Athlete of the Week: Gretna East’s Sonora DeFini
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Defini is a name that has echoed through Morrison Stadium many times, but none as historic as when Griffins forward Sonora DeFini buried her 55th goal of the season in the Class B girls soccer state championship. The goal that put Gretna East up 6-1 over Duchesne with ten minutes left in the state title match made DeFini the all-time leader in goals scored in a single season across all classes.
“I was working really hard the whole entire game to get that goal, so when that perfect ball came from Kendall [Dobberstein], obviously it was my moment,” said DeFini. “I give the credit to my team because it wouldn’t have happened without my teammates.”
“It was a build-up and a perfect ending to her season. But also what she’s worked for her entire life as a soccer player,” said Gretna East girls soccer head coach Chace Hutchison. “The minutes were going by really fast in that game and I’m just glad she was able to finish off the right way.”
Despite it being Gretna East’s first year of existence, early on in the season, the Griffins showed they had a good shot at securing the program’s first-ever state championship. On top of that, East’s leading goal scorer, DeFini, was quickly tallying goals and inching closer to an individual record. DeFini could’ve succumbed to the pressure, but she didn’t.
“The biggest challenge probably was just staying composed and not pressuring myself to get every single goal that I get a chance to and just seeing how the game plays out,” said DeFini.
When DeFini wasn’t scoring her average fo 2.5 goals per game, she was helping her team win in other ways.
“Everyone sees the goals. Everyone sees the finishes. Rarely do people pay attention to what she does off the ball and away from the goal in order to create success for this team,” said Hutchison.
“God had a reason for my life and obviously going here is the plan for my life, so I want to give all the glory to God,” said DeFini. “I had an amazing season. I love the girls and, obviously, Coach [Hutchison].”
Copyright 2024 WOWT. All rights reserved.
