San Diego Surf 2009 girls win National Title

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With eight girls ranked inside of PrepSoccer.com's top 22 players from the class of 2027, it is not hard to see why the San Diego Surf 2009 girls team are National Champions. They beat KC Athletics 2-0 on Saturday to claim the crown after a 2-1 over Solar SC in the semifinals and a 2-0 win over Penn Fusion in the quarterfinals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='112223' first='Jaslyn' last='Cumberland'], Midfielder</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cumberland can play a variety of positions. She mostly features as a No. 8, and also plays as a No. 10 but can also play as an outside back if needed. She is a very fast player, one who is active and dynamic. She's a good distributor and decision maker, and always makes herself available for her teammates. She's a key facilitator when playing centrally and she really likes to get out and go when playing the No. 10.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='144815' first='Lilah' last='Hershey'], Forward</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hershey is a wonderful forward because she can play in a multi-faceted way. The No. 9 can be a target striker, or create in the run of play. She is really good with her back to goal and allowing her wide players and her No. 10 to make a run off of her and she can create for herself, showing good technical skills and ability on the ball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='112224' first='Lolly' last='Mirhashemi'], Defender</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mirhashemi is a player that could truly play anywhere on the pitch. If you see her play or watch her tape, you see an incredibly athletic and fast player with great foot skills. During the high school season at La Jolla Country Day, she played a more advanced position and routinely took defenders on and scored on rocket shots from distance. However, as a defender, she is extremely valuable because she can possess and make decisions from the back line. She's basically impossible to press because she is so good with the ball. She's also a fierce and physical defender who takes pride in her craft.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='147416' first='Elle' last='McMurrey'], Central Defender</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McMurrey is like Mirhashemi, who is mentioned above, in that she can possess the ball, remains calm in possession and makes smart decisions with the ball. She can really open a team up if they try to press high. She has midfielder foot skills and passing ability, which is why you can see her playing as a No. 6 sometimes. She is smart, fast and physical and can standout at either spot. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='146362' first='Felicity' last='Nguyen'], Forward</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":194365,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/07/Felicity.jpg?w=1006" alt="" class="wp-image-194365" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Santa Margarita High</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Much has been made of Nguyen lately, and for good reason. The hype train is very real on Nguyen who is a true goal scorer and can do so in a number of ways. She makes runs and finds herself in the right place, getting on the end of a ball, and she is very good at creating for herself. She can score from distance with accuracy, also. When you see her, you see a quick, agile player who defenders have trouble keeping under wraps. As a freshman on the state champion Santa Margarita team, she was trusted by coach Craig Bull to play some important minutes in a loaded lineup.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='144818' first='Ruby' last='Royal'], Central Midfielder</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Royal is a center mid with the ability of a No. 10. She's shifty, changes direction quickly, likes to play balls through and is great at taking on defenders. She also has the fight and grit of a No. 6. She is a very talented player that can play all over the midfield. She has good vision and composure to go with her foot skills and precise passing ability.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='112225' first='Jorden' last='Swain'], Midfielder</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Swain was just recently written about, which you can see <a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2024/07/california-2027-midfielders-are-ridiculously-talented/">here</a> for a more robust analysis, but she is a shifty, quick and agile player who moves excellently, understands the pitch and how the game is developing, and finishes clinically.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='112280' first='Ixchel' last='Alehna Uscanga'], Defensive Midfielder</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A tenacious and ferocious No. 6, Alehna Uscanga shows just how talented this team's midfield is. She is skilled enough to play as a No. 10 or an attacking player, with foot skills for days and ability to make a pressing player look silly. She is shifty and quick, but understands her role as a true pivot defensive mid. She gets the ball out quickly and accurately into open space and let's her wide players run. She processes the game so quickly that she gives her attacking teammates very good opportunities to exploit the space.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->