South Broward’s Lucas Costa is the Broward 7A-5A Boys Soccer Player of the Year

With 12 minutes left in the Class 6A championship and maybe South Broward’s season, Lucas Costa, the driver of the Bulldogs’ offense and the team’s best player, was stuck on the sideline, getting his head bandaged after a severe collision with a Viera player left him with a serious laceration on his head.

The title game was tied and Costa faced the real prospect of finishing his high school career on the sideline, but then time ran out and Costa got one more chance.

He made the most of the extra time.

The striker set up Willie Perdomo for the championship-winning goal in the 94th minute to cap a spectacular career and give South Broward its first state title. Now, Costa is also the Miami Herald’s Broward County Boys’ Soccer Player of the Year for Classes 7A-5A.

“We just knew it was coming,” Costa said.

The assist was Costa’s seventh of the year and he also finished the season with 15 goals, serving as an all-around catalyst for the Bulldogs, whether it was in the middle of the field as a forward or playing out on the wing. With Costa’s help, South Broward averaged more than three goals per game and gave up just 19 in 24 games.

Costa’s next step could be a professional career, too. Costa currently plays with Miami FC and is hoping to land a professional contract from the USL Championship club. If not, Costa also has a handful of scholarship offers to pick from, including from Duke, FIU and Tulsa.

“If I see that it’s not going to work out professionally,” Costa said, “then I’ll go” to college.

Either way, all Costa wants to do is keep playing soccer.

Costa was born in Brazil and didn’t move to the United States until he was 12.

Growing up, soccer was about “all you get to see,” he said. From the time he was 4, Costa would go with his grandfather to local fields and watch people play every Sunday.

“The love just came right there,” Costa said.

The love hasn’t stopped since and, so far, it’s paying off for the star senior.

“We had a good squad this year,” Costa said. “Everything worked out.”

This story was originally published March 24, 2024 at 8:20 AM.