Besides the talented Vicki DiMartino and Crystal Dunn there is another Eastern New York player who has performed for an Under-17 Women's National Team, only it's not for the United States.
 
That player is Tatiana Saunders of Rye, N.Y., who tends goal for the English U-17 Women's National Team.

Saunders, who was eligible to play for England because both her parents are English, tried out in the summer of 2008 and earned a spot on the team.
 
A veteran of ENY and Region I ODP,  Saunders broke her leg last year, which delayed her debut. She finally got an opportunity in the first phase of European qualifying for the U-17 World Cup in October. Saunders played in two games -- a 7-0 win over Macedonia and a 3-0 victory over Wales.
 
Saunders said that she "played well. In the 7-0 game I didn't have a lot to do."
 
As it turned out, much more was demanded of Saunders than just stopping shots.
 
"The England team likes to use the goalkeeper not as a pass back or a last resort, she said. "I have to use my feet a lot."
 
Her most memorable game? Her first international appearance against Macedonia.
 
"It was an extremely important moment for me," she said. "I was really nervous before the game. . . . I would have felt [bad] if I would have let down England.
 
"To start the second of three games after coming of that injury was amazing to me."
 
Saunders returned to England for a scrimmage against Ireland Nov. 23. She will be back for the second phase of qualifying in April. At the end of the rainbow is an opportunity to play in the U-17 World Cup in Trinidad & Tobago next year.
 
"It would be amazing," Saunders said. "It would be my ultimate goal."
 
Asked to assess England’s chances, Saunders replied, "We have a very talented group of girls. If we play to our potential, we will do extremely well."
 
Success certainly is not foreign to Saunders. She played for the White Plains and Briarcliff Killer Bees teams that captured three Eastern New York State Cups. She also starred for the Rye High School girls team that won the New York State title last year and lost in the Section I final on penalty kicks this season.
 
"Tatiana is very tall, slender, strong, and she's the best goalie that I have ever coached or seen at the high school level by far," Rye H.S. coach Richie Savage told ESPINRISE.com. "Once she makes a tremendous save, she can punt the ball well beyond midfield, or she can throw ball accurately, like a rocket, to midfield."

Saunders also has performed on the youth level for the Montclair Thunderbolts and Rye Power.
 
Saunders started playing soccer with her brothers at the age of six. "I love making a save," she said. "Your team is cheering for you when you make a save and the pressure of being a goalkeeper."