16-year-old Alyssa Pember, a honors student at Northport High School, plays in the midfield and defense with much older players for the Long Island Fury in the Women's Premier Soccer League.
The Northport resident has travelled around the world with the Regional Team and has competed for the United States Girls Under 16 National Team.
"Alyssa is a first-class defender and an unbelievable competitor. She is the best defender in her age group in the country in my opinon," commented Fury head coach Paul Riley. "She is strong, quick, ruthless in the tackle. She also understands the game very well and is tactically well beyond her years. She is tremendous in the air, cool, calm and collected on the floor."
"I firmly believe that some day she will represent the USA in the World Cup," concluded her head coach.
She was named to the WPSL All-Playoff Team in leading the Long Island Fury to the national championship last summer while marking forwards much older than her.
In the Long Island Junior Soccer League, Pember played for the Smithtown ISA Stampede and East Meadow ISA Dynamite and now stars for the Albertson Fury '89, coached by Long Island Fury head coach Paul Riley.