Player of the Year Carly Ann Cormack of Punahou rose above all

Punahou’s Carly Ann Cormack is simply “on a different level,” according to her coach Shelley Izuno.

Cormack, a junior midfielder, rose above all else this season and was named Honolulu Star-Advertiser girls soccer Player of the Year as voted on by a panel of coaches.

Cormack finished with eight goals and three assists for the Buffanblu, who claimed the Motiv8 Foundation/HHSAA Girls Division I Soccer Championships in February.

“She’s on a different level. Obviously, she plays great both sides of the ball,” Izuno said. “She’s a playmaker, she has really good vision, she sees the play happen before a lot of people.”

Cormack’s performance was even more impressive considering she entered the season with a broken bone in her left foot.

“I found out my foot was broken in September, October time, which was right before the preseason was supposed to start,” said Cormack, who has committed to Oregon. “It was heartbreaking because I was in a (walking) boot for a month and a few weeks and it was hard to be away from soccer for that long.”

Punahou had four players on the Stellar Eleven, while state runner-up Kamehameha and semifinalist Mililani each had three. Kamehameha-Maui, the other semifinalist, placed one. Cormack, Punahou senior forward Ellie Gusman, Kamehameha senior goalkeeper Marley Roe and Mililani senior midfielder Kailee Wilson were repeat first-team selections.

Izuno, who completed her sixth season in charge of the Buffanblu, said of Cormack: “Her technical and tactical ability is one of the best I’ve seen in one player.”

Cormack’s signature play was delivered in Punahou’s 3-0 victory over Kamehameha in the state final. She dribbled between two Warriors defenders, cut left and sent a left-footed shot from a sharp angle into the bottom right side of the goal in the 61st minute to put her team up two.

“I get a lot of questions regarding that goal and it’s funny because I remember some of it,” Cormack said. “In my head, when I saw that ball I really put my head down and I was going for the goal. I was telling myself run as fast as I could and get to the goal and just place it in a spot where I felt the goalie couldn’t reach it.”

As for her injured foot, the time off and the boot did not heal it fully. She was left with a painful “loose fracture” and a decision. Cormack chose to put off surgery until after the season, taping up the foot a certain way and icing it and gutting it out. It improved throughout the season and Cormack’s doctor told her recently the foot has healed on its own and surgery isn’t necessary.

Cormack has already made a name for herself on the national level.

Cormack was told by evaluators she was the No. 1-rated midfielder born in 2006 at the USYS Olympic Development Program National Team camps in 2022 (Tampa, Fla.) and 2023 (Orlando, Fla.), and the 2020 West Region Under-14 Talent Identification Program for the Girls’ Youth National Teams (Chula Vista, Calif.).

“She is extremely humble for someone who has seen so much success,” Izuno said. “She shuts her mouth and does the work.”

Punahou senior forward Xevani Salanoa and senior defender Dalen Lau, the state tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, also made the All-State first team.

Kamehameha junior forward Nikki Mau and senior defender Kainani Jacang also were honored, along with Mililani junior forward I‘ai Maafala and sophomore defender Kyla Okamoto.

Rounding out the first team was Kamehameha-Maui senior midfielder Isabella Ayau.

Izuno was named Coach of the Year after guiding the Buffanblu to an 11-1-2 record and their 12th overall state title.

The one loss and two ties came against Kamehameha during the ILH season. In the 2022 state final, the Warriors beat the Buffanblu on penalty kicks.

Punahou did get redemption this year with a convincing victory over Kamehameha in the state tournament final.

“We had to have gone through those losses as a team, especially the returnees,” Izuno said. “It builds character and the message was, ‘It happened, we can’t undo it, so what do we do about it now?’ I wouldn’t have wanted it to have happened any other way, the losses included.”

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FIRST TEAM

Forwards

Ellie Gusman (Punahou, Sr.)

I‘ai Maafala (Mililani, Jr.)

Nikki Mau (Kamehameha, Jr.)

Xevani Salanoa (Punahou, Sr.)

Midfielders

Isabella Ayau (Kamehameha-Maui, Sr.)

Carly Ann Cormack (Punahou, Jr.)

Kailee Wilson (Mililani, Sr.)

Defenders

Kainani Jacang (Kamehameha, Sr.)

Dalen Lau (Punahou, Sr.)

Kyla Okamoto (Mililani, So.)

Goalkeeper

Marley Roe (Kamehameha, Sr.)

