Kayla Watanabe has made every goal count since her return from knee surgery.

The Idaho junior missed all of last season with a torn ACL but has returned to score three game-winning goals for the Vandals, who are a Big Sky-leading 5-1-1 in conference play heading into the last two matches of the regular season this week.

The 2015 Mid-Pacific alumna is one of five Vandals to score multiple goals this season, but she’s the only one of the group who is not a regular starter.

Watanabe has come off the bench in all but one of her 15 matches played this season, but that hasn’t kept her from playing a big part in Idaho’s ascent to the top of the conference. Her three goals are tied for second on the team.

“I think (the season) is going pretty well,” Watanabe said in a phone interview Tuesday. “I have a different outlook on it. It’s one of my last years with some of my really close friends.”

Watanabe scored in the 12th minute of a 2-0 win over Weber State on Sunday in the Vandals’ final home game of the season in the Kibbie Dome.

She also took part in senior day festivities despite having a year of eligibility remaining. Undecided whether she will return next season or not, Watanabe wanted to share in the moment with her fellow classmates, many of whom she’s been playing with for four years.

“I wanted to walk with my class at least because I wanted to celebrate the people I have been playing with all my time here,” Watanabe said. “Even if I do come back next year, I would have already had my senior night with my class and can let the next group of seniors have their moment.”

Watanabe’s first year at Idaho was a huge success. She started all but one match and had career highs of five goals and five assists.

The team advanced to the championship game of the Big Sky tournament but fell a penalty-kick shootout short of advancing to the NCAA tournament.

The team hasn’t won a game in the conference tournament since and failed to make the tournament in 2017.

With a new coach this year, the Vandals went 3-5-1 in nonconference play but have rattled off shutout victories in their past three matches.

“I think (the improvement) is us getting to know our new coaching staff and the new system and just realizing what we have to do,” Watanabe said. “We’re still moving players around and (our coach, Jeremy Clevenger) is figuring out how people play, but it’s really starting to click at the right time. I’m just glad we figured it out in conference.”

Watanabe set Mid-Pacific’s single-season scoring record in high school and was a first-team All-ILH and second-team All-State selection as a senior.

Her roommate, ‘Iolani alumna Megan Goo, went to Idaho in 2015 as well and is rehabbing from the same knee injury Watanabe suffered in 2017, one that has forced Goo to miss all of this season.

“She’s going through the same thing, but the way she is approaching it is completely different than how I did,” Watanabe said. “I was more down about it, but she’s just been taking it on and going through it and everyone else around her has been supporting her and helping her through.”

Watanabe began the season with a brace on her injured knee but didn’t make it through a single match before getting rid of it.

“I ditched it in the first game because it was so tight and it locks at certain angles and you just can’t really run at your best,” Watanabe said. “It’s like there is a clumpy thing attached to your leg and I felt like I couldn’t play with it anymore, so I threw it off. Now it’s not something I think about.”

Idaho closes out its regular season on the road at Southern Utah and Northern Arizona after finishing 6-0-1 in home matches.

The team played inside the Kibbie Dome for the second year after hosting its home matches outdoors.

Watanabe’s first game in the Big Sky tournament, which Idaho hosted, was also the first day she had ever seen snow.

“I remember thinking ‘Oh no,’ the day of the game as it came,” Watanabe said. “I remember not being able to feel my toes. My fingers were numb, so I couldn’t tie my shoes or anything and … it was just cold.”

PROFILE

Kayla Watanabe

>> School: Idaho

>> Class: Junior (RS)

>> Position: Forward

>> Height: 5-5

>> High school: Mid-Pacific (2015)

CAREER STATISTICS

YEAR GP-GS G A PTS SOG GW

2015 21-20 5 5 15 15 1

2016 18-8 3 0 6 8 1

2018 15-1 3 0 6 8 3

TOT. 54-29 11 5 27 31 5

AROUND THE NATION

FOOTBALL

>> Kaulana Apelu, Kamehameha ’15: The Oregon senior linebacker made seven tackles and assisted on a sack in a 30-27 overtime win over then-No. 7 Washington on Saturday. The Ducks moved up to No. 12 in the AP poll, while the Huskies dropped to No. 15.

>> Isaac Slade-Matautia, Saint Louis ’17: The Oregon freshman linebacker made six tackles with one for loss against the Huskies.

>> Adam Stack, Kamehameha ’17: The Oregon sophomore kicker went 1-for-2 on field goals, making from 39 and missing from 42 yards against the Huskies.

>> Kana’i Mauga, Waianae ’18: The Southern California freshman linebacker had four tackles with one for loss in a 31-20 win over Colorado on Saturday.

>> Jordan Iosefa, Saint Louis ’16: The USC junior linebacker had four tackles and a sack against the Buffaloes.

>> Kekaula Kaniho, Kahuku ’17: The Boise State sophomore safety made a team-high seven tackles and broke up a pass in a 31-27 win over Nevada on Saturday.

>> Bradlee Anae, Kahuku ’16: The Utah junior defensive end recorded his fifth sack of the season in a 42-10 win over Arizona on Friday.

>> Cade Brittain, Punahou ’15: The Lake Forest College senior defensive back made six tackles and broke up two passes in a 42-0 shutout of Cornell on Saturday.

MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

>> Drew Kargol, Mid-Pacific ’15: The Redlands (Calif.) senior logged the fastest time of his career in the 8k race, finishing it in 27 minutes, 9.59 seconds, good for 143rd place, at the UC Riverside Highlander Invitational on Saturday.

WOMEN’S GOLF

>> Zoe Yamamoto, Sacred Hearts ’16: The Franklin Pierce University (N.H.) junior was named to the All-Northeast-10 Conference team after finishing in second place at the conference championships at Capital Hills Golf Club in Albany, N.Y., on Monday. Yamamoto shot consecutive rounds of 5-over 76 to finish in sole possession of second place at 10 over.

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

>> Laken Te’o, Kahuku ’16: The Tennessee State junior setter had a match-high 49 assists, 12 digs, three block assists and two kills in a five-set loss to Murray State on Friday, and 45 assists, 11 digs and an ace in a four-set loss to Austin Peay on Saturday.

>> Johanna Kruize, Moanalua ’16: The Tennessee State junior outside hitter has two kills, two block assists and a solo block against Murray State, and nine kills, six digs, two aces, two assists and a block assist against Austin Peay.

>> Ally Wada, Hawaii Baptist ’18: The San Francisco freshman setter had 11 assists and five digs in a three-set loss to No. 1 Brigham Young on Thursday, and 11 assists, four digs and two aces in a three-set loss to San Diego on Saturday.

>> JoJo Ishida, Mid-Pacific ’17: The Siena (N.Y.) sophomore had a team-high 11 digs and two assists in a four-set loss to UMass-Lowell on Sunday.

>> Nicole Hada, Punahou ’17: The Johns Hopkins sophomore setter had a match-high 42 assists, eight digs, three kills and an ace in a four-set victory over Swarthmore, and posted a double-double of 48 assists and 13 digs with three aces, a block assist and a kill in a five-set win over Vassar in a doubleheader Saturday to improve to Blue Jays to 17-3 overall this season.

>> Kaylen Higa, Punahou ’15: The Azusa Pacific senior setter had 18 assists, two digs and a kill in a sweep of Academy of Art on Friday, and a match-high 20 assists, four digs and an ace in a three-set win over Holy Names on Saturday to move the Cougars to 16-5 overall.

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Stats compiled by Billy Hull, Star-Advertiser. To submit an athlete for publication, email bhull@staradvertiser.com.