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Virginia Men's Soccer Commit Lucas Mendes named the Gatorade National Player of the Year

The 5'5", 125 lb. forward becomes the eighth Virginia player to receive the honor.

By Brian J. Leung
@gatorade

Class of 2016 Virginia Men's Soccer commit Lucas Mendes has been named the 2015-2016 Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year. The 5'5", 125 lb. forward out of Arlington, VA will become the eighth Cavalier to have received this honor.

With 10 goals and five assists this year, his first year of high school soccer after previously playing with DC United in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, Mendes is ranked by College Soccer News as the No. 24 overall recruit. He also attended a training camp with the U.S. Soccer U-20 Men's National Team in January.

Off the pitch, he's a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and has volunteered as a youth soccer coach. He also serves as a mentor with the Color of Leadership Conference to help middle school students of color find and utilize resources to achieve their personal goals.

He carries a 3.22 GPA in the classroom.

Mendes joins a long line of Cavaliers to have earned the honor: Lyle Yorks (1988), Claudio Reyna (1991), Mike Fisher (1993), Andriy Shapowal (1994), Kyle Martino (1999), Alecko Eskandarian (2000), and Chris Agorsor (2008). No other school has had as many Gatorade National Players of the Year, founded in 1986, as Virginia with eight. Indiana is second on the list, with four selections.

Here is the announcement tweet video:

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