Girls 2026's who went from Watch Listed to Ranked

These 2026 players have been stuck on the watch list since the last rankings update, and have waited patiently to be ranked. For some, it was a huge leap into the rankings and one that was long overdue.    Bartell was just featured <a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2024/08/california-2026s-looking-to-be-risers/">here</a> last week. She is a big keeper with great instincts and positioning. She is quick and covers a lot of space between the posts. She is a brave keeper who is unafraid to come out.     Cao joins the rankings as she has had a breakthrough campaign. It started with her playoff run for her high school, Archbishop Mitty, and has taken off from there. She is a tall center back with great ability in the air and it is effective on both ends. She wins aerial duels while defending and she is very good at scoring on corner kicks. She is a ball-hawking defender who shows great tracking ability and she is physical. She is also technically gifted and comfortable with the ball at her feet.     Fry is one of the biggest movers in this update. The Santa Margarita High junior just recently committed to Tennessee. Fry is very impressive when it comes to her pace and her ability to vary up that pace. She can lull a defender to sleep and then explode. She also changes direction so seamlessly, and when you watch her play, she will cut and is already moving before the defender has reacted to that cut. She is terrific on the ball in space, she drives downhill hard and she can finish with either foot. The Vols are getting a good one.     The Legends FC defender is a player that can contribute at both ends. She has good ability on the ball and likes to push up from the outside. She tracks back quickly as well and is good at defending on the move, or using her body in the back third to keep attackers from getting into the box. She can play outside on either side as she is good with her right or left foot.     Posey moves in to the rankings at No. 90 and was just featured <a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2024/08/california-2026s-looking-to-be-risers/">here</a> last week. She is a creative midfielder who likes to roam, but never loses track of her responsibility. She covers a lot of ground, takes on a lot of tasks and succeeds at them. She shows good ball skills, the ability to distribute and the ability to score. She's a high IQ player who is a leader and commanding presence.     Rocha was also just featured last week, <a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2024/08/california-2026s-looking-to-be-risers/">here</a>, and is one of the biggest climbers by a lot. What an impressive athlete, as she is incredibly strong, incredibly fast and has great size. She can do it all as she can join the attack from the back line, she can score, she can possess and she is a physical, brick wall of a defender. A very impressive player, indeed.     Sorenson-Wald was just featured <a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2024/08/california-2026s-looking-to-be-risers/">here</a> last week. She is a versatile player who can play basically anywhere in the midfield or play out wide and be a forward. She is a player with a good understanding of the game, that makes good and quick decisons, delivers with precision, with creativity (and some cheekiness) and she knows how to exploit space.     After a good season and a great showing in Norco at the GA Playoffs, Sumner jumps in to the rankings. She can act as a pivot No. 6, but she can also carry the ball down the pitch and be a force in space. She plays a good ball out wide and will continue to occupy space and make herself an available threat before tracking back. She's very tough minded, battling with attacking mids and forwards, winning most of her duels. She tackles very well, she works incredibly hard in the midfield and she also flashes very good speed and technical skills.     Young she was featured <a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2024/08/beach-fc-features-highly-ranked-2026-players/">here</a> just two weeks ago. She is a quick and creative player that can be a force in the middle of the attack as she knows when to distribute and knows when to go for goal. She is very creative and good in space.

These 2026 players have been stuck on the watch list since the last rankings update, and have waited patiently to be ranked. For some, it was a huge leap into the rankings and one that was long overdue.