Lourdes' Veronica Aguilar is the Miami-Dade 7A-4A Girls' Soccer Player of the Year
Veronica Aguilar didn't have any trouble learning what it meant to be a girls' soccer player at Lourdes Academy. Lourdes is always one of the best teams, if not the best team, in Miami-Dade County and, as an underclassman, it's already easy for Aguilar to understand why.
'Lourdes soccer's super special because everyone really loves what they do,' the forward said. 'That really means a lot to underclassmen, and shows the legacy and standard that we have to set each year.'
Only a sophomore, Aguilar is already helping to set that standard. After helping the Bobcats get back to the state championship after a rare absence from the title game in 2024, Aguilar is the Miami Herald's Miami-Dade County Girls' Soccer Player of the Year for Classes 7A-4A.
After a solid freshman year with eight goals and seven assists, Aguilar broke out this year and finished the season with 17 goals and six assists, helping Lourdes get to the state championship game for the fifth time in six seasons.
'I improved the most in my attacking mindset, and going toward goal and finishing,' Aguilar said, 'and having that composure to finish under tight scenarios in big games.'
Although they ultimately fell short of a Class 5A championship with a 2-1 loss to Ponte Vedra, the Bobcats remained the top team in Miami, going 9-0-1 against other teams from Dade County.
With Aguilar leading the way, Lourdes is ready to finally break through again and end their championship drought in the next few years. The Bobcats have fallen short in each of their last four trips to the state championship, but they're already excited to try to hoist their first trophy since 2020 next year.
'Super excited for the seasons to come,' Aguilar said, 'and to keep building off of the standard that we set this year.'
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