Players to Watch: Jefferson Cup 2024 Girls Showcase Weekend

The college showcase portion of the 2024 Jefferson Cup will kick off March 15-17 with the Girls U15-U19 Showcase in Richmond, Virginia. (College Coaches)

459 teams from across the American youth soccer landscape will do battle on the pitch in the Old Dominion State across 40 divisions. U15 teams will compete in a tournament style format for top honors, while U16-U19 teams will play in a showcase-style competition (Schedule)

2028

Angela Fosso | Forward
NC Fusion 08 (NC)

Led a Fusion attack that outscored opponents 7-3 at the recent ECNL Dallas event. At the Southern Soccer Showcase, she provided two goals. On the ball, Fosso can make opponents miss with the slightest of cuts taking whatever space she can find and burst through the backline. She has also in the past been invited to the USYNT ID Camp.

2027

Julia Amireh | Midfielder
NC Courage 08 (NC)

Buried a brace in the Courage’s 8-0 win over Beach FC in February, using her strong right-foot to knock home two critical goals and supply her teammates with ample goal-scoring opportunities. The 2022 USYNT ID Center invitee played a pivotal role in the Courage capturing the Mid-Atlantic Conference Championship, setting up the attack through the midfield and providing a scoring spark when needed. Her blistering shot against SLSG earned her the ECNL Goal of the Month honors in January.

Congratulations to @juliaamireh2 for winning January’s ECNL Kwik Goal of the Month! #ECNLKwikGoal@NCCourageAcad | @KwikGoal pic.twitter.com/RaMjmy1xNt

— ECNL Girls (@ECNLgirls) January 31, 2024

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Kendall Reid | Forward
NJ Crush Academy ECRL 08 (NJ)

Having just finished her high school with Ramsey where she helped them win the NJ State Championship, Reid will be looking to continue her high-scoring form with Crush. As a freshman, scored 19 goals, receiving First Team All-League honors, as well as Second Team All-State Group Two and an All-County Honorable Mention. At the recent ECRL event in Florida, she scored two goals for Crush helping them earn two wins.

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Camryn George | Winger
Wake FC GA 08 (NC)

Buried a left-footed dagger into the back of the net for Grimsley High School in their 2-2 draw with East Forsyth this week. With the ball at her feet, George can leave defenders in the dust using her quick first touch to create goal-scoring opportunities. As a winger for Wake, George was highly effective over the fall season in moving the team into the attack and can deliver crisp, curling crosses into the box for her teammates to pounce on. Thanks to her work in the attack, Wake finished Southeast Conference play on a seven game unbeaten run, pulling into fourth place (9-6-3, 30 points).

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Peyton Wheatley | Forward
Florida Premier ECRL 09 (FL)

Provides an attacking spark up top for Florida Premier, having scored six goals and tallied four assists for Premier this season. Comfortable with the ball at either foot, Wheatley can drive at defenders, forcing them to back track and get out of position. That in turn creates chances for her teammates on the attack to do damage.

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Jordyn Bauer | Goalkeeper
Match Fit Academy ECNL 09 (NY)

Earned three clean sheets at the ECNL Dallas Showcase, Bauer and the Match Fit defense have conceded just one goal in their last seven games. For her high school, Marlboro, Bauer was integral to their strong fall season leading the team in the Central Jersey Group 4 sectional playoffs. She has also recently been called up to participate in the European Youth Maccabi Games.

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Kendall Watson | Midfielder
NC Courage ECNL 09 (NC)

The 2023 USYNT ID Center invitee has had a strong 2023-2024 campaign for the Courage scoring seven goals and adding six assists. Through her efforts, the Courage cliniched a Champions League berth while finishing fourth in a tough ECNL Mid-Atlantic Conference finishing fourth on an 8-3-1 record on 25 points.

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Ava Sherry | Defender
NEFC NS 2005/2006 (MA)

Playing up for NEFC’s 2005/2006s (she plays for NEFC NS ’09 DPL), Sherry will look to bring her set piece mastery to this year’s Jefferson Cup. Whether it is with her feet or head, Sherry can place shots on frame that are highly difficult for goalkeepers to defend. Playing at either left-back or center-back, Sherry can use her strong left foot to change the course of the match clearing out dangerous balls and sparking the counter-attack. For her high school Austin Prep she earned Most Improved Player and All-State honors.

