ESPN High School begins its look at the Top 25 Seniors On The Rise -- expanding on last year's Top 20 players by position.
The Top 25 is our selections for the best players at each position and will be released every Wednesday until Oct. 12. Wrapping up our boys coverage will be our choices for the Top 100 seniors and Top 50 juniors. Our girl's Top 25 begins in October.
Goalies are the last line of defense, but the first position in our series.
Top 25 Goalies
Key: athlete, school (city, state), college commitment if known
1. Luke Aaron, Deerfield Academy (Deerfield, Mass.), Duke
Aaron has good field awareness and his footwork is terrific. He led Deerfield to a championship season and also played on the Washington D.C. underclass team at the Under Armour games.
2. Tyler Avallone, Mendham (Mendham, N.J.) Syracuse
Avallone has a nice game in the cage -- doesn't shy away from using his body to make a save. Avallone made First team All-State and played for the New Jersey underclass team at the Under Armour games.
3. Ahmed Iftikhar, Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.), undecided
Iftikhar has a great game and proved it as one of four goalies chosen to take part in the Warrior 40 this summer. The Michigan native does great saving the high to low shots and can clear well.
4. Daniel Marino, Garden City (Garden City, N.Y.), Virginia
Marino raked in the top awards in Nassau County this season. Marino was named Nassau County's Most Valuable Goalie.
5. Matt O'Connor, Lawrenceville (Lawrenceville, N.J.), Princeton
O'Connor was named to the Newark Star-Ledger All-Prep team for the 2011 season. The Lawrenceville rising senior clears the ball well and is a vocal leader. O'Connor will do well at the next level.
6. Kieran Burke, St. Anthony's (South Huntington, N.Y.), North Carolina
Burke made the varsity squad at St. Anthony's as a sophomore and was named goalie of the year this season in the Catholic league.
7. Will Ryan, Avon Old Farms (Avon, Conn.), Johns Hopkins
Ryan will succeed at the next level. He is a big kid and doesn't allow easy shots on cage. He played on the underclass team from New England at the Under Armour games, which won the tournament.
8. Conor Darcey, Wellesley (Wellesley, Mass.), Penn State
A 2011 Warrior 40 selection, Darcy is always around the crease making saves. He has been in the net for Wellesley since he was a sophomore, where he had a 71 percent save percentage.
9. Frank Deluca, Farmingdale (Farmingdale, N.Y.), Ohio State
Deluca posted a 70 percent save percentage last season, helping Farmingdale to win the New York Class A state championship. The rising senior goalie's leadership is like having a coach on the field.
10. Jack Kelly, West Islip (West Islip, N.Y.), Brown
Kelly played great at the Battle of the Hotbeds. He is a very smart goalie with nice skills around the goal. He sets up the clear well with his defenseman.
The Next Fifteen
11. Alex Joyce, Landon (Bethesda, Md.), Georgetown
12. Blaze Riorden, Fairport (Fairport, N.Y.), Albany
13. Steve Brodeur, Strath Haven (Wallingford, Pa.), Lehigh
14. Greg Stamatov, Foxborough (Foxborough, Mass.), Villanova
15. Thomas Gilligan, Benilde-St. Margaret's (Minneapolis, Minn.), Amherst
16. Justin Rosenberg, St. John's (Washington, D.C.), Vermont
17. Douglas Gouchoe, Concord-Carlisle (Concord, Mass.), Air Force
18. Joe Gigantiello, St. Augustine Prep (Richland, N.J.), Denver
19. Michael Ortlieb, Corona del Mar (Newport Beach, Calif.), Holy Cross
20. Matt Seigmund, Western Guilford (Greensboro, N.C.), High Point
21. Jackson Tamisitis, Penn Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.), Army
22. Duncan Saunders, Hill School (Pottstown, Pa.), North Carolina
23. Jack Brust, Calvert Hall (Baltimore, Md.), Quinnipiac
24. Evan Molloy, Manhasset (Manhasset, N.Y.), Syracuse
25. Conor Peaks, Ponte Vedra (Ponte Vedra, Fla.), Delaware