Lourdes Academy’s Nicole Lee is the Miami-Dade County 7A-5A Girls’ Soccer Player of the Year.
Alie Skowronski
askowronski@miamiherald.com
With a trip to another state championship on the line, Lourdes Academy let Nicole Lee lead the way. In the final minutes of regulation in the Class 5A semifinals, the midfielder converted a penalty kick to send Lourdes back to the state title game.
A day later, the Bobcats won their first state championship since 2020 with Lee adding one more goal to her final tally.
Whenever Lourdes needed her most, Lee delivered, which is why she’s the Miami Herald’s Miami-Dade County Girls’ Soccer Player of the Year for Classes 7A-5A.
“It’s been three years I’ve been right there, and then you slip when you’re so close,” Lee said. “Runner-up medals all the time, it’s the worst feeling because you’re right there, too. … We finally reached the top.”
Lee finished her final season with the Bobcats with seven goals and 17 assists, helping Lourdes finally bring another state championship back to Miami after falling short in the state championship in four of the previous five seasons.
All throughout her four years with the Bobcats, Lee was one of the best creators in South Florida, finishing her career with 41 assists.
Nicole Lee, Lourdes Alie Skowronski askowronski@miamiherald.com
When the season reached its most important moments, Lee, however, turned into a dynamic scorer for Lourdes. The senior scored in both of the Bobcats’ two games at the final four in DeLand—while of course still handing out an assist in each of those games, too.
For a balanced team like Lourdes, Lee’s distribution ability was critical. She was instrumental in helping forward Veronica Aguilar score 23 goals and four other Bobcats—not including Lee and Aguilar—scored at least seven.
Lourdes will miss Lee next year, but she was able to give the Bobcats one last thrilling ride to end her high school career.
“I’ve been playing on this team for four years, and I’ve been working it really hard,” Lee said. “Senior year, just ending it with a win and Player of the Year really makes it complete.”