Tri-State talent shining through

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Perhaps not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of the Tri-State area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut is soccer, but these four girls are trying to change that narrative. The area is rich with talent, and these four are some of the shining stars in the area. With their array of skills and abilities, they are making headlines. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='101693' first='Teigan' last='Cunnane'], Attacking Midfielder/Forward, Class of 2026</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An attacking midfielder first and foremost, Cunnane is a very versatile player who can play on the defensive line, and does so for Albertus Magnus High in Bardonia, NY. She plays club for World Class FC's 2008 ECNL team. A skilled player with the ball at her feet, Cunnane can do just about everything, showing great technical skill, playmaking ability and scoring ability. In addition, she is a relentless competitor, she is driven to succeed which leads her to be dedicated to the sport and on top of that she is a supportive teammate who acts as a leader. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='60361' first='Olivia' last='Jungkunst'], Midfielder/Forward, Class of 2025</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jungkunst attends Kellenberg Memorial High in Uniondale, NY and plays club at Long Island Soccer Club, playing for the 2007 GA team. She is highly ranked in New York, considered one of the top three players of the 2025 class, and is already committed to Hofstra. Jungkunst is a true, legitimate talent. She is versatile and dynamic as she can play in the center of the pitch or be an attacking player, and she shows great ability in doing so with quickness, creativity and vision. What she likes to be known for is how she is dedicated to her teammates, to her community and making a difference. She certainly does that on the pitch as well, playing with a resilience and relentlessness that few possess. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='140336' first='Baila' last='Kessler'], Central Defender, Class of 2025</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kessler attends Ridgefield High in Connecticut and crosses into New York for club, playing for New York Soccer Club's 2007 GA team. She is a center back who is really tough to beat. She has great quickness and toughness, and stays active off the ball so that she is always switched on and scanning the field. She does not allow attackers to free up space because of the soccer intelligence she displays. She is also a lockdown defender in 1v1 situations. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lilly McFadden, Forward/Winger, Class of 2025</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McFadden is a Connecticut high school player, attending Daniel Hand High in Madison, CT. She plays club for the Connecticut FC 2006 ECNL team. She plays as an outside forward and can sit deeper if needed, and she can play on the outside because of how fast she is. She has speed to burn. She is also unselfish, so she is looking to get the ball into the box from the outside. She is a very dangerous player because she can get up the line and whip in crosses. She also possesses great strength. A competitive player, McFadden is very hard-working.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->