JOE ROBINSON PHOTOGRAPHY
Meghan Palakiko chose Linfield over San Diego State and Puget Sound.
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Sticking with it
Former Lahainaluna soccer player Palakiko is playing lacrosse at Linfield
THE only thing Meghan Palakiko knew about lacrosse prior to trying the sport was from watching the first "American Pie" movie.
She experienced Canada's national sport in person for the first time as a freshman at Linfield College in McMinnville, Ore., three years ago.
A year later she was an integral part of Linfield's defense.
Palakiko played four years of soccer at Lahainaluna and was a co-captain her senior season. She was a defender, either in the goal, at stopper or center midfield back.
She tried hula, swimming, basketball and soccer as a youngster, then concentrated on soccer from about the fifth or sixth grade on, playing both AYSO and HYSA.
As a senior, she received interest from San Diego State, Puget Sound and Linfield, but on a summer trip visiting West Coast campuses, Palakiko was sold on Linfield.
"There was a person who showed us around and he just loved Linfield. I decided it was the school for me. I got a call from the soccer coach, filled out all the papers, but didn't play varsity my first year," Palakiko said.
The Lahainaluna graduate's primary concern was having the time to handle the academic load.
She did play junior varsity soccer. Occasionally some of the reserve varsity players who didn't get much playing time would participate with the JV.
"Some of them were going to play lacrosse in the spring. Another girl from Hawaii, Bettina Higdon (Aiea), did track and soccer. Our lacrosse coach looks for people who do both because it is an easy transition to lacrosse," Palakiko said.
Higdon, who played for two years and is on track to graduate early, is not playing lacrosse this year.
JOE ROBINSON PHOTOGRAPHY
Meghan Palakiko chose Linfield over San Diego State and Puget Sound.
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When Palakiko decided to give lacrosse a try, the season was two weeks old and she had missed all the basics.
"Meghan is a quick study, a quick learner. Last year (as a sophomore) she really stood up and earned a starting position. She has tremendous speed and great anticipation skills," said Linfield coach Bill Hander.
"Meghan has good size and is very solid. She is deceptively quick and takes opponents off guard. She can stop a play in a hurry, check the ball, pick it up and be running downfield before an opponent reacts."
Palakiko almost did not play this season. She is a night student supervisor at O'Reily's, a coffee shop and deli on campus, and has two night classes. She isn't able to make every practice and did not think it would be fair to her teammates.
"We talked about it and I told her she is here to get through school," Hander said. "I told her I would take her any time she could get out. She is not as sharp as last year when she practiced regularly, but we would sorely miss her if she was not in there each game."
Palakiko did not find the transition to lacrosse difficult.
"With soccer I used my feet. Basketball is about hand and eye coordination. In lacrosse you have a stick about 3 feet long to catch, cradle and throw the ball," Palakiko said.
"We wear goggles and mouth guards, but no other padding (like in the men's game). And we wear kilts."
She plays a central defender position in front of the goal. Defense is man-to-man and there is constant movement.
"Moving your feet is a big part of defense. Your back is to the goal and you want to give your opponent the worst possible angle to shoot," Palakiko said. "You are allowed to check the opponents stick, but you're not supposed to hit them. There are a lot of fouls."
Statistically, in four games this season, Palakiko has collected 14 ground balls and successfully started the attack, committed nine turnovers but forced seven turnovers.
"The tactics and formations are very similar to soccer," Hander said.
"You don't want to get beat. That is more important than taking the ball away from an opponent," said Palakiko, who is majoring in history and will graduate next spring.
"If I think I can handle working and school for another four years, I might go to law school," she said.
"Meghan has a great personality. She is a pleasure to work with and is very coachable," Hander said. "She likes to laugh and certainly brightens things up for us. On the field, she doesn't hold anything back."
Linfield, along with Puget Sound and Oregon, are the only schools in the Pacific Northwest with varsity women's lacrosse.
"It is growing in Oregon high school and middle schools at 250 percent a year," Hander said.
"It will be nice to get to the point where we don't have to say this is a stick and this is a ball."