Since its dynasty began in 2016, the West Lauderdale girls soccer program has seen its fair share of accolades, from state championships to All-State selections.

The Lady Knights added one more accolade to their collection Wednesday when it was announced recent graduate Lucy Green was named the Gatorade Mississippi Girls Soccer Player of the Year for the 2019-20 season.

After finding out she was a finalist last week, Green was alerted by her roommate at Ole Miss — with whom Green signed to continue her soccer career — that she had been named player of the year. After checking her email, Green’s selection was confirmed.

“I was really surprised and thankful,” Green said.

One of the people she alerted was Lady Knights assistant coach Sonja Rowell, who said it was the first time a girls soccer player at West Lauderdale had received the award.

“I was just beyond excited for her,” Rowell said. “It’s huge for her, for West Lauderdale and for the soccer program.”

According to its website, the Gatorade Player of the Year program “recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field.” It’s one of the biggest awards an athlete can receive at the high school level, and Green said she’s humbled by the selection.

“I’m feeling very blessed and thankful to all of my friends, family, coaches, teammate and God,” Green said. “I couldn’t do it without all of them.”

A Premier Preps selection for this past season, Green finished with seven goals and 11 assists on the season as a defender, and she has been a member of the MHSAA Class 4A state championship teams at West Lauderdale in 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2020. Green finished high school with a 4.28 GPA and has volunteered at the Boys & Girls Club of America, Wesley House Community Center, U.S. Youth Soccer TOPSoccer and at a food pantry, according to the Gatorade press release.

In addition to her school and extracurricular responsibilities, Green also played for a select soccer team in Birmingham, where she took trips several times a week. It was all worth it in hindsight, but Green admitted it wasn’t easy at the time trying to balance everything.

“Studying and going to Birmingham for practice — and having games on the weekend — and all the volunteer hours, it was really tough, but it proves that it can be done and that anyone can do it,” Green said. “You just have to put your mind to it and work hard at everything you do.”

Rowell said she’ll miss coaching Green, and the player of the year award is a well-deserved accolade for her.

“She’s always been so talented,” Rowell said. “I really started watching her when she was about 9 playing on club teams; she stood out from a young age. She had a lot of speed and raw athletic ability, and as she got older and developed her skills, she was a force on the field. She was so much fun to catch and watch play.”