Seaforth girls’ soccer’s Sofia Viana is HighSchoolOT’s girls’ soccer Offensive Player of the Year for the 2023-24 sports season.
HighSchoolOT accepted nominations from the public for its award categories and allowed the public to vote for the winners once the finalists were announced.
Viana, a rising junior, put out one of the best individual seasons in the state of North Carolina, recording 68 goals, 47 assists and 183 points. She helped lead the Hawks to a 25-1-1 overall record and their first state title victory in June, leading the team in goals, assists, points and shots throughout the year.
The talented midfielder and forward scored at least three goals in 14 out of the 26 games she played in, and from April 11 to May 20, she scored at least two goals in 15 straight games. Viana set a new single-game goals career-high when she scored six goals in the Hawks’ first round playoff victory over Granville Central.
Some of Viana’s goals came from her creating her own opportunities, or they were assisted mainly by junior Caitlin Erman.
“I’ve been coaching for 26 years, (and) (Viana and Erman) are the best striking partnership I’ve ever had,” Seaforth head coach, and Viana’s father, Giovanni Viana said after the Hawks beat Granville Central May . “I think they’re the best in the state.”
Outside of scoring, Viana also impacted games defensively, coming away with 68 steals on the year. She contributed to a defense that gave up just two goals in regulation all season.
Viana also earned other prestigious honors for her sophomore season, being selected to the North Carolina Soccer Coaches Association’s 2A all-state team and earning Mid-Carolina 1A/2A all-conference honors. Earlier this month, Viana (first team), Erman (second team) and Katie Leonard (second team) were also named to HighSchoolOT’s girls’ soccer all-state team.
She made a huge jump from her freshman to sophomore campaigns. As a freshman, Viana recorded 33 goals, 25 assists, 91 points and 124 steals, which was good enough to earn her conference Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2023.
Last summer, Viana went to Teresópolis, Brazil to compete in a training camp with the U17 Brazilian women’s national team. Jeremy Vernon, formerly of the Chatham News & Record, reported last year that Viana models her game after Brazilian soccer standout Debinha, a two-time National Women’s Soccer League champion who currently plays for the Kansas City Current (a team in the NWSL).
Viana should suit up once again for the Hawks next spring as the young team looks to return everyone, except for one senior, and try to repeat as state champions.