Portuguese-American Melina Rebimbas is the Girls Soccer Player of the Year for 2022

The best soccer player in the state of New Jersey rest- ed her eyes 35,000 feet in the air last month and as her flight continued its path from India to the United States after the U-17 World Cup, she allowed herself to dream. Melina Rebimbas had all the time in the world to think about her return to the field for Rutgers Prep.

And what she pictured most vividly in her mind was a state championship.

The UNC commit just finished representing America on a major international stage – where she added a few more goals to her impressive resume – but it was time to turn the page. Rebimbas had unfinished business waiting for her at home and she couldn’t wait to be back in uniform for the Argonauts.

Three years ago, Rebimbas was the missing piece for a team that made history and won Rutgers Prep’s first-ever Non-Public B title. She was a star freshman back then who was making a name for herself on the high school soccer scene. This fall, Rebimbas came into the year as one of the decorated seniors in state history and was returned in the final weeks to lift Rutgers Prep to another state championship.

Rebimbas is this year’s NJ.com Player of the Year.

The senior missed a month of the season, but still finished the year with 24 goals and 16 assists. That included a pair of goals in a 3-1 revenge win over DePaul in the state final. With Rebimbas on the field, Rutgers Prep averaged eight goals per game and was unstoppable on offense.

“It just gave everyone a lift,” Rutgers Pep coach Jim Buchanan said of his star senior. “As well as obviously being a quality player, she was a great influence on the rest of the team. She’s a natural leader who commanded instant respect and held other team members to a higher standard. It was great to see her bring some of the leadership qualities that had rubbed off on her by being with the National Team to Rutgers Prep. She just demanded more from everyone and it brought us up a level at the end of the sea- son.”

Rutgers Prep had experienced success in soccer over the years, but nothing like it has seen since 2019.

Rebimbas came in that fall as a young playmaker for a veteran team.

In her first game, she scored twice against Immaculata.

Rutgers Prep’s coach at the time, Tony Mento, called Rebimbas the missing piece for a team that was getting closer and closer to championship contention. She orchestrated the offense and allowed the rest of the team to play in their natural positions. She also kept her cool in big moments, including a monumental 4-3 regular season win over North Hunterdon. Rebimbas had two goals and two assists that afternoon.

The rookie hit what proved to be the game-winner on a penalty kick in the 71st minute.

Rebimbas lined up for the attempt and gave a thumbs up to the official before she set her focus on the net. She nailed a shot to her left and watched as it hit the side of the net. That shot gave Rutgers Prep the offense it needed to win and that victory showed the Argonauts that they could compete with the better teams in the Skyland Conference. Rutgers Prep made it to the Somerset County semis later that season.
A few weeks after that run, Rutgers Prep beat St. Rose, 1-0, in the state championship game.

Rebimbas made the roster for the United States’ U- 17 National Team earlier this year and won a gold medal with that team at the CONCACAF Tournament. She scored the game-winner against Mexico in the final and finished the tournament with eight goals. Knowing that she would be leaving in the middle of this season, Rebimbas could have shut things down and prepared herself for the World Cup.

That was never an option for her though. She wanted to be out there with Rutgers Prep.

“I love playing this sport and it’s taken me to so many different places, but this team is so special to me and they’ve left a mark on my heart,” Rebimbas said after a 5-1 win over Immaculata in September.

Rutgers Prep went 8-2 while its top player was representing America overseas and made it to the Somerset County final for the first time ever.

The senior returned to the field at Rutgers Prep just a few days after coming home from India.

Rebimbas finished with three goals and an assist against Montclair Kimberley in the Prep B final. She added 10 goals and five assists on the way to a third South, Non-Public B title in the last four years.

In the last game of her career Rutgers Prep was outplaying DePaul, but none of its shots were hit well enough to get the Argonauts on the board. Then, Rebimbas beat the defense, found space and ripped a ball into the back of the net. That was followed up a huge sigh of relief and then two more goals before the end of a 3-1 championship win.

Rebimbas added a second goal on a free kick from just outside the box, putting spin on a ball that landed just under the crossbar and gave the senior her 98th career goal. That score also gave Rebimbas a coveted state title that she waited three years to get back in her possession.

It was the perfect finish to a great career.