 2013: Jill Shimabuku, ‘Iolani
>> 2014: Kiani Halushka, Kamehameha
>> 2015: Kristen Hori, ‘Iolani
>> 2016: Sunshine Fontes, Pearl City
>> 2017: Emi Higgins, Hawaii Prep
>> 2018: Kaile Halvorsen, Kaiser
>> 2019: Sunshine Fontes, Pearl City
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