Newsday Athlete of the Week is Harborfields' Jamie Medico
Jamie Medico scored first two goals of her career in a win over East Islip last Friday. Credit: Kathy M Helgeson
Harborfields girls soccer coach Scott Wallace knew when Jamie Medico was called up to play varsity, he instantly recognized her gifted athleticism and ability to process the game quickly. But he knew there would be growing pains along the way.
“She’s still learning the game,” Wallace said. “Her speed and athleticism are allowing her to pick up the game pretty quickly.”
He added, “I coached her in basketball last year, and I watched her play lacrosse last year, so she’s been on our radar ever since last year.”
Wallace knows the sophomore has a bright future ahead of her; it was just a matter of putting her in the right situation for her to succeed.
“She didn’t start off the season starting, I was trying to find a role for her,” Wallace said. “We struggled finding people to play up top, but she had a good knowledge of what we wanted our forwards to do. We are starting to see the way she thinks out there, and it has been accelerating her growth.”
Medico’s speed and athleticism were on full display Friday in her first start as a forward. The Newsday Athlete of the Week scored her first two goals of her varsity career, including a game-winner with 7:30 left in the contest, to lead the Tornadoes in a 2-1 victory over East Islip.
“I was nervous to play with these girls because it’s my first year, but after I scored those two goals, it made me feel more highly of myself, and I have been playing better ever since then,” Medico said. “All I remember was the ball coming in slow motion, and I thought to myself, ‘What if I missed this?’ But we practiced those shots all week, so it was a relief when I scored.”
Medico credits her skill set in lacrosse for helping her excel in her new position.
“Lacrosse has helped me a lot,” Medico said. “I do a lot of agility and speed training for lacrosse in my free time, but those workouts helped me with my speed for soccer.”
In addition to her outstanding performance on the field, Medico maintains a 93 GPA.
“I put my academics first before I go to practice or play any game,” Medico said. “My parents are very into academics, so they push me and support me in both my sports and academics.”
Medico joined her school’s Stand Up Club, which creates fundraisers and organizes events to promote cancer awareness. She is also involved in the Environmental Club, where they participate in fundraising for environmental causes, conducting beach cleanups and cleaning up trash and waste at the school and within the community.
“Joining these clubs helped me see things from a different perspective,” Medico said. “Before I joined the environmental club, I was always interested, but now that I have joined, learning more about the environment has helped me be more aware of the earth and my surroundings.”
Having complete confidence in her teammates and coaching staff, Medico believes the Tornadoes can make a deep postseason run.
“This is one of our best seasons yet,” Medico said. “The rest of the season is looking really good. We are looking good in practice. We work hard as a team, so I think we can go far in the playoffs.”
Jonathan Ruban covers high school sports for Newsday after graduating from St. John’s.
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