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Lady Dragon soccer star Kennedy Fuller has had a busy year. First, she led the Lady Dragons to reaching first in district, contributing 55 goals and 26 assists over a 29-1 season. Then, she and the U.S. Under-16 Women’s Youth National Team won the championship trophy at the Mondial Montaigu Tournament in France. Now, she’s been named Gatorade’s National Girls Soccer Player of the Year.
A midfielder for the Lady Dragon soccer team, Kennedy helped the Lady Dragons win the 2022 state championship after achieving a hat trick and scoring three of the Dragons’ four goals. Besides being named state and district MVP, Kennedy also won Soccer Player of the Year from “The Dallas Morning News” and Gatorade’s Texas Player of the Year.
Now, the MVP player has been named Gatorade’s National Girls Soccer Player of the Year, an honor Chicago Red Stars forward Mallory Swanson surprised her with on Thursday, June 29 while surrounded by her family, friends and teammates.
“It means so much to me,” an emotional Kennedy says during a press conference afterward. “Last year when I won [Texas Player of the Year], just looking at the names of Texas people before me was crazy. Now that I’m looking at national players and seeing their names on there and what they’ve done after is just mind-blowing and crazy to me. I’m still surprised.”
Kennedy will return to the field with her Lady Dragons when their new season begins in December. In 2024, Kennedy will continue playing at the University of North Carolina after graduating a year early.
“This has been a goal since the beginning of last year when I started my freshman season,” Kennedy says. “It reminds me that anything is possible if you keep on going.”