Newsday Athlete of the Week is Ward Melville girls soccer's Adriana Victoriano

Adriana Victoriano kept her composure and wasn’t fazed by the bright lights to lead the Ward Melville girls soccer team.

“I went up to her mom and asked her, ‘How does she do it? How does she stay so composed and not get rattled?’ ” coach John Diehl said. “She’s no-nonsense. She gets the job done to the best of her ability.”

In a back-and-forth thriller, Victoriano scored three goals in a 5-4 victory over Fairport in the state Class AAA semifinals on Nov. 16. She netted the winner with 4:49 left to seal it.

“She’s just so reliable; if Adri loses the ball, we know she’s going to fight hard to get it back,” Diehl said. “If any coach has a player like Adri, you know you have a strong attacking team.”

In the championship game the following day, Victoriano scored the lone goal to help Ward Melville beat Arlington, 1-0, for its thid straight state championship. 

“It feels really good. This was the hardest championship of all three years because we played teams with great chemistry,” Victoriano said. “This is some of the seniors last time playing together. We all played together since we were young, so this one means a lot to us.”

For her efforts, Victoriano is the Newsday Athlete of the Week.

“An athlete with that composure allows you to make the right decisions without emotions letting you dictate your performance,” Diehl said. “When you’re in that right state of mind, that composure allows you to play the game better.”

Victoriano’s love for soccer runs deep, but her true passion is helping others. She volunteered at St. Catherine and St. Charles Hospital, where her mom worked. Volunteering in the Ambulatory Surgery Unit deepened her love of helping people and being involved with medicine.

“It helped me gain a lot of experience, especially in the hospital setting,” Victoriano said. “I loved dealing with the patients, even though I couldn’t give them treatments, but meeting them and seeing their side of life was special.”

“If she is going to be a surgeon, there is no one that can handle that better than her,” Diehl said. “She is going to be an outstanding doctor dealing with high pressure because she can just handle stuff like that.”

During her downtime, Victoriano takes piano lessons, which she finds therapeutic and a good way to spend time with her family since her mom and sisters also play piano.

“Over the years, I played it when I needed to sit down and relax,” Victoriano said. “Playing with my family is fun, especially during the holidays.”

After winning the state championship for the third time, Victoriano looks forward to attending the University of Buffalo to play Division I soccer and pursue her medical career.

“I’m really excited. When I went up for my visit, it felt like home,” Victoriano said. “For the next four years, I want to enjoy it and take it all in.”