Gulfport soccer star again wins Gatorade Player of the Year honors

Gulfport’s Kate Smith has been named the Mississippi girl’s soccer Gatorade Player of the Year for the second straight year.

Smith is a three-time Sun Herald Player of the Year honoree and finished her senior season with 36 goals and 21 assists.

“Kate Smith is a complete player in every sense,” said Todd Moniz, head coach at Biloxi High School, said in the press release. “She’s a fierce competitor, very athletic and technically gifted, with a good understanding of the game. She is very capable of beating a player on either side, with her left foot or right, and because of that, opponents need to have two or more players ready to help defend against her at all times.”

Meet the Sun Herald All-South Mississippi Girls Soccer Team for the 2021-22 season

Smith is heading to Ole Miss on a soccer scholarship after an Admiral career that saw her score 124 goals and pick up 69 assists.

Gulfport won at least 20 games in all four years of her high school career, including state titles in 2020 and 2021.