True North’s Aaliyah Perez is the Miami-Dade 4A-2A Girls Soccer Player of the Year
Freshman forward Aaliyah Perez was already one of the more promising young girls soccer players in South Florida and on one of the better teams in the area.
But family prompted her to join the rising program at Miami’s True North Classical Academy.
Her arrival has been the Titans’ gain.
It didn’t take Perez long to make a huge splash on her new squad as she scored 28 goals this season and recorded 11 assists to lead True North back to the Class 2A state final four.
In recognition of her efforts, Perez earned the Miami Herald’s Class 4A-2A Girls Soccer Player of the Year honors for Miami-Dade County.
“I wanted for my brother to have a great experience and that’s why I chose to play soccer at True North,” Perez said. “I’m happy that it really came together.”
Perez transferred from Doral Academy before the season after her brother did. She joined a program that has now advanced to consecutive state semifinals after only four varsity seasons.
But the real impressive factor for Perez and True North was their showing at this year’s state tournament.
A year after being mercy-ruled 8-0 by state juggernaut St. Johns Country Day, the Titans put together a much more respectable outing in nearly beating another state powerhouse, Lakeland Christian, before falling 3-1 in the state semifinals.
The added offensive firepower Perez brought to an already talented roster played a key role in such rapid improvement this season.
But what True North coach Alex Abaroa admired as much as Perez’s on-field skills was her work ethic.
“Soccer can be stressful and requires a lot of hard work,” Perez said. “No one’s gonna hold your hand, so I’m always working hard. While everybody’s resting, I’m going to be grinding and working hard.”
With three years left in high school, it figures to be only the beginning for Perez and the Titans.
“I’m glad to be a part of this team especially with these girls and I feel like we’ve bonded real quick,” Perez said. “We’re not gonna stop until we get that state championship.”
