Next generation of girls soccer stars play in national finals

The next Carli Lloyd or Tobin Heath may have been on the field this past weekend in Virginia.

Girls soccer players from around the country, including several from North Jersey, competed in the ECNL club national championships down in Richmond.

Among those involved were Arden Lembryk (Wayne Valley), Samantha Kroeger (West Milford), Mary Cochran (Ramapo), Nicole DiCaprio (Pascack Hills), Alexandra Barry (Saddle River) and Alexandra Zitelli (Immaculate Heart).

"The women's team just won (the World Cup) with Jersey influence," said Stan Lembryk, an assistant with the Players Development Academy and boys soccer coach at Clifton.

"It's nice for these girls to know that they can strive toward that. That's motivation. They know that they came up through the same system in the ECNL and played in the same tournament and look what they're doing now."

Here is a closer look at a few of the players from North Jersey.

Arden Lembryk, Wayne Valley

The rising senior and standout goalie won a national championship with PDA Blue U17 on Saturday. Her team knocked off the LAFC Slammers, 4-1, to claim the title. Lembryk is a two-year starter with Wayne Valley and led the Indians to last year's Passaic County final.

Samantha Kroeger, West Milford

Kroeger was named to the Northeast All-Conference team, while representing World Class U17. She was one of the top high school players in Passaic County as a freshman and sophomore with 12 goals each season.

Alexandra Zitelli, Immaculate Heart

Zitelli made the Bergen County second team last year after scoring a team-high 11 goals and two assists. The rising junior also plays for World Class U17.

Mary Cochran, Ramapo

Cochran plays for the PDA Blue U15 team, which reached the national final. She scored seven goals as a Ramapo freshman last fall and led the Green Raiders with 11 assists.

Nicole DiCaprio, Pascack Hills

DiCaprio started on defense for the PDA Blue U15 team. As a freshman, she scored two goals and two assists with Pascack Hills.

Alexandra Barry, Saddle River N.J.

Barry, part of the Class of 2024, scored all three goals for PDA Blue U14 in a 3-2 win in the national championship.