Manteca High soccer star Manuleleua named Valley Oak League MVP

Two years ago, Leah Manuleleua was third on the pecking order, stuck in the shadow of her older sister and the program’s all-time leading scorer.

Today, the Manteca High striker stands alone, propped up by a season that may stand the test of time.

Manuleleua tallied 38 goals and 17 assists for the Buffaloes, establishing new career and single-season scoring marks for a program with a rich tradition of finishers.

While Manteca finished second to crosstown rival East Union in the Valley Oak League and Sac-Joaquin Section Division III title chases, Manuleleua didn’t go away empty-handed.

The junior was rewarded with the VOL’s top prize: respect.

Manuleleua was named the league’s Most Valuable Player, edging a talented cast of playmakers, including two with comparable numbers: East Union’s Ilena Rivera and Oakdale’s Ashley Arnett.

Rivera led East Union to another unbeaten run through the Valley Oak League, widely considered the section’s toughest grouping. The sophomore striker racked up 35 goals and 11 assists as the Lancers’ primary playmaker.

She had two stunning goals in a four-minute span to beat Manuleleua and the Buffaloes in the Division III final.

Arnett dazzled in her first and only high school season. The Pacific-bound forward led the state in goals (42) and points (106).

Rivera and Arnett were all-VOL first-team selections.

There could be only one MVP.

If 2014 was the Year of the Striker – and indeed it was – Manuleleua separated herself with a potent blend of power and grace.

Strong enough to fight through a double team, Manuleleua was also capable of the softest touch: carrying a ball through a crowded box or cutting back on a defender at full speed.

“She had a least two if not three people all over her all the time,” Manteca coach Justin Coenenberg said. “She was constantly getting fouled. There were people pulling on her, dragging on her. She’s just so strong that they don’t always call the foul.

“Never once did she complain, throw her arms up and say something to me. She kept playing and playing and playing, and that’s one thing I respect about her.”

Manuleleua scored 17 of her 38 goals in league play and surpassed former teammate Sammie Morris (65) as the Buffaloes’ career scoring leader. She now has 71 goals ... and counting.

“It’s pretty amazing. Just having Sammie come through and get that record, I really thought it would be a while before I got somebody that could score those kinds of goals again,” Coenenberg said. “For her to make this kind of jump ... like I said, it’s pretty amazing.”

Manuleleua arrived on campus a bigger, stronger version of her older sister – Sialei Manuleleua, then the Buffaloes’ senior captain and now a midfielder at Cal State East Bay.

With Sialei and Morris entrenched as forwards, Coenenberg asked Leah to be a facilitator from a central midfield position. She still poured in 14 goals and another 19 as a sophomore.

However, history wouldn’t beckon until Coenenberg played a hunch, turning his sharpest player into the tip of the spear.

Leah did the rest, ramping up her training to handle the rigors of the striker position. She became faster, leaner and more explosive, without sacrificing a hint of her strength.

Her impact was immediate.

She tallied a hat trick in the Buffaloes’ season-opening victory over VA Excel and finished with six on the season, including three straight against Sonora, Division V runner-up Ripon and Weston Ranch. Manteca would score 124 goals in 28 games, yet another record.

“She put time in the gym. That really allowed us to play with where we would put her,” Coenenberg said. “We put her up top. I had been toying with the idea in the offseason. I wanted somebody strong up there. Right from the get-go, she did a great job.”

This story was originally published May 22, 2015 at 5:33 PM with the headline "Manteca High soccer star Manuleleua named Valley Oak League MVP."