With each college application Shaye Villanueva filled out as an ‘Iolani senior, her likelihood of playing collegiate soccer shrunk.

An All-ILH first-team midfielder with the Raiders, Villanueva lost her entire junior season to a knee injury that also kept her from being at her best in summer camps geared toward college recruiting.

She rebounded her senior year, but it wasn’t enough to earn a scholarship offer.

Each application she went through made it more apparent she’d be a regular college student and her soccer career would be over.

“I still was like, ‘I really wish something would happen,’ and I had that dream of playing college soccer, but I was just kind of reveling in my last season with my team,” Villanueva said. “I told myself this might be the last time I play competitive soccer and I had come to terms with it.”

After the season was over, Villanueva attended a college camp held in Waipio. Maybe she’d get an opportunity to play in Division II or Division III or maybe nothing at all.

“I wasn’t set on, ‘Yeah, I’m going to get an offer,’” Villanueva said. “If it was meant to happen, it was meant to happen. If not, then it’s fine.”

The future was brighter than Villanueva had ever imagined. The night the camp ended, Villanueva received a call from an assistant coach at Washington.

By the time her head hit the pillow, she had committed to play soccer on scholarship for the Huskies.

Just like that, her entire next four years had completely changed.

“It was unreal,” she said. “I am forever grateful for the opportunity that I got four years ago, and right now I feel like between the soccer program and the school, it has shaped me into a person that I … I … I just kind of like.”

The 5-foot-3 midfielder has started 35 games in her UW career and made it to the NCAA tournament twice.

Last year, the Huskies suffered through their first losing season since 2011.

In the previous two summers, Villanueva had come home and worked out at ‘Iolani. She even spent time practicing with the varsity team.

This past summer, however, Villanueva stayed in Seattle with her Huskies teammates with one goal in mind.

This year would not be a repeat of a season ago.

“A lot of us are fueled by how poor the season went last year,” Villanueva said. “We’re doing everything we can to not have that season again. This is my last season at UW and I needed to do what I needed to do to get fit and ready.”

The Huskies started the season with a 2-0 loss at Michigan, but have since won six of seven, including a 1-0 upset of then-No. 2 Florida on Sept. 1.

UW hasn’t allowed a goal in four straight matches, including the Florida game, and hosts Seattle University on Friday before opening Pac-12 play with California at home on Sept. 23.

Villanueva, who has started twice this season, says she might be a little biased, but feels this team has the opportunity to be the best she’s played on.

“It’s definitely special. It’s a different vibe that I’ve felt since I first stepped foot on this campus,” she said. “When we’re on the field in practice, it’s competitive with everyone fighting to make an impact, but when it comes to game day, everyone is all in and it’s all about the 11 on that field.”

Hawaii high school graduates playing Division I soccer on the mainland:

MEN

NAME SCHOOL HT GR POS HIGH SCHOOL

Josh Adachi Seattle 6-3 Jr. GK ‘Iolani

Tyler Allen UNLV 5-9 So. F Mid-Pacific

Paytin Ayau Utah Valley 5-8 Fr. MF KS-Maui

Peter Hyatt Pacific (Calif.) 6-0 Jr. D Kahuku

Lionel Mills Portland 5-11 Jr. D King Kekaulike

Laukoa Santos San Diego St. 5-10 Fr. MF Kealakehe

Austin Schneider San Jose St. 5-9 Fr. F Hawaii Prep

Shota Takada UNLV 5-10 Sr. F Kaiser

Kalei Tolentino-Perry San Jose St. 5-8 Fr. MF Hilo

WOMEN

NAME SCHOOL HT GR POS HIGH SCHOOL

Laulea Akana-Phillips Idaho St. 5-9 Fr. GK Kamehameha

Rachel Bowler Seattle 5-5 So. D ‘Iolani

Katie Brady Fairfield (Conn.) 5-6 Sr. MF Punahou

Summer Burnett Georgia 5-8 Sr. D Kamehameha

Chardonnay Curran Oregon 5-4 Fr. MF Campbell

Sarah Davis Utah Valley 5-8 Jr. GK Kamehameha

Chelsie DePonte Stony Brook 5-2 Fr. MF St. Andrew’s Priory

True Dydasco Oregon 5-2 Fr. MF Punahou

Kiara Fairbairn American 5-4 Fr. D Punahou

Aaliyah Fesili Sacramento St. 5-11 Fr. GK Punahou

Megan Goo Idaho 5-4 Jr. MF ‘Iolani

Makamae Gomera-Stevens Washington St. 5-5 Fr. F Kamehameha

Lily Higashino Pacific (Calif.) 5-6 Sr. MF KS-Maui

Kasey Isobe Portland St. 5-5 So. MF Mililani

Kailana Kaeo Saint Mary’s (Calif.) 5-5 So. MF Mililani

Alisha Kahale-Manners Rhode Island 5-9 So. D Kamehameha

Sunny Kane San Francisco 5-7 Fr. GK Punahou

Summer Kaneshiro Idaho 5-3 Jr. F ‘Iolani

Eden Kawabe San Diego St. 5-3 So. D Mililani

Kylie Kim-Bustillos Sacramento St. 5-2 Fr. F ‘Iolani

Noelani Kong-Johnson Princeton 5-8 Jr. GK Punahou

Taylor Kuroda Oregon 5-3 Jr. F ‘Iolani

Skylar Littlefield Sacramento St. 5-7 Fr. MF Baldwin

Aliani Lorenzo Cleveland St. 5-3 So. MF Campbell

Tamera Mikamura Portland St. 5-6 So. MF Aiea

Nikki Mitsuyasu Nevada 5-4 Jr. MF ‘Iolani

Madison Moore Long Beach St. 5-7 So. F Island School

Nikolina Musto San Diego St. 5-4 Jr. MF King Kekaulike

Shay Nakahira Connecticut 5-6 So. F Punahou

Tiana Ono Nevada 5-4 Fr. D Aiea

Shayla Padilla Oral Roberts 5-6 Fr. MF Leilehua

Brooke Ramos Kansas St. 5-3 Fr. F Kamehameha

Kenya Sherman Idaho St. 5-8 Jr. D King Kekaulike

Dani Stollar Harvard 5-5 Sr. MF Punahou

Janelle Stone Colorado St. 5-7 Sr. F Kamehameha

Jahna Tacson Southern Utah 5-4 Sr. MF Waipahu

Emily Tanaka Pepperdine 5-6 Sr. MF ‘Iolani

Kau‘inohea Taylor Baylor 5-9 So. GK Hawaii Prep

Taiana Tolleson Vanderbilt 6-0 So. GK Konawaena

Hope Tsuneyoshi Gonzaga 5-6 Jr. D Kamehameha

Shaye Villanueva Washington 5-3 Sr. MF ‘Iolani

Kayla Watanabe Idaho 5-5 Jr. F Mid-Pacific

Kyllie-Ann Yasutake Oregon St. 5-4 Fr. D Punahou

Alyssa Yoshida Colorado St. 5-3 Fr. MF Kapolei