Meet the Post's Athlete of the Week winner Valeria Schiavo of Olympic Heights

PALM BEACH GARDENS − Olympic Heights girls soccer is 11-1 on the season, another impressive start for the Lions a surefire result of having a player like the Palm Beach Post's Athlete of the Week winner Valeria Schiavo back for her last lap on varsity.

The senior helped OH go 3-0 on the week of Dec. 12, posting three goals in wins against Glades Central, Palm Beach Gardens and Santaluces, highlighted by her third game-winner of the year against the Gators that Wednesday.

"It was a throw-in. I just controlled it with my right foot, turned and then shot," Schiavo said of the goal, the only Lion to clear the narrow window between the post and under-the-radar Palm Beach Gardens freshman goalie Sophia Phelan.

"Every now and then it can be luck, but she's had too many goals like that to just be lucky," Lions coach Jim Cappello said.

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Phelan tallied five saves in the second half of the defensive showdown following Schiavo's early goal, but Schiavo's physical approach around the box was enough to seal the win for OH, as it has been since she joined the roster as a sophomore.

"She leads by example," Cappello said. "She's very quiet, even though she's a senior."

Schiavo's scoring streak

Schiavo's goals speak louder than words as she earned Athlete of the Week honors for her hat-trick in a season opener dub against Lake Worth.

Since, Schiavo's gone on to score in each game with the exception of the Lions' lone loss to Spanish River. She hit a 20-goal milestone against Santaluces on Dec. 16.

When Schiavo shoots in practice, Cappello said Olympic Heights starting senior goalkeeper Olivia Calnek doesn't want to stand in front of the striker if she's too close, similarly to any opponent tasked with defending her.

"We actually had a radar gun on her a few years ago and it clocked over 60 miles an hour. She can really blast it and she honestly has in the past few games," Cappello said, attributing Schiavo's dominance to her finesse and physical stature.

"She just bodies everyone off the ball, which is sad, because if anyone bounces off her, it's a foul, so to me she has to work extra hard to make sure she scores."

Goals on and off the pitch

Now entering what she hopes to be her ninth week straight as a scorer for OH, Schiavo hopes to keep the streak alive to turn the eyes of college recruiters her way.

"I want to play at FAU in college. I've always wanted to play there," Schiavo said, seeking a college experience where her family on and off the field will be nearby and finding Florida Atlantic University the perfect choice.

Schiavo recalled the first time she attended an Owls game at the Boca Raton campus.

"Their program is so good. I was impressed and it really, really made me want to be on the team so bad," Schiavo said.

The 2022 season saw the FAU women's soccer take the higher-seed in the program's first Conference USA Tournament Championship in program history. The Owls' last postseason tournament appearance was at the 2005 NCAAs. The Owls fell in double-overtime to victors University of Texas-San Antonio.

Schiavo said she's waiting to hear back from FAU's admissions office. If and when Schiavo gets the go-ahead to continue her academic career, that's when Cappello can start taking steps to see her athletic career follow suit.

"To me, she's a diamond in the rough. She's somebody that could make any team better. She just has to find that right opportunity," Cappello said.

On what makes her Athlete of the Week

When asked what made her standout from the thick of South Florida talent, Schiavo said: "I'm more of a team."

Schiavo didn't mean that she carries the team on her back − although she is one of their top senior contributors. She leads the Lions in scoring, tying Lindsey Osinoff for second in assists (10) behind Devyn Gilman's 12.

"I'm just for the team. I'm not just by myself, like thanks to the team, I am the Athlete of the Week," Schiavo said, giving a special shoutout to thank her crew.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach Post Athlete of the Week: Valeria Schiavo, Olympic Heights