Maddie DiMaria, Cor Jesu (Missouri) freshman, named Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year

DiMaria scored 30 goals in leading Cor Jesu to the MSHSAA Class 3 high school girls soccer title

Cor Jesu freshman Maddie DiMaria / Photo by Nate Latsch, SBLive Sports

Maddie DiMaria has added another impressive accolade to her remarkable freshman year at Cor Jesu Academy. 

DiMaria, who scored 30 goals and added 21 assists in leading the Chargers to the Missouri Class 3 championship this spring, has been named the 2023-24 Gatorade Missouri Girls Soccer Player of the Year and the Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year.

The dynamic 5-foot-7 forward, who recently competed in Germany with the U.S. Under-15 national team, is the first freshman to be selected as the Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year, an award that has been presented since 1998. 

“She's obviously going places,” Cor Jesu coach Rachel Brcic said after the Chargers won the Missouri Class 3 title on June 1. “I mean, I'm going to need to get her autograph at some point before she graduates from high school. But she's just such a great team player. I mean, if somebody else scores, she's usually the first one right there cheering them on, excited for them just as much. And she is just a great team player all-around, on the field, off the field.”

DiMaria scored twice and added an assist as Cor Jesu defeated Rockwood Summit 3-0 in the Missouri Class 3 championship game at World Wide Technology Soccer Park in Fenton. 

“We knew we had to come out with fire,” DiMaria said then. “Rockwood’s a great team. They've played well all year and we just knew we had to gather as a team and bring all the intensity and leave it all out on the field because it’s our last one.”

Cor Jesu freshman forward Maddie DiMaria / Photo by Nate Latsch, SBLive Sports

A 5-foot-7 dynamo, DiMaria finished her first high school campaign with 81 points – leading the Chargers (21-4) and ranking among the St. Louis area leaders in all three categories despite only being a freshman. 

She was a driving force as Cor Jesu finished the season with 12 straight wins and captured the Chargers’ third championship in school history following titles in 1985 and 2012.

“It has been a goal of ours since the beginning to come out here to win the state championship, to be state champions, and being able to do it today is a surreal feeling,” DiMaria said. “I mean, I'm overjoyed with many emotions and it's just awesome.”

The Gatorade Player of the Year award celebrates high school athletes for “excellence on the field, in the classroom and in the community” and DiMaria has excelled in those areas as well. She has an unweighted 4.18 grade-point average, is a member of her school’s choir and has volunteered on behalf of Christian Action Reaching Everyone and the Special Needs Soccer Association. 

Cor Jesu freshman forward Maddie DiMaria / Photo by Nate Latsch, SBLive Sports

PrepSoccer.com ranks DiMaria as the No. 1 recruit nationally in the Class of 2027.

“Maddie DiMaria’s historic freshman season was a perfect example of what makes her such a special talent,” J.R. Eskilson, National Analyst for PrepSoccer.com, said in a press release. “Ruthlessly efficient on the attack and fiercely competitive, she did what her team needed in order to win, supplying goals, assists and everything else to help her side hang a state championship banner. DiMaria’s play frustrated opposing coaches as she was always a step or three ahead of the competition. Driven to improve her game, DiMaria showcased goal-scoring ability with her left foot this season that made many question which one was her dominant side. She was utterly unstoppable on the pitch.”

DiMaria recently traveled to Germany and the Netherlands with the U.S. Under-15 Women’s Youth National Team and contributed to a pair of shutout victories with two assists. 

She earned an assist in a 4-0 win over Germany on June 11 and then had another in a 2-0 win over the Netherlands on June 14.

Cor Jesu freshman forward Maddie DiMaria / Photo by Nate Latsch, SBLive Sports

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- Nate Latsch |  latsch@scorebooklive.com