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Siena Rothmann | Midfielder
Southern Maryland Rush NS 2008 USYS NL (MD)

A playmaker in the middle for Rush, Rothmann has excelled at transitioning her team into the attack during EDP and USYS National League play. Her technical skills and excellent footwork pose major problems from opponents looking to slow her down in the midfield. She is also an asset on set pieces, having scored the game-winning goal for Rush in their 1-0 win over Maryland United FC ECNL. Rothman has previously participated in the Maryland ODP Program and recently earned All-SMAC Second Team honors with McDonough High School.

2026

Rylie Hurst | Goalkeeper
Virginia Development Academy ECNL 08 (VA)

A consummate shot-stopper, Hurst is a wall between the posts for VDA earning seven clean sheets across all ECNL competitions this season. Hurst possesses superior glove work, built from her years of playing shooting guard in basketball. Her timing, both in terms of when she makes her dives and when she chooses to release the ball, is always on point and can make the long throws out to her defenders to start the attack.

PK saves are hard but a little easier when you’re tall and agile. Let’s go!! pic.twitter.com/1Iq63Q3noR

— Rylie Hurst (@ryliehurst) February 6, 2024

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Catie Borsuk | Defender
TSJ FC Virginia GA 08 (VA)

Co-captained Virginia to an undefeated record in Girls Academy Mid-Atlantic Conference play (11-0-2, 35 points), leading a backline that earned nine shutouts. Whether playing as an outside back or as a center-back, Borsuk is highly effective at tightly marking attackers and making the quick stop. She also uses her left foot to start possession from the back, hitting the long cross out wide or a short pass to a midfield while operating out of the center. She is also an asset on set pieces, providing high curling service into the box for her teammates to capitalize on.

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Madison Lahullier | Defensive Midfielder
World Class FC ECNL 08 (NY)

Operating out of the defensive midfield, Lahullier stymies attackers ambitions through the center of the pitch and uses her precision passing to help open up play in the midfield. At 5’11” she can knock down crosses in the air and frame her headers so that they create chances for her teammates. In ECNL Northeast Conference play this season, she has led World Class FC to an undefeated record early on in their campaign (4-0-0, 12 points).

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Chrissy Graves | Center back
Northern Virginia Alliance ECNL 07 (VA)

Anchored the NVA defense to the 2007 ECNL Mid-Atlantic Conference title, allowing a Conference-low eleven goals in twelve matches. Graves closely marks her opponents and can make the clean, professional tackles necessary to stop attacking chances. She has also shown a knack for building possession out of the back, knowing when to make her passes or dribble into the midfield.

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Kayla Dodd | Goalkeeper
Richmond United ECNL 08 (VA)

Booked three solid performances at the recent ECNL Dallas National Event, including a 3-1 win over Michigan Hawks. Facing significant pressure all weekend, Dodd remained cool and composed delivering a shutout against Sporting Iowa (9-0) while holding on for the result against La Roca FC (1-1). Inside the eighteen, she is a leader of the defense working with her field players to shore up gaps and make small adjustments in their strategy. In Mid-Atlantic Conference play, United have conceded just eleven goals, third lowest among all teams.

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Ava Mason | Defender
Cedar Stars Academy-Monmouth GA 07 (NJ)

Spearheads a Monmouth defense that has earned and a 9-1-0 record across all competitions and have just earned a 3-1 win over Syracuse Development Academy in Girls Academy play. The two-time New Jersey High School Champion is comfortable with the ball at either foot and can time her tackles to shut down attackers in the defensive third.

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Sara Sanders | Goalkeeper
Cleveland Force ECNL 07 (OH)

Booked three consecutive clean sheets at the recent ECNL Florida, shutting out Washington Premier (3-0), Real Colorado Athletico (5-0), and Challenge SC (1-0) to earn Cleveland a perfect record. Sanders possesses superb hand-eye coordination and excellent glove work, a testament to the work that she puts in on the pitch as well as the softball diamond. In addition to her work with Cleveland, she is also a first basemen for the Erie Frost high school team.

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Laney Clements | Defender
Baltimore Armour GA 08 (MD)

After leading Armour in goals last year, Clements has primarily worked on her center-back skills in 2024. Thus far, it has proven to be a successful venture, leading the backline to four clean sheets in Girls Academy play. Clements is a varsity player for Maryville Preparatory School and has previously been selected for the Girls Academy Mid-Atlantic Talent ID Camp.

