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<p>OK, so we're taking a little liberty with defining the "New York City" area.</p>
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<p>Simply put, the region is so densely populated it's hard to define where the NYC area really ends. So we're tackling it this way, a region from basically Newark, N.J., north to the Lower Hudson, then east through the five NYC boroughs and extending through Long Island. No matter how it's defined this is one very solid region for boys and girls soccer.</p>
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<p>Here's a glance at the top players to watch this fall: </p>
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<p><strong>FORWARDS:</strong> Rutgers commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='23833' first='Alyssa' last='Martinez'] </strong>was the NJ.com Player of the Year in 2021 after leading Westfield to a state title. She finished the season with 31 goals and eight assists. she scored eight goals and had five assists in the playoffs with the capper being a state final game-winning goal with six seconds left in the contest. ... <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='23985' first='Gabrielle' last='Chan'] </strong>of Albertus Magnus netted 18 goals and had nine assists while earning New York Class A first-team all-state honors. She also was named the Rockland County Player of the Year. The rising junior has committed to Columbia. ... <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='55556' first='Riley' last='Mullen'] </strong>was listed as a senior on last year's all-state team, but the Cedar Stars club forward is a senior this year. Mullen led Xavierian to a state playoff appearance before losing to St. Mary's. The Old Dominion commit was a third-team Class AA all-state selection in 2021.</p>
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<p><strong>MIDFIELDERS: [player_tooltip player_id='24540' first='Marryn' last='Gruhn']</strong> was the lone underclass player on the New York state coaches Class AA all-state first- and second-team lists in 2021. She was the leading scorer while helping Northpoint to a 14-3 record. ... Friends Academy plays in a small school division in the Nassau County public school division and it's easy to overlook this program. It shouldn't, however, overlook rising senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='33158' first='Danielle' last='Davis']</strong>. The Clemson commit had 13 goals and 11 assists last season as Friends Academy put together one of its best seasons in years. ... <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='24584' first='Samantha' last='Kolb']</strong> of Long Beach, like Davis, plays for a high school program that could be easily overlooked. The Providence commit started the season with five goals in her first two matches, then took on more of a playmaker role during the season. She ramped it up offensively in the playoffs. ... <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='33159' first='Isabel' last='DiPrima'] </strong>of Albertus Magnus was a second-team Class A all-state honoree last year who scored 12 goals and assisted on six others. ... A rising junior and top prospect, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='33420' first='Dylan' last='Jovanovic']</strong> is coming off a season where she was named fourth-team Class AA all-state by the New York coaches. </p>
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<p><strong>DEFENDERS:</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='24019' first='Isabella' last='Douglas']</strong> of Montclair Kimberly is one of two New Jersey players on this NYC-based list. The Boston College commit was a second-team NJ.com All-Non-Public selection in 2021. Her role has been redefined since a 26-goal breakout sophomore career. She plays more of a defensive role and midfielder role. ... <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='24389' first='Carolina' last='Benitez']</strong> received sixth-team Class AA all-state honors, which really means she was among the top five players in the always-strong Long Island Catholic League based on how all-state slots are delegated in New York. She is a UMass commit.</p>
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<p><strong>GOALKEEPER:</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='55558' first='Elyse' last='Munoz']</strong> of Ward Melville is a two-time Newsday All-Area honoree, earning second-team mention last year. A member of SUSA's club program, Munoz posted 10 shutouts and had more than 100 saves during Ward Melville's 13-2-3 season a year ago. At one point, she strung together six straight shutout victories. </p>
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<p></p>
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OK, so we're taking a little liberty with defining the "New York City" area.
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