CHICAGO - San Jose State women's soccer incoming freshman Isabella Flocchini received one of the top honors of her distinguished career as she was named the 2020-21 Gatorade Nevada Girls Soccer Player of the Year. She is the first Spartan women's soccer signee to win the prestigious award.
Flocchini, a 5-foot-8 midfielder and forward, was nothing short of remarkable in her senior campaign with Galena High, leading the Grizzlies to an 11-0 record and the Class 5A Northern Region Tournament championship title. During the course of the season, she scored a whopping 32 goals and was credited with four assists en route to earning the 2021 Northern Region Offensive Player of the Year Award. Flocchini is the first player in the history of the Galena High School program to earn the honor of Gatorade Girls Soccer Player of the Year.
One of Flocchini's biggest games of the season came in the biggest of moments - the regional title game. Galena won the match 5-0 over Douglas High, and Flocchini was the offensive catalyst as she netted four goals to lead the team to the title.
Flocchini put a bow on her remarkable career by setting the Class 4A/5A state record for goals with 118, and was credited with 47 assists.
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Flocchini as Nevada's best high school girls soccer player. She joins an elite alumni association of state award-winners in 12 sports, including Alexi Lalas (1987-88, Cranbrook High School, Mich.), Steve Cherundolo (1996-97, Mt. Carmel High School, Calif.), Abby Wambach (1997-98, Our Lady of Mercy School of Young Women, N.Y.), Heather O'Reilly (2001-02 & 2002-03, East Brunswick High School, N.J.), Matt Besler (2004-05, Blue Valley West High School, Kans.), Jack Harrison (2013-14, Berkshire High School, Mass.) and Mallory Pugh (2014-15, Mountain Vista High School, Colo.).
Flocchini not only made a major impact on the pitch; she also played a big role in her local community by volunteering at a food bank and homeless shelter, as well as donating time to multiple community service projects through her high school's program. In the classroom, she maintained a weighted 4.40 GPA.
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which works with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.
