She loves a tough challenge, but Kailee Wilson also finds a bit of serenity far from the pitch.

“I like to sew. It may not be the best, but it gets the job done. Regular hemming. I’m very generic, but that’s something that I like to do,” said Wilson, the starting midfielder for state-title contender Mililani.

Wilson’s skills with a needle and thread are more than generic.

“She sewed our captain bands. It was too big, so she sewed it last year and this year,” outside back Kayla Sato said.

The lime-green bands are on the left sleeve of Mililani’s captain jerseys. Practical and patient, co-captain Wilson has been the glue gal, delivering key plays and setting the tone for the highest-scoring team in the OIA. The Lady Trojans went 9-0-1 in league play after a 2-0-1 nonconference schedule.

“I feel like I’m a little surprised because everyone’s really excited. I’m really excited to see what the future holds,” Wilson said.

The key is simple. As potent as the offense is with junior Tavena Oliveira (12 goals in league play), senior Jaeda Edayan (11) and junior Iai Ma‘afala (10), Mililani is also efficient. The only tie in preseason, 0-0, was against the same Punahou squad that eliminated Mililani in last year’s state semifinals.

In the opening week of the regular season, Campbell played Mililani to a scoreless tie, and the Trojans have reeled off eight wins in a row since. The risk-reward of every situation matters more than ever to the Trojans. Wilson is always a threat — she has scored seven goals — and balance is the x-factor.

“What makes Kailee unique as one of our team’s leaders is that she leads from the front. She is invaluable with this trait to our program as anything she demands of her teammates, she demands twice as much from herself both on and off the field,” coach Darren Smith said. “She reminds me quite a bit of a few of the previous leaders we were fortunate to have and Kailee continues to actively raise the bar.”

Wilson, who has a 3.95 grade-point average, signed with Seattle University.

“Seattle U. spoke to me the most. The visit there and the coaching staff, they’re really nice. They showed the most interest in me. They were one of the first to send out a letter and when that time came when we could talk one-on-one, they were the first people to talk to me,” Wilson said.

There were opportunities at UC Davis, Sacramento State, San Jose State and Hawaii.

“Maybe I should’ve chose Hawaii, and it’s such a nice place,” she said. “I have so much to live for right now, and getting off the island would be a good change for a little bit. This will always be home.”

She can’t resist a new quest. Physics class is a bear but still her favorite.

“Mr. (Duane) Shikiya really loves his job and makes the class really more entertaining even though the subject can be really hard,” Wilson said. “Also, the friends I have in that class make it more bearable.”

Defending OIA champion Mililani will play the Kahuku-Kapolei winner today at Pearl City’s Bino Neves Stadium in the quarterfinal round. The sting of last year’s state-tourney loss to Punahou — following an unbeaten OIA season — was softened somewhat by the preseason draw. Wilson, though, is still hungry, maybe even more so.

“I think we could’ve won (last year). There’s just some stuff that needed to get worked out within the team, but we weren’t able to overcome that. This year, it’s way different,” she said. “It’s a little bit more natural now. A lot of our girls have played together in club and we’ve all known each other for years. That helps. We’re working a lot harder and a little more prepared by Coach Darren.”

Wilson tried gymnastics and softball before settling on soccer when she was 7. Her father, Paul, played baseball and basketball at Kamehameha. Her mother, Christie, graduated from Roosevelt. They met in the service.

“My mom is active duty in the Air Force. My dad is retired from the National Guard,” Wilson said.

Older brother Landon Tenney is in the Air Force and younger sister Kadence, a freshman, plays volleyball.

“She’s really good. Volleyball’s a very intense sport. It’s nuts. They practice at night for hours. Tournaments are six to eight hours long,” Wilson said.

Of course, soccer players run an average of 6 miles in a match. In a string of three or four matches at states, that’s a lot of mileage, not that Wilson is counting. She has a motor matched by few.

“Most people don’t understand the determination and drive that Kailee has. When she wants something, she puts everything into her and those around here to get to that goal she set,” Sato said. “She builds people up and leads with an energy that motivates everyone around her.”

Sato signed with Utah State, inking her National Letter of Intent with Wilson in December at the signing ceremony hosted by Education 1st at Blaisdell Center. There may be some road trips between Seattle and Logan, Utah, in the future.

“My favorite memory is when we both signed to our colleges. I grew up playing soccer with her, so when we finally signed to play D-I soccer, it felt very surreal,” Sato added. “It was one of those ‘We made it’ kind of feelings.”

There is one quest Wilson hopes comes true some day.

“I want to swim with sharks. No cage,” she said. “It really resonates with me.”