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Roslyn Almodovar | Midfielder
NJ Crush Academy ECRL 08 (NJ)

Captained the Crush to an undefeated record in ECRL Conference play this season (1-0-2, 5 points) including a 4-0 victory over Manhattan SC. In high school play, she led her team to an undefeated record scoring 23 goals and tallying 19 assists over the course of her high school season.

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Ava Hutter | Defender
Pittsburgh Riverhounds ECNL 08 (PA)

One of the top defenders out of Pennsylvania, Hutter leads a backline that allowed just three goals at the ECNL Dallas event. The ‘Hounds team captain, Hutter can lockdown defenders directly by either making the key interception or clearance or by providing her teammates with small adjustments to help close gaps. Hutter has previously participated in the USYNT ID Center camp and plays high school soccer at North Allegheny.

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Logan Smith | Midfielder
NCFC Youth ECNL 08 (NC)

Coming off of a strong high school season with Ravenscroft, Smith will look to take what she has learned at the high school game and positively apply it for NCFC. With Ravenscroft she plays as a bit more of an attacker, which should give her valuable insight as to how attackers think when playing for NCFC. Through her stifling defensive work in the midfield, she aided the NCFC’s defense in limiting opponents to just three goals allowed at the recent ECNL Dallas event.

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Riley Nicholson | Forward
Virginia Union ECNL 08 (VA)

A key attacking player for her VA Union team, Riley has scored two goals and added three assists in her last three ECNL Mid-Atlantic Conference games. She makes clever runs off the ball, maintains possession under pressure, and plays quickly to unsettle the opponent and spring attacks for her team. On the defensive side, Riley uses her pace and smart positioning to force the opponent into turnovers in her team’s attacking half.

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Sofia Donnello | Goalkeeper
PDA Shore Thunder Blue ECRL 09 (NJ)

At the ECRL Florida Spring Showcase, Sofia came up huge for PDA across all three matches, making 50 over the course of the weekend. From halting attackers goal-scoring ambitions in one-on-one situations to being aggressive on corner kicks, Sofia was a defensive force for PDA. In terms of her distribution skills, Donnello is equally comfortable with the ball at her feet and in her hands and is highly accurate with her throws and punts.

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Christina Festa | Midfielder
World Class FC ECNL 08 (NY)

A highly versatile player, Festa can take whatever task is thrown at her on the pitch and excel at it. Her ability to make the quick stop, assess her space on the field and immediately react sets her apart in a difficult 2008 ECNL New England Conference. Her leadership on the pitch has World Class undefeated through five Conference games, with the club’s defense having yielded just two goals. For Immaculate Heart Academy high school in the fall she earned First Team All-County and First Team All-League as well as All-State honors.

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Peyton Berger | Midfielder
NCFC Youth ECRL Elite 08 (NC)

Pulls the strings of the NCFC attack through the midfield, servicing her teammates with crisp passes in open space to hammer shots on target. Thanks to her 22 assists and five goals, NCFC went undefeated in ECRL Carolinas Conference play (11-0-1, 34 points).

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Olivia Rubinich | Defender
Penn Fusion 08 (PA)

A 2023 ECNL Girls U-15 All-American and North Atlantic Conference Player of the Year, Rubinich has captained Penn Fusion’s 08s to an an impressive 4-0 start in the North Atlantic Conference in 2024. The 5’8” defender has led a strong from the backline that has allowed only one goal in four Conference games.

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Julianna Milward | Forward
FC Stars ECRL Blue 08 (MA)

After earning Most Valuable Player honors for the Lawrence Academy, Milward is looking to take her strong high school experience and apply it to FC Stars. The 2022 US Youth National ID Center invitee was also an All-ISL Honorable Mention this fall and has appeared in the ECNL Playoffs in each of her last three seasons.

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Meghan Brazeau | Forward
Bayside FC ECRL 08 (RI)

Working out of the right wing position, Brezeau opens up play for Bayside giving them speed and pace down the flanks. Her quick runs off of the ball and quality service into the box helps her teammates on the inside find space to hit shots on target. In close games, she can also hold possession for long portions of the match getting away from opponents and forcing them to chase. At the recent SUSA Showcase, Bayside earned close victories over Ole FC (1-0) and and the hosts SUSA FC ECRL (2-1) thanks in part to her dominant play on the outside.

