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1
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Maria Carrillo
Santa Rosa, CA
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0-0-0
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| What was supposed to be a rebuilding year in 2013 turned into a second straight national championship season, and now the Pumas are aiming for an unprecedented third straight FAB 50 national title -- which has never been accomplished by any team in any season in the 16-year rankings history. Maria Carrillo 16 of 22 players from last year's squad, led by Santa Clara junior commit Madison Gonzalez and Oregon senior commit Brianne Parsons. Senior midfielder Miranda Gonzalez is close to making a college decision, as well, according to coach Deb LaPrath. Maria Carrillo is riding a 49-match undefeated streak, and its stellar scheduled includes matches against FAB 50-ranked Issaquah (Wash.), Montgomery, Bishop O'Connell (Va.) and Good Counsel (Md.). |
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2
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Avon
Avon, IN
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0-0-0
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| It might be hard to resist an "Avon Ladies" quip, but this team proved it was no joke in 2013 by winning the Indiana Class AA state title. With nine returning starters and 17 of 25 players coming back, Avon is poised for another run at a state crown, and this time a FAB 50 national title might be within reach. Kelsey Dossey (Missouri) and Cassidy Blacha (Indiana) highlight the returning players, and both are graduating in December in order to join their future college programs in time for spring training. Avon's national standing will be tested early with matches against No. 9 Carmel and No. 21 Sacred Heart Academy (Ky.) in the first weekend of September at the Zionsville Lady Eagle Invitational. |
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3
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Northern Highlands
Allendale, NJ
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0-0-0
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| Northern Highlands might offer the most talented lineup of any FAB 50 team, but questions remain if these players will ever be on the field at the same time. Virginia commit Hana Kerner may have her high school season interrupted by US Youth National Team commits. Kerner recently represented the U.S. Under-18s at an event in Mexico City. Boston College commit Carly Leipzig plans a return to high school soccer this fall, but is currently sidelined with an ACL injury, according to coach Tara Madigan. The team should be able to count on Georgetown commit Casey Richards, along with three other ECNL players. Northern Highlands enters the 2014 season with a national best 72-match undefeated streak. |
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4
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Walsh Jesuit
Cuyahoga Falls, OH
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0-0-0
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| Walsh Jesuit claimed the Ohio Division I state title last season with an almost completely underclass starting lineup. In addition, the Warriors ran through the seven-match postseason event without allowing a goal, making it a clear favorite to repeat in 2014. Walsh Jesuit is riding a 41-match undefeated streak entering the 2014 season. |
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5
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Lenape
Medford Township, NJ
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0-0-0
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| Lenape back up short in its bid for a sixth state title in seven years, but there's no reason to believe this team will fade in the New Jersey scene. Lenape won five straight titles from 2007-2011 and have back-to-back runner-up finishes the past two years. The 2014 team will be led by a trio of NCAA Division I commits in Lizzie Kinkler (Wake Forest), Marissa Topolski (Rice) and Kenie Wright (Rutgers). |
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6
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Skyline
Sammamish, WA
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0-0-0
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| Skyline pretty much dominated the high school scene in Washington in 2013 before losing to league rival Issaquah in the state tournament. Skyline and Issaquah are again labeled as the preseason favorites in Washington, and regardless of their starting position ultimately will settle the issue on the field. Skyline returns Amanda Johnston (Washington), Abbey Porter (Washington State) and Kelli Sullivan (Colorado College). |
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7
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Pennington School
Pennington, NJ
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0-0-0
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| There's a change in the head coaching ranks at Pennington, but that will not change much on the field. Patrick Murphy moves into the head coaching position as Bill Hawkey, the previous coach, was promoted to the position of Head of Schools. Murphy and Hawkey have coached Pennington to 11 straight Prep A state titles, and will be an easy favorite to repeat yet again. Pennington's lineup features Stanford commit and US Youth National Team member Alana Cook, Colgate commit Allison Vickers and Division I prospect Lauren Brown. |
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8
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Issaquah
Issaquah, WA
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0-0-0
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| Issaquah returns seven starters from last year's state runner-up squad, and has a chance to validate itself on the field this fall. This perennial title challenger sees Skyline in league play, but also faces Oregon defending state champion Tualatin (Ore.) and two-time defending FAB 50 national champion Maria Carrillo (Calif.). The key returners for Issaquah are Lyrik Fryer (Central Florida), Annie Hoffman (Boise State) and Devan Talley. |
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9
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Carmel
Carmel, IN
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0-0-0
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| Indiana has emerged as a powerhouse fall girls soccer state in recent years thanks to large schools with ample talent, and Carmel heads that list. While Carmel, with nearly 4,500 students, has long been a FAB 50 fixture, many of the Indianapolis suburban powers are featuring lineups with three to six NCAA Division I commits every year. This year's Carmel team features Amanda Shaw (Missouri), youth national team pool player Ryan Kokoska (UC Santa Barbara) in the senior class, and juniors Macy Miller (Indiana), Anna Denkmann (Missouri) and Chandler Backes (with several Division I offers). Carmel returns seven starters from last year and will be a serious challenger to Avon's reign as state champion. |
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10
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Houston
Germantown, TN
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0-0-0
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| Germantown Houston returns 10 starters from last year's 23-0-1 team, and will have plenty of opportunities to move up in the rankings after some of the higher-ranked teams go head-to-head early in the season. Caroline Heavey has committed to UT Chattanooga. Junior Gabby Little is being courted by several SEC schools. Seniors Robyn Pennella, Connie Strini and Madison Studstill have committed to smaller colleges. |
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11
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McDonogh School
Owings Mills, MD
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0-0-0
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| McDonogh will go through a transitional year after losing a stellar senior class. However, the Eagles have one of the nation's most explosive offensive players to carry the load -- North Carolina commit Bridgette Andrzejewski, a junior who is part of the U.S. Youth National Team player pool. |
