Love Of Soccer Runs In The Family For HPU Teammates
By Jack Danilewicz
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They lived under the same roof - in the same room, no less - and played the same sport with the same passion, but sisters Meghan and Amber Fuller of Pearl City always have maintained entirely separate identities.
Perhaps that was the underlying motivation, albeit unconsciously.
“We weren’t as close when we were young,“said Meghan, a freshman on the Hawaii Pacific women’s soccer team.
“We both thought the other was irritating,” she added with a laugh.“We didn’t hang out, and we didn’t have the same friends then.”
Nor did the pair have the same soccer teammates either. Meghan played for Frank Baumholtz at Pearl City, while Amber attended Kamehameha and played for Michele Nagamine, who ironically is her college coach at HPU. With the pair both at HPU now, they are technically teammates for the first time.
Added Amber,“We’ve gotten a lot closer over the years. Now that we get to play with each other, we see each other more often.”
The sisters still share a room in the family’s Pearl City home, and both bus into town together on some school days. Unlike in their youth, today they have the same set of friends - and still maintain their individuality.
“I go out and do more stuff, and I’m more outgoing,” Meghan said. “She is more keep-to-herself and the type to relax.”
Interestingly enough, their coming together at HPU was not the plan. Amber was all set to attend the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.
“I thought she would go to the Mainland,” Meghan said.
“It was a big shocker - I didn’t plan on going to HPU at all,“Amber said of her decision.“I wasn’t sure I wanted to go, and the deadlines came up fast. I was accepted, and I figured I’d give it a try. But my dad knew I really didn’t want to go and left the decision to me, and so I went to HPU. I definitely love it at HPU.”
The Fuller sisters have made quite an impact for the Sea Warriors in the early part of their current season, accounting for all of the offensive output through the first five games. Entering the weekend, Meghan has three goals in five games, including a game-winning goal through five games, while Amber has three goals and one game-winning goal to her credit in six games to date. HPU’s game against Brigham Young-Hawaii last week in Laie marked the first game this season that someone other than the Fuller sisters tallied for the Sea Warriors.
While they’ve clicked on the field (“We have a connection - we can find each other (on the field) most times,” says Meghan), Amber sees the fact that they weren’t teammates growing up as a good thing.
“I like it better versus having played with her the whole time,” she said. “It’s more fun to play in college together.”
Despite her uncanny knack for soccer, Meghan suffered from burn-out during her sophomore season at Pearl City High.“At first it was fun, but I was actually thinking about quitting then. I just didn’t want to play anymore. But it keeps me active and out of trouble,” she added with a laugh,“and I like playing with a bunch of girls I know and like.”
Those sentiments passed, and Meghan closed out a stellar career for the Chargers. She red-shirted in 2008, so she has three years of eligibility remaining after this season with HPU. Amber’s love of soccer never wavered. Unlike Meghan, who tried basketball and softball, soccer was all-consuming for Amber. “I’ve always liked soccer,” she said. “I’d be sad if I couldn’t play.”
The pair attribute some of their love of competing to their parents, Julie and Stanley Fuller III. Julie Fuller played soccer at McKinley, while her husband was active in basketball.
“They definitely pushed us to play,“said Amber.“My dad was into the athletic thing, so it was a given that we played.”
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