2025

Olivia Moynihan | Goalkeeper
East Meadow SC 08 (NY)

Earned three clean sheets across all ECNL competitions thus far this season, including most recently a 3-0 win against the Rockford Raptors at ECNL Dallas. In close one-on-one situations with an attacker, Moynihan shows exemplary patience and does not flinch under pressure. Her ability to control the pace of the match helps stem any momentum that her opponents may be building and allows for East Meadow to build from the back.

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Sienna Manns | Center-back
Keystone FC GA 07 (PA)

Anchors a Keystone defense that is coming off a strong showing at the Challenger Invitational in which they allowed just one goal in route to winning their group. Using her skills and experience that she has accrued on the basketball court as a combo guard (she plays for Cumberland Valley High School) Sienna defensively can throw different marking techniques at attackers that they haven’t seen before throwing them off balance. That she has also played as a number 7, 9, and 11 with CVHS gives her a unique understanding of attacker’s tendencies and allows for her to apply experience as a defender to Keystone’s benefit.

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Lily O’Brien | Midfielder-Defender
Sporting AC GA 07 (PA)

Coming off of back-to-back wins in Girls Academy play against Skyline Elite (2-1) and PA Classics (2-0) O’Brien and Sporting AC will be looking to make a major impact in Richmond. O’Brien is a leader in transition AC from defense to attack, creating space between herself and defenders and then breaking their lines. Whether it is her work in the center of the midfield or as an outside back she is difficult for the opposition to mark and can stretch possessions out for long periods of time. For her high school the Caravel Academy she has earned in the past earned All-State honors and is a two-time All-Conference player. At the club level, she has previously been selected to the USYS ODP ID East Region team and is the club’s GA Team Representative.

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Sophia Valenzano | Goalkeeper
Coppermine SC Elite 64 07 (MD)

Earned three clean sheets between the posts for Coppermine to book their spot in the USYS Elite 64 playoffs. In her first season with Coppermine, Valenzano has steadily become a leader in the defense, leading them to an undefeated mark at the Maryland United Showcase. In their finale, she made multiple saves, holding onto a 1-0 win over Maryland United’s ECNL team. At the high school level, she was instrumental James Bennett earning a spot in the Maryland High School Regional Championships.

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Avery Garrett | Midfielder
Charlotte Development Academy DPL 07 (NC)

A 2023 North Carolina All-State player and a Charlotte Observer First Team selectee, Garrett had a standout 2023 in both high school and club play. With CDA, her 2007s won the Southeast Region and will be competing at the DPL Nationals in June. She was also selected to play in the DPL National Game and for the league’s international team that traveled to London in November.

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Marissa Mackey | Defender
Rage Soccer Club 07 Press (PA)

Alongside her teammates, Mackey held opponents to four shutouts so far this young Showcase season. Mackey alternates between the outside back and center back positions and can make the key, decisive stop when called upon. She is also a highly accurate passer and can help her team build by attacking plays from the back.

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Maeve Moran | Midfielder
FC Stars ECRL White 2007 (MA)

Provides stout defensive work, operating either as a holding midfielder or as an outside back for Stars. Thus far, it has paid off for Moran and Stars in the ECRL New England Conference leading the group to a 2-0-1 on 7 points. She can also play as an attacking midfielder, using her pinpoint passing to provide her surging teammates with quality service.

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Kendall Funk | Forward
Richmond Kickers ECRL Elite Red 2007 (VA)

An ECRL National Selection Game invitee last fall, Funk led a Kickers attack that scored 25 goals in Virginia Conference South Division play. Thanks to her work in creating goal-scoring opportunities for her self and her teammates, the Kickers earned an undefeated record in ECRL Conference play (6-0-1, 19 points). Entering into her spring high school season, Funk is coming off of a 2023 campaign which saw her earn Second Team All-Region and All-Metro RVA Honorable Mention honors with Cosby High School.

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Allison Mastrangelo | Goalkeeper
Match Fit Academy ECRL 07 (NJ)

Earned seven clean sheets in all ECRL competitions this season, leading MFA to a 7-1-2 record on 23 points. Inside of the eighteen yard box, Mastrangelo dominates play using her athleticism to assert control over the match. She can also help set up possession from the back. Delivering crisp passes and throws out to her defense. MFA, thanks in part to Mastrangelo’s wizardry between the posts, come into this year’s Jefferson Cup having allowed just one goal in their last three ECRL matches.