SECOND TEAM

Forwards

Jaeda Edayan (Mililani, Sr.)

Tavena Oliveira (Mililani, Jr.)

Xehlia Salanoa (Punahou, Jr.)

Midfielders

Emily Daehler (Punahou, Jr.)

Rylie Echavaria (Moanalua, Sr.)

Solala Nasu (Pac-Five, Jr.)

Sarah Naumu (Kamehameha, So.)

Defenders

Candace Ching (Punahou, Sr.)

Jaylee Curran (Campbell, Jr.)

Alexys Taira (Pearl City, Sr.)

Goalkeeper

Kelli Cannella (Campbell, Sr.)

HONORABLE MENTION

ILH

Damien: Kennedy Fujii, Breanne Moreilhon

‘Iolani: Madison Hauanio, Hunter Salausa-Galletes, Renn Tanitomi, Sydni Yoshida

Kamehameha: Emma Attwood, Saraya Burghardt, Marley Espiau, Keely Kahana, Kamryn Kaleiohi, Shanti Ng

Mid-Pacific: Kylena Paredes, Anyah Pedro, Kalena Ramos, Zoe Rasmussen, Chloe Tepraseuth

Pac-Five: Kayla Arucan, Michaella Cox, Ashlyn Dowda-Gates, Rissalyn Hara, Mia Hironaka, Lily Leano, Aaliyah-Lynn Manabat, Danielle Query- Hagedorn, Kana Smith

Punahou: Laule’a Ah Mook Sang, Brooke Bailey, Nicole Beauchemin, Jordyn Eldredge Sagapolutele, Xeyana Salanoa, Trisha Nitta, Ally Yoshimura

Punahou I-AA: Rae Kamikawa, Melodie Otani, Kaylen Shimamoto, Alena Utsuki

OIA East

Castle: Chloe Domingo-Sumibcay, Uilani Shimabukuro, Kalea Zimmerman

Farrington: Leah Reese Fernandez

Kahuku: Phillicidy Lee, Naomi Saenz

Kailua: Katie Finkler, Makayla Lopez

Kaiser: Ruby Costello, Kylie Ifuku, Kaile Otani, Emma Rose Parker, Roenne Saddington

Kalaheo: Liv Deeley, Hilinai Schenk, Kilinahe Schenk

Kalani: Kaiulani Nishigaya, Ava Oshiro

Moanalua: Isis-Jade Bryant, Zoe Crawford, Areana Owens, Taylor Thomas

Roosevelt: Kaia Borje-Peeples, Zoe Maikai, Shayna Padasdao, Kaileigh-Ann Ragodos

OIA West

Aiea: Talia Agbayani, Taj Fermahin, Breenalyn Shimabukuro, Kiara Sugimura

Campbell: Shaylynn Banaay, Kaelyn Jaentsch, Trilogy Rivera, Miyah Suster, Jezarae Teixeira, Ava Rose Whitmer

Kapolei: Taylor Hansen, Faith Hines

Leilehua: Alexyz Nakamoto

Mililani: Emma Higashi, Taylor Howard, Mari Ige

Nanakuli: Kasi Amaral, Glorina Respicio

Pearl City: Aeryn Hatico, Taylor Yoshimura

Waianae: Rushelaine Alsola

Waipahu: Deizha Lyn Jacinto, Keena Nakamura, CJ Ucol

MIL

Baldwin: Tamilyn Ebisu, Sammi Kinoshita, Lahela Painter

Kamehameha-Maui: Kaiya Kapaku, Ellie Kapua‘ala, Maile Kehano

King Kekaulike: Soana Akinaka, Pua Farm, Taite Taniguchi, Tori Zackious

Maui: Elizabeth Bautista, Teyanna Johnson

BIIF

Hilo: Kryslynn Nabarro

Kamehameha-Hawaii: Sophia Wilson

Waiakea: Ailani Franklin, Kauionalani Mahi-Murray, Charlie Silva

KIF

Island School: Chloe Ayonon, Mary Magoun

Kapaa: Julia Durocher, Mia Kaneakua-Inoshita, Laulea Miike, Tea Rosa, Emeli Rubel, Sienna Yamashita

Kauai: Keira Caoagas, Brianna Ehia, Coral Turner, Aileah Villatora

Waimea: Kendra Knapp

All-state girls soccer team by Honolulu Star-Advertiser