Pope John Paul II junior blasting goals

By JOSEPH KAIRALLA

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Pope John Paul II junior Brittany D'Addio entered this past season with simple goals. She simply wanted to build upon a strong sophomore season and try to help the Eagles make the playoffs.

But once the season started, it became obvious that D'Addio's goals were far too modest as the midfielder led Palm Beach County in scoring the entire season. D'Addio finished the regular season with 37 goals and 27 assists to help Pope advance to the regional semifinals, the furthest the Eagles have advanced in the past five season.

D'Addio finished second in the state in regular-season scoring and first among midfielders. Her 101 total points in the regular season were far ahead of King's Academy's Andrea Jefferson, who was second in the county with 64 points.

D'Addio said she didn't envision the type of individual success she had this season.

"No, definitely not, I didn't think I would ever score that many goals," D'Addio said. "I attribute a lot of that success to my teammates and the hard work we put in during the off-season."

While many players enjoy the rush and glory that comes with scoring goals, D'Addio claims it's assisting on goals that gives her the most pleasure on the field.

"I take a lot of pride in assisting on goals and getting my teammates involved," D'Addio said. "I've always enjoyed helping my teammates score more than scoring myself."

D'Addio enjoys assisting others not just on the soccer field. Throughout the past three years, she has actively participated in The Outreach Program for Soccer (TOPS), which specializes in working with handicapped children through soccer.

In fact, D'Addio recently committed to Flagler College in St. Augustine because she wanted to play in a small-school environment that not only had a solid soccer program but also has a top special education program because she hopes to one day be a special education teacher.

But for now, college can wait because D'Addio has big plans for next season.

"We have pretty much everyone coming back and we're extremely close," D'Addio said. "I think we can accomplish some special things next year and I'm really looking forward to it."