Lucas Mendes named Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year
(Via Gatorade) – Lucas Mendes of Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, Virginia was announced as the 2015-2016 Gatorade National Boys High School Player of the Year on Tuesday.
The 5-foot-5, 125-pound senior forward had led the Generals to a 9-0-2 record entering their recent regular-season finale. At the time of his selection, Mendes had scored 10 goals and passed for five assists in his first year playing high school soccer after previously playing with D.C. United in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy. Ranked as the No. 24 recruit in the Class of 2016 by College Soccer News, he attended a training camp with the U.S. Soccer Under-20 Men’s National Team in January.
“Lucas Mendes is a great player,” said Hayfield High School coach Dan Drickey. “He changes the dynamic of that team. He’s tough on the ball and crafty 1-v-1. Despite his size, he is hard to separate from the ball.”
Mendes has maintained a weighted 3.22 GPA in the classroom. A member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, he has volunteered locally as a youth soccer coach. He has also donated his time to the Color of Leadership Conference, where he served as a mentor and participated in workshops to help middle school students of color discover and utilize resources to achieve their personal goals.
