Hilton Head Island standout, Furman signee named SC’s top girls soccer player

Hilton Head Island senior Miya Poplin earned the state’s top girls soccer honor on Wednesday.

Poplin was named the 2020 Gatorade Player of the Year. She joins recent Gatorade South Carolina Girls Soccer Players of the Year, JL Mann’s Caroline Conti (2017, 2019), Academic Magnet’s Riane Coman (2018), Dreher’s Kasey Parker (2015-16) and JL Mann’s Jeni Erickson (2014)) among the state’s list of former award winners.

Poplin is the second Lowcountry athlete to win a Gatorade Player of the Year honor this season. May River’s Kylee Gleason was named the Softball Player of the Year.

The 5-foot-5 senior midfielder scored six goals and passed for three assists in seven games this spring before the remainder of the season was canceled because of the coronavirus. A three-time All-State honoree, Poplin scored 24 goals and 13 assists during her junior season.

Poplin is ranked as the South Atlantic region’s No. 15 recruit in the Class of 2020 by Top Drawer Soccer and signed to play at Furman. She also was member of the Seahawks’ 2018 state championship winning team.

“Miya Poplin is a complete soccer player,” Socastee coach Memo Suarez said. “She’s a true playmaker with a tremendous work ethic. She’s all over the field creating defensive and attacking plays.”

Off the field, Poplin has volunteered locally on behalf of a retirement community, youth soccer programs and the Waddell Mariculture Center in association with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. She also has maintained a 4.0 GPA in the classroom.

This story was originally published June 17, 2020 at 9:58 AM.