Welcome again to Players To Watch. Attacking players with speed to burn highlight the top 20 2012 Girls of the Pacific Northwest. Here’s who made the cut:

Samantha Cordum of Les Bois is a forward with power, pace and great mental toughness. She’s a goal-scorer and a Division I prospect getting plenty off looks from schools in the Pac 10 and WCC.

Brooke Heidemann is a crafty attacking midfielder with playmaking savvy and a clean, lethal final touch. She scores goals and is being recruited by schools in the WAC, WCC, and Big Sky conferences.

Katherine Stokes is a tall, technical, goal-scoring forward with an accurate left foot. She’s a big target-type player getting looks from the WAC and Big Sky conference.

Rebecca Lentz of Evergreen is a big, strong center back with a great ability to read the game. She’s good in the air and can play with both feet, and is currently receiving interest from Seattle University and other Division I schools in the Pacific Northwest.

Lindsay Licht is a target forward with great size, speed, and ability to win balls in the air. She’s a goal-scorer who can finish with both feet, and is a solid Division I college prospect.

Ashley Saracino is a small but extremely quick right back who loves to attack along the flank. She excels at whipping in crosses from the wing, and is also a solid tackler who can track back on defense with pace.

Sadie Hitsky is a central midfielder with good distribution skills who reads the game very well. She’s not big, but is a consistent performer who leads by example.

Anna-Marie Popma of Lake Oswego is a forward with great pace and quickness with the ball at her feet. She has excellent technique, is busy and energetic, and has a knack for scoring goals at pivotal moments.

Kellyn Nelson is a holding midfielder with great tenacity and strength in the air for her size. She reads the game defensively, is a hard tackler, wins tons of 50/50 balls, and is a leader in her first year with her Lake Oswego team.

Alex Teesdale is an assist machine, impacting every attack from her position in the central midfield. She’s got great energy, is extremely fit, fast and has a great competitive drive and knowledge of the game.  

Melissa Cortez is a fiery forward who lives and breathes the game. She’s crafty and technical with the ball at her feet, is unafraid to take risks and has sense of confidence and swagger to her game. Simply put, she’s a game changer.

Central midfielder Isabel Farrell of Crossfire Premier has great technique, vision, and the ability to put the perfect touch on any pass. She scores, assists goals, and is the epitome of a creative attacking mid.

Gwen Bieck is a quick and hard-tackling holding midfielder. She makes the tough passes in traffic, keeps the game simple, and consistently makes good decisions with the ball.

Laura Rayfield is a gifted athlete who can play right back or forward. She’s strong in the air and is great getting her head on corners, she’s a good runner and can hit a good, clean ball.

Cassidy Nangle is an athletic forward who can spread a defense with her speed. Technique and consistency are not her strong suits, but she has a bright future if she continues to improve her touch.

Maggie Plies is a versatile attacking player with good speed and fitness. On the outside, she runs and crosses well, and on the inside she is hard to get a hold on. She bounces off defenders and keeps going, and scores a lot of goals.

Kristen Parr of Oregon Rush is an extremely quick forward who is strong on the ball and in the air. She is technical, good with her back to goal, and a natural goal-scorer who can finish with both feet.     

Maryn Buetler is a Region IV central midfielder/winger with great quickness and technique who loves running at defenders and beating them one-on-one.

Zoe Kilmer is a left-footed wide defender/winger with good technique who spreads the field and whips in dangerous crosses from the flank.

Hayley Estopare is a tall, athletic center back who can also play out wide. She’s got good composure and is a ball-winner in the air.