Northern California’s 2025 girls class rich with talent

It’s never too early to start looking at the next crop of players who will be considered big-time recruits a year from now. The recruiting period just opened for the 2024 graduates, so these 2025 girls have a year to establish themselves firmly on the radar of recruiters. [caption id="attachment_47458" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2022/06/Hanae-crop-1658x1089-1654923269.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-47458" src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2022/06/Hanae-crop-1658x1089-1654923269-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> <strong>Hanae Kambara-Coughlin.</strong> <em>Photo: Greg Davis</em>[/caption] <strong>Hanae Kambara-Coughlin, Central Defender</strong> Kambara Coughlin, who plays her high school soccer at San Francisco’s University High and plays her club with SF Aftershocks, is a versatile player. She is a standout center back, but can also play the six. She is tall, but fast and covers ground quickly and is very good on the ball, making her good in possession whether she’s in the back line or in the midfield. She played in a backline with three seniors during the high school season and still stood out because of her ability to defend and possess. She is a solid ball-winner, who helps build in possession but can also take players on. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="19744" first="Laila" last="Edris"], Attacking Midfielder</strong> Edris is a creative player on the dribble and is super quick and agile. She can turn with the ball at her feet and penetrate a defense. She is hard to mark in the middle because she is constantly moving. She is very skilled and it shows with how she can create combination play in tight spaces and set up shots from 10-20 yards out. Her ability to link the attack from the back part of the pitch separates her. She is a calm player, who is composed when in the box and she is shifty and can score with both feet. Edris, who plays at Mountain View High and club at MVLA, is one of those players who is always smiling and just loves to play. <strong>Natalia Efhan, Center Forward</strong> Efhan is a hungry, fierce competitor and she wants to win every game every single time she’s on the pitch. She will run herself into the ground because of her max effort. She does not have an off switch. She is a great scorer, but will also make tackles and challenge, and win, balls in the air. She is a nightmare for a defender. <strong>Ally Hsieh, Striker</strong> Hsieh is a true out-and-out striker, who can hold up play, turn with the ball, check back or play the ball wide and uses her ability to move off the ball to find space. She is a very good finisher and was a threat for Branson High. Hsieh is with SF Aftershocks but is moving to Mustang FC to play with their 2007s. <strong>Taylor Mikalis, Forward</strong> Mikalis is a strong and technical forward player, who plays club at Walnut Creek Surf and plays her high school soccer at Acalanes. She is great at holding the ball up and is a top-class finisher. She score quite a few goals a season ago for the Dons as a freshman. [caption id="attachment_47460" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2022/06/Nealy-crop-506x332-1654923343.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-47460" src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2022/06/Nealy-crop-506x332-1654923343-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> <strong>Victoria Nealy.</strong> <em>Photo: Greg Davis</em>[/caption] <strong>Victoria Nealy, Keeper</strong> Nealy plays at University High School in San Francisco and plays on the San Francisco Elite Academy 2007 team. She is a regional level, having been in the US National Youth Development ID camp. She is a physical presence between the posts and is fearless in goal. She is a great shot-stopper, she is great at distributing with her feet and keeps her back line very, very organized. <strong>Nicole Nguyen, Attacking Midfielder/Forward</strong> Nguyen, a standout at Acalanes and FC Bay Area, can play as the No. 10 or on the outside as a forward. She is very technical on the ball and hard to stop in 1v1 situations. She is incredibly quick and can vary her tempo and change pace very easily. She offers excellent finishing, superb passing and with growing confidence, she is only getting better. <strong>Olivia Holt, Forward</strong> Holt plays on the outside, but she is a super talent and could play anywhere across the front. She starred for the Tamalpais team as a freshman and is a standout for the Bay Area Surf 2007 team. Holt is very athletic and is a tall, physical presence as well. She is sharp mentally and tactically. Holt is a technical player with tremendous balance, vision and pace and is a goal-scoring force in 1v1 situations. <strong>Riley Pearson, Midfielder</strong> Pearson is all effort and no-nonsense. She has an engine that does not quit, giving max effort every single minute she’s on the pitch. She’s a talented ball-winner in the midfield, a great leader in the center of the pitch and is getting better and better from a skill perspective. Pearson plays high school at Branson and club at Marin FC. <strong>Urzula Root, Forward</strong> Root, who plays at Berkeley High and Bay Oaks for club, started quite a bit for Berkeley High as a freshman and actually had six goals in the first three games of the season. She has great speed, and an incredible work ethic to back that up. Eventually, she started becoming a player that was a key distributor as well as a scorer as her game became more well-rounded. She is a player who could be a centerpiece for a few years. <strong>Alex Salazar, Central Midfielder</strong> Salazar, who plays for Acalanes during the high school season and plays her club with Pleasanton Rage, is a player that takes advantage of her opportunities. As a sophomore, she was third on the team in goals despite not always getting a full shift. She is very technical and quick and can shoot from anywhere. <strong>Marissa Scanlan, Midfielder</strong> Scanlan is mentioned as a midfielder because she can play any position in the middle. She is probably going to be best as a defensive midfielder, but can also play the No. 8 or No. 10. She is an elite athlete who is a ball-winner and can distribute very well and very accurately. She is a quick, smart and mature player who plays high school at Tam and club with Marin FC. <strong>Sabine Szylko, Forward/Defender</strong> Szylko can do it all, playing as a forward or as a defender. She has exceptional speed as she was one of the top sprinters in Marin County. She is improving rapidly and is comfortable playing anywhere across the top, or as a lockdown defender. She plays high school for Tam and plays club at Marin FC. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="20043" first="Paige" last="Thompson"], Midfielder</strong> Thompson is a naturally gifted person, who has been identified by the USWNT youth program and has trained with the U15 team. She shows an uncanny calmness and maturity for a player her age, and to go with that maturity she is very athletically gifted. She is incredibly technical, sound in all aspects and is just a very smooth player when you watch her. She plays high school at Las Lomas and club for MVLA. <strong>Ava Walkaryee, Outside Defender</strong> Walkaryee is a dangerous outside back because she can really get up and down the pitch. She is getting better and better at joining the attack. She is athletic, a solid ball-winner, and keeps improving from a technical standpoint. She plays high school for Redwood High and club at Marin FC. <strong>Demi Woods, Outside Defender</strong> Woods is a defender who just understands where to be positioned. She is also lethal getting forward and can get the ball into the box with a cross, or create a shot for herself. Woods understands how to play off, and overlap with, her attacking players. Woods plays club at FC Bay Area and high school at Acalanes.