California rising sophomore, freshmen blazing trails

Players are learning to take command from a young age and take license in their future. To take control of the game, to manage their area of the pitch and to be a force regardless of their age. These girls from the classes of 2027 and 2028 are taking the bull by the horns and blazing their own path to the next level.   [player_tooltip player_id='184408' first='Lily' last='Artiaga'], Central Defender, LA Surf, Class of 2027   Artiaga is an LA Surf player, who plays central defense and attends Valencia High where she is a rising sophomore. She is a physical defender, who leads by example and vocally, as she is a very supportive teammate. She shows great vision in anticipating attackers, and great vision in seeing what is unfolding on the pitch before she sees the ball. This allows her to make quick decisions in terms of where to move the ball. She has great technical skills to go with tactical awareness. She is a player who is passionate about the game, but is very coachable. Artiaga wants to continue growing as a player and is looking to be multi-positional so she can help in all regards. She is also always working on her stamina and speed.   [player_tooltip player_id='112213' first='Makena' last='Cook'], Forward, Slammers HBK, Class of 2027   Cook is a forward who shows great speed and power. She is hard to handle because she plays the game hard, plays fast and is physical. She is a very athletic player, and despite that continues to work very hard. She is excellent when it comes to pressing the defense as she demonstrates a great work ethic, and she is always looking to be dangerous or to create chances for her teammates. She plays club for Slammers HBK and attends Orange Lutheran High.   [player_tooltip player_id='184470' first='Mae' last='Durkin'], Forward/Outside Defender, Los Angeles Bulls SC, Class of 2027   Durkin is a wide forward who can also drop back and play as an outside defender. She is a rising sophomore at Palisades Charter and plays club for Los Angeles Bulls SC where she will be the first girl to ever play in the league. Her spot will be with the boys 2010 Elite Academy team. She also played up three years on the girls 2006 NPL team as she has gained so much experience and exposure to advanced competition. She is a No. 11 with a strong left foot as she can really whip crosses into the box. She shows great speed and with that speed she is prolific at beating defenders down the line.   [player_tooltip player_id='155486' first='Avery' last='McCormack'], Central Midfielder, LA Surf SC, Class of 2027   McCormack is a Flintridge Prep player for high school and plays GA for the 2009 team at LA Surf SC. Where she has thrived on the pitch in recent matches is that she makes space in the midfield. She is a central midfielder and she looks to command this space and to place perfectly weighted passes to her forwards. She is always looking to be creative and hard-working from her No. 8 spot as she is a consistent player, one who always puts in a shift, who leads and acts as a community builder amongst the team.   [player_tooltip player_id='170724' first='Sherlyn' last='Palos'], Midfielder, City SC, Class of 2028   A commanding presence in the midfield, Palos is a force when on the pitch. She covers a lot of ground, showing how dynamic she is and she plays with great energy. She works very hard to be sure that she puts herself in great positions to receive the ball when her team is in possession and she positions herself well when the other team is in possession as well. She is disruptive to attacks in the midfield, and then she has the awareness to transition quickly. She makes the smart passes and makes them look easy and she also has a lot of creativity. She is able to create space and turn to play a ball in a direction that the defense was not expecting. She also pushes forward really well and will continue runs in order to get into a position to be a threat. Palos shows great ability to break lines on the dribble and with her passing range. She can take players on 1v1, draw defenders and distribute. She has worked tirelessly on her technical skills and shows an advanced understanding of the game on the mental side. She plays club for City SC and attends San Marcos High.

Players are learning to take command from a young age and take license in their future. To take control of the game, to manage their area of the pitch and to be a force regardless of their age. These girls from the classes of 2027 and 2028 are taking the bull by the horns and blazing their own path to the next level.