Gallatin High School junior Saira Mehmood was named the state's Gatorade girls soccer player of the year on Thursday.
The 5-foot-1 forward and midfielder scored 20 goals and added 11 assists last fall, leading the Raptors (13-3-1) to the Class AA state championship match. Mehmood was named the Sports Illustrated national high school girls athlete of the week last fall after scoring five goals in an 8-1 win over Bozeman High in the state semifinals. She was also a first-team all-state selection.
The Junior Class president of the Gallatin High School Student Council, Mehmood has volunteered locally with her school’s Environmental Club and Key Club. She has also donated her time at Sacks Thrift Store, the Museum of the Rockies and as a youth soccer coach.
“Saira is a fantastic player,” said Erika Cannon, head coach of Bozeman High School. “She is super-quick, technical and makes really intelligent runs to get the ball into dangerous parts of the field.”
Mehmood has maintained a weighted 4.14 GPA in the classroom. She will begin her senior year of high school this fall.
