Ransom Everglades' Colombo is the Miami-Dade 3A-1A Girls' Soccer Player of the Year

Ransom Everglades made history this year with its first ever trip to the state final four and the Raiders did it with a simple offensive game plan.
When Ransom Everglades needed a goal, Stella Colombo would run down the sideline, beat a defender off the dribble and set up a teammate from the wing.
'That's how we scored the majority of our goals,' Colombo said.
The Raiders rode Colombo's creative abilities all the way to the Class 2A semifinals. For her role in Ransom Everglades' historic season, Colombo is the Miami Herald's Miami-Dade County Girls' Soccer Player of the Year for Classes 3A-1A.
Colombo scored 13 goals and dished out 14 assists in 17 games, and was at her best down the stretch, handing out two assists in both the Region 4-2A championship and semifinals. The forward was one of the best playmakers in South Florida and helped vault the Raiders to new heights.
'We got better throughout the year and we grew as a team,' Colombo said. 'We had a point in the year where we were struggling, but we overcame those problems and we got through them.'
Only a junior, Colombo also became a captain for the first time and her new role as a captain helped her even further embrace her role as a playmaker for her teammates.
Her breakout season also will give Ransom Everglades a chance to reach even greater heights next year. A special season in Miami has the Raiders feeling good about the future, but also eager for something more.
'Being captain this year has really taught me leadership and making sure that it's not just an individual sport, so making sure that every player on the field feels like they're welcome and feels like they have the confidence to play,' Colombo said. 'That really helped us get to where we were because of how we played together and played as a team.
'It was pretty incredible. I think we worked hard and our hard work paid off.'

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