Rankings risers from the 2026 class

A lot of players made moves in the newly updated PrepSoccer rankings for the girls 2026 class. Some made modest moves, some couldn't move very much because they are ranked so highly, and some made big jumps. Here are the players who made moves up the list.   [player_tooltip player_id='83483' first='Grace' last='Ae'], Keeper, LAFC   Ae made a big jump as she moved up 26 spots, moving from 45 to 19. As soon as I saw her film I was impressed. She was featured recently as I wrote about her <a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2024/07/keepers-from-2008-class-in-california-is-rich-with-talent/">here</a> last month. I was very impressed by her athleticism and her reaction times. She is very gifted, very quick, very athletic and and anticipates so very well.   Josie "JB" Biehl, Keeper, San Diego Surf   Biehl was also featured in the <a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2024/07/keepers-from-2008-class-in-california-is-rich-with-talent/">article</a> mentioned above as she is ranked as the top keeper in California. She was recently selected as an ECNL All-American. She is like an extra field player with the way she can possess and distribute the ball and she is so athletic that she can get to pretty much any shot or come out and get to any ball before the attacker cna make a move. She only moved up three spots, but that is a lot when you were already No. 6. She is now ranked third in the class.   [player_tooltip player_id='82736' first='Sophia' last='Canepa'], Central Defender, De Anza Force   The central defender, moved up four spots from 46 to 42, and she recently committed to be a Jayhawk and play a the University of Kansas. Canepa takes her job of protecting the keeper very seriously as she is like a brick wall in the back. She also travels well in the final third as she will go clean up messes before it turns into danger. She really anticipates well and steps to the ball quickly, and she can hit it one time and deliver an accurate pass to help transition. She is very fast, shows good recovery speed, she's physical and she is incredibly technical.   [player_tooltip player_id='83464' first='Cayden' last='Chowana-Bandhu'], Midfielder/Forward, Eagles SC   Chowana-Bandhu climbed 40 spots after being named to the ECNL All-Conference team as she is now ranked at No. 36. She can play as an attacking midfielder or play as a forward and do well at both. She has a nose for goal, and uses her great speed and creativity to be dangerous. She makes defenders miss when she's in space, using great agility and change of pace to get past a defender 1v1, but what is more impressive is how strong she is in the box. She does not get shouldered off the ball, and she is able to keep possession, use her strength and get a shot on target.   [player_tooltip player_id='19499' first='Ireland' last='Churchill'], Forward, Slammers HBK   Churchill is a forward for Slammers HBK and she climbed 19 spots to No. 21. She is an impressive player to watch because of how balanced she is. She is hard to body because she is strong, she is hard to knock off the ball because she is not afraid to be physical and she has great speed, making her physical traits ideal for the position. She can beat defenders on a straight line, she can beat them by timing her runs well, and she is a true finisher once in front of goal. She's not one dimensional as she can create, showing excellent technical skills, and then she can play a ball into the box or across the face of goal and set up a teammate.   [player_tooltip player_id='82592' first='Giselle' last='Fuentes Gonzalez'], Midfielder, SoCal Blues   Fuentes Gonzalez was named ECNL All-Conference for her SoCal Blues team and she moved up two spots in the rankings from 69 to 67. She is a very good, all-around player. She does it all in the midfield, which includes being a playmaker and a passer. Her game translates to going forward as well, because she is good with the ball at her feet and she is good at finding ways to be dangerous and puts shots on frame. She also does well defensively, especially when it comes to making tackles in the midfield.   [player_tooltip player_id='82414' first='Zamorah' last='Malinoski'], Forward/Midfielder, Slammers HBK   Do you want to see ridiculous on-ball talent? Then just watch the first minute of her recent <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPcYwBp9UL8">highlight</a> reel. She is incredibly gifted in possession as she is clever and athletic. Malinoski shows a wide array of skills on the ball, technically, creatively and she has a competitiveness in her that drives her. She is very special in traffic, as she blows past defenders, gets in and out of situations with two and three defenders with her agility and quickness, and even has some clubs in her bag, like back heels and dribbling skills that make you say wow. She has excellent vision, knows when to play the ball and where on top of being an excellent scoring threat. She moved up nearly 60 spots to No. 14 and was named ECNL All-Conference.   [player_tooltip player_id='20055' first='Peyton' last='Marinos'], Forward, SoCal Blues   The SoCal Blues forward jumped up seven spots, all the way up to No. 4 after being named an ECNL All-American. She is obviously very athletic and technically gifted, but what she really has in her that separates her is fight and grit. She is a physical forward who is much stronger than one would realize before playing against her. She will go shoulder to shoulder and she will keep the ball at her feet while doing so. She fights through contact to beat defenders, and then is able to finish, doing so by slotting the ball home or drilling a laser from a tough angle.   [player_tooltip player_id='82617' first='Fiona' last='McCormick'], Attacking Midfielder, De Anza Force   McCormick jumped up 10 spots and is now ranked No. 6. She is a fantastic attacking player, featuring in the No. 10 spot for De Anza Force. She fends off contact really well, absorbing it while carrying the ball down the pitch and then she can go from physical to finesse in a second, showing the great agility that separates her from others and changing direction and pace in an instant. She's a fantastic passer who plays the ball into an area with perfect weight, and she has a nose for goal showing a promising finishing ability. She will also fight to win the ball as well, and she dispossesses people frequently. She is tall, athletic and strong. She was named an ECNL All-American.   [player_tooltip player_id='20206' first='Sloane' last='Phillips'], Midfielder, City SC   Phillips is a special talent, and she just recently committed to Colorado. She moves up six spots to No. 9, she has been featured a couple of times in the last couple of months, including <a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2024/06/southern-california-soon-to-be-flooded-with-ga-talent/">here</a>, and for very good reason. She is a midfielder that orchestrates the game as she is in complete control. She is never rushed, never panicked, making great decisions and picking great passes. She has great body control and is excellent with the ball at her feet, and when those two things combine, she can weave past defenders, glide into space as her on ball movement is really impressive. Her off ball movement is also noteworthy as she is so good at making herself available and picking the right spot to be, not just to be a threat, but also to help her team. She also might be the hardest working player I have seen, as every time I log into Twitter/X there is a <a href="https://x.com/SloaneJPhillips">video </a>of her doing drills.   [player_tooltip player_id='58256' first='Presley' last='Williams'], Forward, San Diego Surf   Williams jumped into the top 10, moving up seven spots to No. 10. She also just recently announced her commitment to Alabama. She is exactly what a Division I athlete needs to be. Not just the physical skills, as she has the work ethic and the desire to compete, but she also has the attributes that need to be the carrying tools. She's incredibly fast as a No. 11, she can use either foot and once she gets past a defender, she can finish with the right or the left. She's very good at picking out a slot and driving the ball home. She's got good size and plays physically. She's also quite good at sending in crosses, or cutting in and crossing the face of goal and dropping a nice ball on the floor for a teammate to get on the end of.

A lot of players made moves in the newly updated PrepSoccer rankings for the girls 2026 class. Some made modest moves, some couldn't move very much because they are ranked so highly, and some made big jumps. Here are the players who made moves up the list.