A-A Game Preview: Girls Defenders

Photo: Romano family
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Today, we size up the 12 defenders that were selected to participate in this weeks’ Girls High School All-America Game, which will be held in Knoxville, Tenn. The match will be live-streamed on PrepSoccer.net.
<strong>EAST</strong>
<strong>[player_tooltip player_id="23961" first="Emily" last="Chico"], Ramapo (N.J.), South Carolina</strong>
<strong>Coach:</strong> Maddie Dalie
<strong>Career Goals:</strong> 3; <strong>Career Assists:</strong> 2
<strong>Honors:</strong> Top 100 Freshman NJ 2019 … Two-time midseason Top NJ Defender 2019, 2021. … Three-time Player of the Week NJ 2019, 2020, 2021. … Two-time first-team All-State NJ. … Three-time first-team all-county. … Three-time first-team all-conference. … Four-year varsity player. … Top 10 NJ Defenders 2021 Player of the Year Watch List 2021. … Varsity captain at Ramapo. 2021 Bergen County team finalist. … 2019 Bergen County team champion. … 2019 NJ Group 3 state finalist. … 2019 NJ North 1 Group 3 sectional champion. … Other local and state postseason honors for the 2021 fall season have yet to be announced.
<strong>[player_tooltip player_id="20831" first="Gabriela" last="Gonzalez"], Staples (Conn.), Cornell</strong>
<strong>Coach:</strong> Barry Beattie
<strong>Career Goals:</strong> 22; <strong>Career Assists:</strong> 32
<strong>Honors:</strong> Team captain junior and senior seasons. … All-New England and All-State selection in 2020. … All-FCIAC in 2019 and 2020 and honorable mention in 2018. … State runner-up in 2018 and FCIAC champion in 2019 and 2020. … Local and state postseason honors for the 2021 fall season have yet to be announced.
<strong>[player_tooltip player_id="34253" first="Annie" last="Isphording"], Indian Hills (Ohio), Johns Hopkins</strong>
<strong>Coach:</strong> Amy Dunlap
<strong>Career Goals:</strong> 5; <strong>Career Assists:</strong> 6
<strong>Honors:</strong> United Soccer Coaches All-Region in 2020. … First-team all-state in 2020. … First team All-Southwest Ohio in 2019 and 2020. … First team Cincinnati Hills League in 2019, 2020, and 2021. … Cincinnati Enquirer Division 2 Cincinnati Player of the Year. … USA Today Cincinnati Female Honoree for soccer in 2020. … Southwest Ohio girls soccer Top 10 players to watch for 2021. … Other local and state postseason honors for the 2021 fall season have yet to be announced.
<strong>[player_tooltip player_id="24124" first="Leah" last="Klurman"], Scotch Plains-Fanwood (N.J.), Tennessee</strong>
<strong>Coach:</strong> Kevin Ewing
<strong>Career Goals:</strong> 33; <strong>Career Assists:</strong> 19
<strong>Honors:</strong> NJ.com Defender of the Year in 2021. … NJ.com/Star-Ledger First-team All-State in 2020 and second team in 2019. … NJ.com/Star-Ledger Group 4 All-State first team in 2019 and 2020. … NJ Top 20 Players by NJ Girls Coaches Association in 2019 and 2020. … North 2 Top 20 New Jersey Girls Coaches Association in 2018, 2019, 2020. … Three-time All-Watchung Conference first team in 2018, 2019, 2020. … Three-time All-Union County and NJ.com first team in 2018, 2019, 2020. … Other local and state postseason honors for the 2021 fall season have yet to be announced.
<strong>[player_tooltip player_id="20881" first="Mary" last="Lundregan"], St. Joseph (Conn.), Dartmouth</strong>
<strong>Coach:</strong> Jack Nogueira
<strong>Career Goals:</strong> 33; <strong>Career Assists:</strong> 30
<strong>Honors:</strong> United Soccer Coaches All-America in 2020. … United Soccer Coaches All-Region in 2020. … Connecticut ll-State. … Two-time FCIAC all-conference. … Other local and state postseason honors for the 2021 fall season have yet to be announced.
