Men's Soccer Recruit Brayan Martinez Named Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year
5/30/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Martinez, a senior midfielder, is the fourth New Jersey player to win Gatorade National Soccer Player of the Year honors, joining former U.S. Men’s National Team captain Claudio Renya (1990-91, St. Benedict’s Prep HS/Newark, NJ), former MLS All-Star Alecko Eskandarian (1999-2000, Bergen Catholic HS/Oradell, NJ) and Olympic gold medalist and two-time collegiate national champion Heather O’Reilly (2002-03, East Brunswick HS/East Brunswick, NJ).
The award, which recognizes not only athletic performance, but also meeting high standards of academic achievement while demonstrating exemplary personal character on and off the field, distinguishes
The 5-foot-9, 150-pound, Martinez scored 21 goals and 21 assists this season in leading West Orange to a 24-1 record, their first-ever Group 4 state championship and first-ever national ranking (No. 17 in National Soccer Coaches Association of America/adidas Top 25). Despite missing eight games this season with a knee injury, Martinez returned and recorded eight goals and five assists in the Mountaineers’ postseason run to the state title, including two goals in the 3-0 victory over Manalapan in the title game. He scored 26 goals and passed for 30 assists as a junior and was named a NSCAA/adidas All-American and Newark Star Ledger Player of the Year in 2005 and 2006.
Martinez finished his three-year career at West Orange with 85 goals and 90 assists and led the team to a 65-6 record in his tenure winning three conference titles, one county title and two state sectional titles as well the last season’s state championship. He also competes for the prestigious Under-18 PDA Vieira club soccer team.
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“Without question, Brayan is deserving of recognition as the nation’s best high school boys soccer player based on his statistics on the field and the impact his play had on West Orange’s success,” said Gatorade Senior Vice President of Sports Marketing Jeff Urban. “But he is also a shining example to peers and aspiring young players of what a leader and a student-athlete should be. He represents everything we hope for in a Gatorade Player of the Year recipient.
The Gatorade Player of the Year program recognizes one winner in each of the 50 states and the
For more on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including nomination information and lists of past winners and future announcement dates, visit www.gatorade.com/playeroftheyear.
