Halperin plays integral role in Brooklyn Tech soccer's present and future

For the first three years of her illustrious high school career, Niri Halperin was Brooklyn Tech’s unquestioned star. That didn’t change her senior season, but there was added responsibility on a roster that included just six seniors around a bulk of sophomores.

And her value only grew.

“She was great with the young players,” first-year coach Peter Schmidt-Nowara said. “We did have a young team. It’s a huge hole with Niri gone, but I think with her help we developed a group of decent ninth- and tenth-graders for next year.”

It was Halperin who helped put the small Brooklyn school on the girls soccer landscape in New York City. Her character and high level of play earned the PSAL’s girls soccer Wingate Award Monday night at St. Francis College in Brooklyn, an honor given out to the most outstanding senior in every sport.

Robert Cole

Brooklyn Tech's Niri Halperin won the Wingate Award for girls soccer and will attend Brandeis in the fall.

“I feel like not as accomplished as all these people,” she said. “I feel really honored to be among them.”

As a sophomore, the Brandeis-bound Halperin scored 26 goals and helped propel the Engineers to the first of two Brooklyn A-III division titles and a trip to the PSAL Class A quarterfinals. As a senior the midfielder tallied 26 goals and seven assists and her team finished two points behind Goldstein for the division crown. She found the back of the net 83 times in her career, mostly while trying to fight off and dribble through double- and triple-teams.

“It’s kind of a annoying,” Halperin said. “The coach is always [saying], 'get on Niri, mark Niri.' The playoff game we played there was a girl on me the entire game. In one sense it’s hard because you have these high expectations you have to meet all the time, but at same time I’m glad that they are there.”

Schmidt-Nowara was immediately impressed with Halperin, especially after watching her fearless finishing as she scored four of the team’s seven goals in a season-opening win over Midwood. Her skill leveled allowed him to concentrate on bringing along the younger players. What made Halperin special was she was never a selfish star, often giving up her own scoring chance to set up teammates.

“She could score more goals because she is such an unselfish person, just as a human being,” Schmidt-Nowara said.

This year may have marked the end of Halperin’s competitive career. Though she visited Brandeis as a recruit, she doesn’t plan on playing soccer on the collegiate level for the Division III Waltham, Mass, school. Halperin, who came back to club soccer with the Manhattan Kickers last summer, didn’t rule out intramural or club level soccer after dedicating her life to the sport for so long.

Unsure of what she wants to major in, Halperin believes Brandeis, where her brother Maveh will be a senior, will allow her the freedom to take whatever path she chooses. She likes its small size and location just outside Boston. She can still play soccer. While maybe not at the same level as the last few years, it will still always be a part of her life.

“I love soccer, but I feel like I’ve done the whole be-on-the-competitve-soccer-team thing," Halperin said. “I want to try other things. I still want to play soccer, but not at that level. I don’t think I need to play it at that level to enjoy it.”

jstaszewski@nypost.com