<strong>[player_tooltip player_id="22961" first="Molly" last="Martin"], Buckingham Browne & Nichols (Mass.), Penn State</strong>
<strong>Coach:</strong> Graeme Blackman
<strong>Career Goals:</strong> 13; <strong>Career Assists:</strong> 20
<strong>Honors:</strong> Part of BB&N’s Class A championship team and Prep Top 10 No. 1 squad. … Team allowed only two goals in 21 matches. … USA Today preseason All-America in 2019. … In 2019, was named All-ISL first team, All-NEPSAC first team, NEPSAC Class A MVP, NSCAA All-State, New England Soccer Journal Underclass Best XI, New England Soccer Journal Best XI, New England Soccer Journal Midfielder of the Year, TopDrawerSoccer first-team All-America, TopDrawerSoccer all-region first team, TopDrawerSoccer state star. … In 2018, was named all-ISL first team, All-NEPSAC first team, New England Soccer Journal Rookie of the Year, NSCAA All-State, TopDrawerSoccer all-region. … There was no 2020 season. … Local and state postseason honors for the 2021 fall season have yet to be announced.
<strong>[player_tooltip player_id="24426" first="Emma" last="Romano"], Syosset (N.Y.), Navy</strong>
<strong>Coach:</strong> Joseph Marchetta
<strong>Career Goals:</strong> 12; <strong>Career Assists:</strong> 21
<strong>Honors:</strong> All-County Class AA1 in 2021. … All-Class honors in 2018 and 2019. … Newsday’s Top 100 in 2018, 2019 and 2021. … Syosset Coaches award in 2019. … AA1 county champion in 2018 and AA1 conference co-champion in 2019. … Other local and state postseason honors for the 2021 fall season have yet to be announced.
<strong>WEST</strong>
<strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26188" first="Alayna" last="Corbitt"], Bearden (Tenn.), Sr., Carson-Newman</strong>
<strong>Coach:</strong> Ryan Radcliffe
<strong>Career Goals:</strong> 5; <strong>Career Assists:</strong> 11
<strong>Honors:</strong> Tennessee all-state in 2021. … All-Region first team in 2020 and 2021. … All-District first team in 2020 and 2021. … Part of a school record of 19 shutouts and only eight goals allowed in a 23-0-1 season.
<strong>[player_tooltip player_id="29382" first="Elizabeth" last="Jaraczeski"], C.M. Russell (Mont.), Idaho State</strong>
<strong>Coach:</strong> Steve Skaer
<strong>Honors:</strong> All-conference in 2020. … Local and state postseason honors for the 2021 fall season have yet to be announced.
<strong>[player_tooltip player_id="28278" first="Kira" last="Prologo"], Eastlake (Wash.), Florida</strong>
<strong>Coach:</strong> Molly Hill
<strong>Career Goals:</strong> 2;<strong> Career Assists:</strong> 4
<strong>Honors:</strong> King County Washington Defensive MVP/Player of the Year in 2019 and 2021. … King County Washington all-league first team in 2019 and 2021. … TopDrawerSoccer fall state star in 2019. Other local and state postseason honors for the 2021 fall season have yet to be announced.
<strong>[player_tooltip player_id="28317" first="Maia" last="Tabion"], Eastlake (Wash.), Columbia</strong>
<strong>Coach:</strong> Molly Hill
<strong>Honors:</strong> Team captain. … Second-team all-state. … Local and state postseason honors for the 2021 fall season have yet to be announced.
<strong>[player_tooltip player_id="34274" first="Ashley" last="Vaughn"], Beavercreek (Ohio), Wright State</strong>
<strong>Coach:</strong> Steve Popp
<strong>Career Goals:</strong> 17; <strong>Career Assists:</strong> 7
<strong>Honors:</strong> 2018 Division 1 State Champs. … All-League 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021. … All-Miami Valley 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021. … All-District 2020, 2021. … All-Region 2020, 2021. … All-State 2020, 2021.
<strong>THE EDGE:</strong> EAST
[player_tooltip player_id="23961" first="Emily" last="Chico"] and [player_tooltip player_id="22961" first="Molly" last="Martin"] are two of the nation’s top Class of 2022 prospects and they are teamed up to lead a very strong East defensive unit. Since this is an all-star competition, it is very likely a number of midfielders will cycle through rotations in the back line, as well. But based on the rostered players, the East has a decided edge in this department. One thing the West has going for it is [player_tooltip player_id="28317" first="Maia" last="Tabion"] and [player_tooltip player_id="28278" first="Kira" last="Prologo"] are high school teammates and both play in the back, so perhaps there might be some cohesion with the West back line that the East might not have.
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