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Santa Margarita goalie Peyton Trayer, who missed much of this past girls soccer season due to a CIF-SS eligibility issue, is among the Orange County players competing in the final round of the CONCACAF women’s under-17 Qualifiers.
Trayer is part of the U.S. under-17 women’s national team playing in Trinidad and Tobago. The tournament is a qualifier for the under-17 World Cup later this year.
Stella Barajas of Sonora and Vanessa Paredes of Foothill are on the Mexico roster.
Trayer, a junior who committed to North Carolina, is making her international debut for Team USA.
“It means a lot to have made this roster and be a part of team that will compete to hopefully qualify for a World Cup,” Trayer said. “I am extremely excited.”
The U.S. opens against Trinidad and Tobago on Monday at 4 p.m. PST. The Americans’ group also includes El Salvador and Honduras.
Trayer, along with a few other players, missed much of this past season after being declared ineligible for participating in a training camp organized by the Kansas City Current in Brazil in February.
Santa Margarita went on to capture the CIF-SS Open Division without Trayer, a former CIF-SS Division 1 player of the year.
“It was frustrating to have not been able to play this last year in high school soccer, however, it has been a very busy last few months training and traveling with (the) KC Current development team and the U17 women’s national team,” Trayer said.
“As a player and person, I have grown and developed a lot from these experiences and I can not wait keep growing.”
Barajas, a sophomore midfielder, didn’t play soccer for Sonora this winter but competed on the school’s girls basketball team, which coached by her mother Melissa Barajas.
Paredes, a sophomore defender, helped Foothill capture the CIF-SS Division 3 title. She earned second-team All-Freeway League honors.
Mexico is hosting a group that includes Haiti, Costa Rica and Bermuda.
The under-17 World Cup will be held starting Oct. 17 in Morocco.