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12
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Montgomery
Santa Rosa, CA
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0-0-0
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| Montgomery went 19-3 last year … three one-goal losses to top-ranked Maria Carrillo and 19-0 against every other school. Montgomery again is figured to be the largest obstacle between Maria Carrillo and another North Coast Section championship. The Vikings are led by Virginia commit Taylor Ziemer. This could be the final season for Maria Carrillo and Montgomery playing fall soccer, if the local boys soccer teams have their way. Discussions are in place to have the NCS programs move to the winter season for the 2015-16 school year to better align with most of California. |
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13
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Fishers
Fishers, IN
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0-0-0
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| Fishers, with 2,200 students, is among the smaller of the FAB 50-ranked Indiana programs, but there's no shortage of talent in this program. Fishers will be led by returning all-state performer Kylie Hohlt, who has committed to Xavier. The Tigers were the state runner-up to Avon last season. |
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14
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Cumberland Valley
Mechanicsburg, PA
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0-0-0
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| Cumberland Valley returns nine starters from last year's 22-1 squad, and is a favorite among the Pennsylvania Class AAA programs. Senior forwards Jen Falconer and Taylor Sneidman were first-team all-district selections a year ago. |
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15
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Bishop O'Connell
Arlington, VA
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0-0-0
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| Bishop O'Connell replaces perennial power Good Counsel (Md.) as preseason favorite in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference. The underclass-dominated squad was the top-ranked team in Virginia last fall. The team is led by senior Clemson commit Lauren Harkes, daughter of former US Men's National Team player John Harkes and brother of Wake Forest standout Ian Harkes. |
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16
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Noblesville
Noblesville, IN
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0-0-0
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| The talent-rich Indianapolis suburbs is home to Noblesville, another Indiana squad with a loaded lineup. Four players have committed to NCAA Division I programs: seniors Cori Cain (Murray State), Grace Myers (Drake), Karsen Rauch (Iowa) and junior Claire Graves (Iowa). Noblesville will be taking on No. 19 St. Ursula Academy (Ohio) and state-ranked Tates Creek (Ky.) during the Zionsville Lady Eagle Invitational the first weekend in September. |
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17
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Tualatin
Tualatin, OR
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0-0-0
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| Tualatin put together a 15-match undefeated streak to end the 2013 season, capped with a state title win. This year's squad will be without the state's player of the year, who has graduated, but returns Gonzaga commit Ariana Pumpelly and junior standout Emily Leonard. |
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18
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Zionsville
Zionsville, IN
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0-0-0
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| Zionsville might not be as deep as last year's squad, but there's still plenty of talent to make a run at a state title. Zionsville's senior class features midfielder Rachael Bellefuil (Minnesota), midfielder Madison Lewis (Missouri), forward Caroline Ratz (Illinois) and defender Annika Schmidt (Connecticut). Zionsville takes on state-ranked Mount Notre Dame (Ohio) and FAB 50-ranked Evansville Memorial at the Zionsville Lady Eagle Invitational the first weekend in September. |
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19
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St. Ursula Academy
Cincinnati, OH
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0-0-0
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| St. Ursula Academy has been labeled by Ohio coaches as a state title contender, but its regional and national standing will be determined early in the season with a trip to Zionsville, Ind. The Bulldogs will take on FAB 50-ranked Indiana programs Fishers and Noblesville. |
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20
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Massapequa
Massapequa, NY
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0-0-0
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| Massapequa pulled off a rare boys-girls state title sweep last fall, and this program is perennially in the title chase. The key returner is MacKenzie Palmer, a senior defender who received all-state honors in 2013.
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21
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Sacred Heart Academy
Louisville, KY
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0-0-0
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| Sacred Heart Academy has a chance to leap in the rankings if it delivers a strong showing at the Zionsville Lady Eagle Invitational. Sacred Heart takes on FAB 50-ranked Medina (Ohio) on Sept. 5, and No. 2 Avon (Ind.) on Sept. 6. Sacred Heart returns seven starters from last year's 23-1-3 squad, which suffered its only setback in the state final. Catherine Fell, Lauryn Westman and Abigail Zoeller are among the team's key returners. |
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22
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St. Joseph
Trumbull, CT
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0-0-0
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| St. Joseph got a measure of validation last year. Connecticut had adopted a new guideline regarding the classification of private schools for 2013, and St. Joseph, a long-time small-school state-title threat, was bumped into the state's large-school bracket. The team responded with 22-0-1 season and a state title. While a couple key players have since graduated, St. Joseph does expect the return of junior standout and Boston College commit Jenna Bike.
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23
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Eldorado
Albuquerque, NM
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0-0-0
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| Eldorado returns three Class AAAAA first-team all-state performers from last year's 20-1 state title-winning team, including state player of the year Alexa Genas. Other first-team all-state returnees are keeper Morgan Divine and midfielder Jessie Hix. Divine proved to be the key in Eldorado's title run as the team failed to score a goal in the state semifinals and final, yet won in shootouts, thanks to Divine's play.
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24
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Neshaminy
Langhorne, PA
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0-0-0
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| Penn State signee Megan Schafer has graduated from last year's 24-0 FAB 50 No. 2 team and the coach has resigned, but that doesn't mean Neshaminy will fall of the national scene any time soon. The squad returns five players who received all-league honors last season.
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25
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Montclair
Montclair, NJ
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0-0-0
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| With nine returning starters from a 21-2 team, Montclair might be a frontrunner in the state title chase in 2014. The team is led by Maryland commit Kayla Jennings and her standout sophomore sister Jillian Jennings. |
