Game-Changers: NorCal title may rest with one of these players

The Northern California Division I championships, at the North Coast and Central Coast Section level, and at the NorCal level, will be fascinating in 2022. [caption id="attachment_38190" align="alignright" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-38190" src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2022/01/Allie-v-Menlo-scaled-crop-1709x1122-1642600948-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <strong>Mountain View senior Allie Montoya.</strong> <em>Photo: Andrew Walker</em>[/caption] These brackets will feature the cream of the crop teams with the cream of the crop players. Carondelet, Monte Vista, and Tamalpais are all considered favorites to compete for the NCS title and reach the NorCal playoffs, while St. Francis, Mountain View, and Archbishop Mitty are two of several heavy hitters in the CCS. All six of these teams could compete for the region title because of many things but in particular, each team has one very talented player who could blaze the trail. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="19267" first="Charlyse" last="Berry"], Monte Vista, Senior, Forward</strong> A coach in the East Bay Area referred to her as the Messi of Northern California after a standout performance against their team. A smart, athletic, and creative player, this Columbia commit has been a force up top for the Mustangs this season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="19243" first="Caroline" last="Kane"], St. Francis, Senior, Central Defender</strong> Kane is a Princeton commit and you can see why as she is a 6-foot center back with tremendous aerial ability. She has great speed as well and can help cover her teammates on the wings. She is a very calm and poised player on the ball, making good decisions on when to play it short out of the back. She's also dangerous going forward, both with the ball at her feet or as a target on set pieces is incredible because she's a great athlete. <strong>Lauren Kenny, Carondelet, Junior, Forward</strong> The Oregon commit is a three-year varsity player who is a great athlete, very fast and versatile. She is an unselfish player and because of that is dangerous in scoring and creating, and on top of that is a great teammate. She has six goals and three assists on the season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="36271" first="Yuna" last="McCormack"], Tamalpais, Junior, Midfielder</strong> The Virginia commit is like a unicorn in the Marin County Athletic League. She is a special player that a lot of people oftentimes get caught just watching. Her balance, change of pace, and vision are next level. She makes people miss in tight spaces and can then separate and create, either for herself or for a teammate with a perfectly weighted ball. "She is an incredibly special talent that became the player that she is now by devoting herself to her craft," Branson coach Tyler Gottschalk said. "Putting in the countless extra hours every day to reach the heights she is at now. Yuna is all class. Unbelievably talented on the pitch, as well as humble, respectful and kind off of it." <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="19037" first="Allison" last="Montoya"], Mountain View, Senior, Right Wing</strong> Montoya's speed and 1v1 abilities to create on the dribble and make defenders miss is second-to-none amongst teams in the CCS. The Stanford commit can score with both feet and do so in a variety of ways. Montoya is nearly impossible to slow down, and basically impossible to stop. "There isn't anyone in the section as good as her," Mountain View coach Jeff Panos said. "This is my 24th year coaching high school soccer in the CCS. Allie is one of the top 2-3 players I have ever had the pleasure to work with." <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="19981" first="Murphy" last="Walsh"], Archbishop Mitty, Freshman, Forward</strong> Walsh has burst onto the scene this year as a freshman, leading Mitty with nine goals. She is a very tall target forward, checking in at nearly 6-feet tall. She plays club for the MVLA 06 ECNL team.