Spotlight: Luana Grabias, NSU’s 2022 Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year

Luana Grabias was the 2022 Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year, while also leading the women’s soccer team to an NCAA tournament berth. She was born and raised in Brazil and found her love for soccer through her family.

“I have two older sisters and they both played soccer when they were young. My dad is obsessed with soccer too, so for as long as I can remember I’ve been obsessed with soccer too because of my family,” Grabias said.

Grabias was given the opportunity to play with the Brazilian National Team from ages 13-17. These were formative years in her soccer career and led to some of her proudest moments on the field.

Luana Grabias gets ready to dribble the ball down-field against her opponent. PHOTO COURTESY OF NSU ATHLETICS.

“I’ve played for the national team since I was 13, but the first time I played in a real tournament I was 17. We won the tournament, and it was the best day of my life because I played for my country. I cannot describe how I felt, I just remember crying a lot,” Grabias said.

Grabias stayed in Brazil playing soccer until she was 19 years old and decided she wanted to come to school in the United States.

“I was playing in Brazil, and I was happy, but I came here because I wanted to study and play soccer at the same time which is kind of impossible to do in Brazil. I really wanted to get my degree,” Grabias said.

She played her freshman and sophomore seasons at Monroe College in Bronx, New York.

“It was a challenge living in a different country. It was really hard to learn English, my first year here I didn’t speak any English.”

She then transferred to NSU to finish her last two years of collegiate soccer.

“I’m happy at the place I’m at right now. I feel like I made the right decision,” Grabias said.

As a first-year junior at NSU, Grabias started 16 games, tallied 11 goals and landed five assists. This performance led her to win both Conference Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year. While Player of the Year is an individual award, she acknowledges the role her teammates played leading up to her win.

“I only became Player of the Year because of my teammates. I could not have done it by myself, and if it wasn’t for my team, I would be nobody. I feel like some people might think I’m different just because I won this award, but I’m really not. I don’t feel like a different or special player. I literally could not have done it myself, I needed my team,” Grabias said.

With her senior season now starting, Grabias has only one thing on her mind.

“My personal goal is to win. I’m a senior and it’s my last season, so I don’t want to leave the country without a national championship. That is all I care about, and my teammates as well, all we care about is winning.” said Grabias.