A great player changes the game the moment he or she steps on the field. The ability to do that despite recovering from an injury? Those players just don’t come around that often.
Jackie Miccio, the TimesLedger PSAL Girls’ Soccer Player of the Year, is one of those players, a special player whose presence is felt the second she touches a soccer ball.
For four years the Bayside native patrolled the midfield for Townsend Harris, although she did so while suffering through injuries her final two seasons.
Last year it was a sprained ankle that kept Miccio sidelined for much of the season, and this year it is abdominal surgery that kept her off the field for three weeks.
“It is a little frustrating, but instead of sulking I have to suck it up and work harder,” Miccio said. “It’s frustrating to think, ‘where would I have been if I didn’t miss those three weeks,’ but what are you going to do.”
But even Miccio at 50 percent is one of the top players around.
Some may be faster, stronger or a better dribbler, but few are more of a total package than Miccio, who will attend Syracuse in the fall.
Miccio has the size and strength to fend off opponents and win balls with aggressive tackles. Her great vision and passing ability allows her to get her teammates involved while also being able to take defenders on and score consistently with great range.
Despite missing three weeks and facing double and triple teams whenever she was on the field, Miccio still scored 17 goals and had 12 assists for the Hawks this year, who lost in the first round of the PSAL playoffs.
“It’s hard for me to dribble (down) the whole field when I’m not in shape,” she said. “That’s why I’ve been distributing the ball more. I’m acting more of a midfield player vs. a more offensive player. I have spurts but I still get tired.”
