Over the last nine months, landmark moments have come in waves for Class of 2021 goalkeeper Ela Kopec (Ludlow, Mass.).
First, her NEFC U-17 team reached the quarterfinals of the Development Academy playoffs before losing to Lonestar, a club from Texas. She then earned a training stint with Manchester United WFC last July as they prepared for their FA WSL season.
Kopec, 16, can add another feather to her cap after committing to Villanova earlier this week. In her graduating class, she becomes the seventh Division 1-bound goalkeeper from New England.