He's small in stature, but defenders underestimate Danny Higa at their own peril.

    Only three games into the season, the speedy 5-foot-6, 130-pound senior midfielder already has scored four goals in his quest to help lead Kalani back to the boys soccer state championship tournament.

Higa and his teammates - off to an 0-2-1 start entering last night's match against Moanalua - are looking to rebound after falling short of the state tournament last year.

Two years ago, Higa helped take Kalani to the brink of a state championship before the Falcons lost 3-2 to Punahou in final minute of the title game.

“;We set the bar pretty high, so we kinda want to keep it that way,”; Higa said.

Higa's creativity with the ball is striking, as he manages to lose defenders to get off shots with his quickness, ball skills and surprising strength.

Last Wednesday, Higa scored Kalani's only goal in an season-opening 5-1 loss to Roosevelt, deftly controlling a pass from junior midfielder Mason Nakama and rocketing in a right-footed shot from about 20 yards out to even the score at 1-1 in the first half.

The combination worked again on Saturday against Kaiser, as Nakama sent a ball through to Higa, who stutter-stepped to stay onside and then beat the Cougar goalkeeper to score the second of his two goals on the day to help salvage a 2-2 tie.

“;When (Danny) makes those extra plays and scores goals, it motivates the team a lot,”; said Nakama.

“;I've played with (Mason) pretty much from the beginning,”; said Higa, explaining the effectiveness of his frequent connections with his fellow co-captain.

As a youngster, the athletic Higa started out playing baseball and basketball before getting into soccer when he was 8.

“;One of our friends was coaching him in basketball, and he said, 'Danny's pretty fast, he should be playing soccer,' “; recalled Danny's father, Terry.

The laid-back father never pushed soccer on his son, who also prefers a low-key style. But Terry Higa, who was a fleet-footed running back in football and playmaking forward in basketball for Kalani in the old Interscholastic League of Honolulu, apparently passed on his speed to Danny.

Press Terry enough, and eventually he'll allow that yes, he set up potent scoring threat and future U.S. Olympic handball captain Joe Story, helping lead the Falcons soccer team to the ILH title in 1969.

Nowadays, Terry is content to stand back at games with his wife Shirley - both proud parents clad in Kalani red - to watch his high-scoring son find the back of the net.

“;He's always had good coaches, so we just let them do their job,”; Terry said.

Shirley also eschews giving excessive advice. She simply encourages her son to give maximum effort.

“;That's what I always tell him: Play hard,”; said Shirley.

Though loath to call attention to himself off the field, don't mistake Higa's understated approach for a lack of determination or drive. He hasn't shied from opportunities to hone his skills and test himself against top-level national competition.

Along with Micah Uehara of Kapolei, Higa was selected to participate in the U.S. Youth Soccer Region IV Olympic Development Program regional player pool last summer, the third straight year he trained in the ODP progam.

He also teamed with other local players on the Honolulu Bulls Soccer Club team that made it to the semifinals of the 2008 U.S. Youth Soccer Region IV (Far West) Championships at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Park and later competed in the Surf Cup in San Diego.

“;You learn more when you play with different people because everyone's different, and everyone has different ways of playing and different skill levels,”; Higa said.

Higa credits the high-level competition with helping his advanced on-field decision-making ability, including an impressive ability to spot creases in between the defenders converging on him.

“;Vision is pretty important because you need to know what to do at the right times,”; he said. “;You should be able to see what's gonna happen next.”;

Higa is aiming to take his game to the next level in college next year.

“;His level of play is such where, no question in my mind, he could play in the top programs in the college level with a year or two of development,”; first-year Kalani coach Carl Kim said.

Higa's top choice is the University of San Francisco, where he also plans to study art and eventually major in graphic design or architecture.

Last year, he was among a group of students selected to paint a graffiti-style mural on campus warning of the dangers of smoking.

Higa says one of his main sources of inspiration is his friend Tani Costa, the senior Falcons striker and two-time Star-Bulletin first-team All-Star who played with the Under-17 U.S. Women's National Team and who will play for Penn State next year.

“;(Tani) made it to the highest level she possibly can so far, and I just really look up to her,”; Higa said. “;She motivates me.”;

Kalani lost to Castle in the second round of the OIA playoffs last year, and making it back to the state tournament will be a tough task for a team with nine new starters.

But Higa embraces the challenge.

“;I really like the pressure,”; he said following the Kaiser game. “;It makes me play even better.”;