Recruiting: Payton O’Donnell commits to St. Francis Brooklyn

Exeter defender Payton O'Donnell looks to clear the ball upfield. (Dave Arnold/New England Soccer Journal)

These last several years, Payton O’Donnell (Stratham, N.H.) has been with well-established high school and club soccer programs, ones that need little introduction.

After all, Exeter High School has won back-to-back Division I state championships in New Hampshire, and Seacoast United’s Girls Academy League program (U-19 team) is a top destination for players from the region’s northern states.

But college soccer will produce a new adventure for the 17-year-old outside back, who recently committed to St. Francis Brooklyn, an upstart program in New York City’s Brooklyn Heights neighborhood.