High School All-America Game Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As in many all-star events, the defense figures to be under pressure on Saturday at the annual High School Soccer All-American Games, which will be played in Mount Pleasant, S.C.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This East-West format features top boys and girls seniors from states that play high school soccer in the fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Girls All-America Game starts at 11 a.m. EST and the boys game will follow at 1 p.m. from Wando High School in Mount Pleasant, S.C. Both games will be live-streamed on PrepSoccer.com.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>BOYS</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The East boys lineup is stacked with goal scorers, featuring Lafayette commit Tommy Clark (137 career goals), UCLA commit Francis Bonsu (100 goals) and UConn commit [player_tooltip player_id='151489' first='Preston' last='Alessio'] (82 goals). The West team counters with Kayden Hudson (114 goals), Vance Sheffield (102 goals) and Lazzar Ramos (93 goals).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hudson, representing perennial state title challenger Peoria Notre Dame (Ill.), Sheffield, from La Salle Prep (Ore.) and Ramos, from Sierra Vista (Nev.), are all uncommitted at this point.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Alessio helped Taft School (Conn.) to its first ever NEPSAC A title this past fall and guided the team to a No. 2 finish in the PrepSoccer Prep Top 10. Bonsu starred at Millbrook School (N.Y.), a smaller NEPSAC school with a storied history of producing high-end soccer players. Clark, from Dunmore (Pa.), was a four-time all-league and two-time all-state player.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The East team, as usual, is loaded by with players from the prep school ranks. In addition to Alessio and Bonsu, other prep school representatives include Hoosac School (N.Y.) forward Harun Bakaran (Xavier), Milton Academy (Mass.) midfielder Alfred Debah (Wake Forest) and midfielder Josh Partal 9Stanford), Woodstock Academy midfielder [player_tooltip player_id='278636' first='Jude' last='Essuman'] (Rutgers) and goalkeeper [player_tooltip player_id='284919' first='Alvaro' last='Medrano Lopez'], Northwood School midfielder Diego Green (Notre Dame) and defender Cedric Lemaire (Rutgers), Berkshire School (Mass.) midfielder Gabe Raphael (Holy Cross), and Kiski School (Pa.) defender Santiago Giraldo Valencia.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In addition, Maryland private schools provide addition high-powered commits to the lineup with North Carolina commit Dan Klink and and West Virginia commit Sammie Walker representing Loyola Blakefield (Md.) and Maryland commit Casey Price from Archbishop Curley. Another player to watch is Pennington School (N.J.) star Bacary Tandjigora, who has committed to Virginia.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The West lineup features more traditional high school players, but is certainly no less talented. Players to watch include Clemson commits Cooper Hineline from Ralston Valley (Colo.) and Xander Sevian from Boulder (Colo.), Notre Dame commit Alex Rosin from Rochester Adams (Mich.), Ohio State commits Marty McLaughlin and Justis Olorunto from St. Ignatius (Ohio).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In total, 15 of 20 East players are committed to NCAA Division I programs while 10 West players are headed to Division I teams. There are a total 14 uncommitted players.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>GIRLS</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>All 39 players named to the girls all-America game rosters have committed to NCAA Division I programs, which should lead to a high-level competition.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both East and West lineups feature players ranked among the nation's top prospects, and plenty with youth national team experience.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The East offense should be led by Virginia commit Addison Halpern, who netted 180 goals during a stellar career at Rutgers Prep (N.J.), Boston College commit Tess Barrett, who scored 123 career goals at Cohasset (Mass.), and South Carolina commit [player_tooltip player_id='33328' first='Alexa' last='Pino'], who tallied 123 goals at St. Joseph (Conn.).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The rest of the East roster includes: Rutgers Prep (N.J.) goalkeeper Brielle Baker (Louisville), Harriton (Pa.) forward Nina Cantor (Princeton), Gorham (Maine) midfielder Ashley Connolly (South Carolina), Ward Melville (N.Y.) defender Maddie Costello (Clemson), DePaul Catholic (N.J.) midfielder Nicole Crane (Penn State), Randolph (N.J.) forward JoJo DeNegri (Yale), Loomis Chaffee (Conn.) midfielder [player_tooltip player_id='33327' first='Emma' last='Gregorski'] (Providence), Green Farms Academy defender [player_tooltip player_id='20848' first='Julia' last='Johnson'] (Princeton), Conestoga (Pa.) goalkeeper Keira Kemmerley (Northwestern), St. Andrew's Episcopal (Md.) defender Kosette Koons-Perdikis (Duke), Avonworth (Pa.) forward Fiona Mahan (Alabama), Phillips Andover (Mass.) midfielder Emily Mara (Boston College), Acton-Boxborough (Mass.) midfielder Sadie Mathis (Boston College), Notre Dame Prep (Md.) defender Hanna Phillips (Florida Gulf Coast), Hopkinton (Mass.) midfielder Madison Recupero (Princeton), Columbia (N.Y.) midfielder Kennedy Ring (Penn State) and Holton-Arms (Md.) midfielder Loretta Talbott (Virginia).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The West lineup features 10 players headed to SEC programs. Florida-bound Sophia Sindelar recently finished her career at Rocky River (Ohio) with 167 career goals. Mississippi State commit Tatum Borman, from Scott County (Ky.), netted 113 goals. Walsh Jesuit (Ohio) forward Hannah Pachan (Virginia Tech) and Oak Hills (Ohio) forward Presley Pennekamp (Xavier) also topped 100 career goals in high school.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The rest of the West roster includes Clarksville (Tenn.) midfielder Rebekah Allen (Ole Miss), Jesuit (Ore.) goalkeeper Zoe Anderson (Arkansas), Sacred Heart Academy (Ky.) forward Caitlin Chase (Vanderbilt), Roncalli (Ind.) forward Summer Fishel (St. Louis University), Ensworth School (Tenn.) midfielder Breahn Fisher (Tennessee), Harpeth Hall (Tenn.) midfielder Helen Ghertner (South Carolina), Lake Oswego (Ore.) defender Julia Joseph (Rutgers), Woodinville (Wash.) defender Ally Laccinole (Oklahoma), Grant (Ore.) midfielder Paige Nakada (San Francisco), Roosevelt (Wash.) midfielder Avery O'Donnell (Gonzaga), Walsh Jesuit (Ohio) midfielder Reagan Pentz (Vanderbilt), Massillon Jackson (Ohio) goalkeeper Elizabeth Rozmajzl (Ohio State), Houston (Tenn.) midfielder Ellett Smith (Vanderbilt), Jesuit (Ore.) defender Sophia Stiles (Rutgers) and Lone Peak (Utah) defender Ruby Lee (Weber State).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->