ECNL AZ: New stars emerge on Sunday
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PHOENIX, Arizona – The Sunday scaries had a different meaning at the ECNL National Event in Phoenix as teams looked to leave the second day with a positive showing under the desert sun. With the clock counting down on the…
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Continue ReadingPHOENIX, Arizona – The Sunday scaries had a different meaning at the ECNL National Event in Phoenix as teams looked to leave the second day with a positive showing under the desert sun. With the clock counting down on the national event, some players were hoping to catch an eye of one of the many college coaches and scouts sitting on the sidelines.
Along with the scouts from the college game, there were scouts from the U.S. youth national team and the Mexico youth national team throughout the complex. The best of the best were on display at the Reach 11 Complex in northern Phoenix.
PrepSoccer was on hand for the event. Below are the players who stood out from the games that PRepSoccer saw on Sunday.
Juliana Osterman Juliana Osterman F Roxbury (NJ) | 2024 State #177 Nation NJ , Match Fit Academy 06 – Osterman was a standout from the Match Fit Academy attack in the win over LA Breakers. She scored a goal in the first half. She showed good technical skill on the ball as she was able to get around a couple of players with the ball at her feet.
Isabelle Devey Isabelle Devey null | F Lone Peak | 2025 #146 Nation UT , La Roca 06 – Devey scored directly on a corner kick in the win over Heat. She added another goal in the 4-1 win over Heat FC on Sunday. She also scored on a break away as the attacking midfielder had a very productive outing. She is a dangerous player in the center as she can score from within 30 yards of goal with only a few feet of space.
Lucy Kesler Lucy Kesler null | M American Fork | 2025 #89 Nation UT , La Roca 06 – Kesler is the defensive midfielder for La Roca and captain of the side. She does an excellent job in shutting down the opposition with her positioning and defensive acumen. She did well on Sunday shutting down any move through the center by either being in the right spot or putting in a tackle. Erin Cate Erin Cate F UT had a great assist on a goal by Rhea Canas Pearson Rhea Canas Pearson F East | 2024 UT late in the game.
Piper Bertani Piper Bertani null | F Leigh (CA) | 2024 CA , MVLA 06 – The left center back for MVLA won a few duels and hung tough against a talented PDA side. Bertani also has a secret weapon with a big throw-in that will be a point of interest for college coaches as well. Murphy Walsh scored the MVLA goal in the game.
Jordana DeNegri Jordana DeNegri null | F Randolph | 2025 State #62 Nation NJ , PDA 06 – DeNegri scored a goal in the first half in the win over the Northern California side. The center forward was a active participant for PDA in the attack and was a good outlet early in the second half as PDA looked to close out with a big win.
Addison Halpern Addison Halpern null | M Rutgers Prep (NJ) | 2025 State #8 Nation NJ and Ainsley Moy Ainsley Moy M Freehold Township (NJ) | 2024 State #97 Nation NJ , PDA 06 – Moy and Halpern are two very good midfielders and they showed that quality on Sunday. Halpern opened up the field with accurate passing over distance. Moy did well connecting on short passes and being an option in the build-up for her team.
Victoria Safradin Victoria Safradin GK Eastlake North (OH) | 2023 #5 Nation OH , Internationals 05 – Safradin did not have a ton to do on Sunday, but she came up clutch in the key moment in the first half when she made a sprawling save on a close-range effort.
Kayla Perfect Kayla Perfect 4'0" | M OH , Internationals 05 – Perfect was super active in the first half. She was always around the ball or willing to chase down long passes into the channel. She is the type of that coaches can’t help but notice given how much she is on the ball. Olivia Sipsock Olivia Sipsock F OH , the center forward, was a key contributor in the win too. She did well with her chances and had a great finish on a breakaway. Kellyn Fausel Kellyn Fausel D OH , Emme Butera Emme Butera M OH , and Addysen Cusick Addysen Cusick M OH were also standouts for Internationals.
Elizabeth Fineberg Elizabeth Fineberg GK CA , Pleasanton Rage 05 – It was not a great day for the Rage goalkeeper, but there wasn’t much she could do in the first half as Itnernationals picked out the corners with a few of the goals. Fineberg did make an outstanding initial block on a penalty kick in the first half.
Ashley Seigel, Eastside 05 – Seigel made a handful of saves in the first half to keep it scoreless at the break between Eastside and Bethesda. She did not make many big saves, but she did well moving before the shot to get in the right spot to make the comfortable save.
Talia Feigin Talia Feigin null | M Walt Whitman (MD) | 2023 MD , Bethesda SC 05 – Feigin was a bright spot in the midfield for Bethesda. She did well in moving off the ball to get into areas where the opposition would lose track of her. She had good field awareness and made some incisive passes. Giavana Liberto Giavana Liberto null | F MD and Alyssa Heard Alyssa Heard D MD were also standouts for Bethesda.
Skye Lawhun, Richmond 06 – Lawhun was a standout at center back for Richmond in the win over Phoenix Rising. The best attribute for Lawhun is that she doesn’t need to defend much. She is one of the key pieces for Richmond in their possession-dominant style. She hits the ball with pace and accuracy. The whole squad does well in cherishing possession of the ball. Iisa Elovaara was a standout at left back. Katelin Dowd had the assist on Eleanor Martin’s goal.
Quinn Sowders Quinn Sowders D AZ and Hennessy Brown Hennessy Brown D Chaparral (AZ) | 2024 State #153 Nation AZ , Phoenix Rising 06 – The two center back for Rising had a strong showing in the game against Richmond. They did well as complimentary pieces for the side. Sowders was more physical with her approach while Brown was the cerebral one. They make for a formidable pair. Jordan Lavery Jordan Lavery F AZ and Emmie Formanek Emmie Formanek F AZ were also standouts for Richmond.
Bianca Howitt Bianca Howitt M Polytechnic Pasadeal | 2024 CA , LA Breakers 06- Howitt was a standout for her play when in possession. She made good decisions on the ball and had a good first touch.
Angelina Labrague Angelina Labrague M NV , Heat FC 06 – Labrague had a great header goal in the game against La Roca. She rose above a crowd of players and did well redirecting a service. She showed excellent technique in aerial duels on the goal.
Daya King, Legends FC 07 – The left back for Legends is a bright and obvious talent. She has the athletic qualities to be a top level player. She defends well in 1v1 duels. She has the pace to get up and down the touchline. She is skillful on the ball and a smart player in making decisions.
Emma Rodriguez, Legends FC 07 – Rodriguez set the tone with an early goal in the win over Washington Premier. She had a shot from over 25 yards out that sailed into the corner of the net. She is a tidy midfielder who is good in possession and worked hard defensively to win the ball back quickly for her team.
Alexis Coughlin, Legends FC 07 – The right center back had a noteworthy performance for Legends. She has a tendency to look for the vertical passing lanes to split the defense. She has excellent technique in ball striking so usually she can fit the pass in a narrow window. Claire Roybal Claire Roybal F State #163 Nation CA and Anahi Hernandez Anahi Hernandez F CA were also outstanding for Legends.
Amira Lyons Amira Lyons F Klahowya | 2025 State WA , Washington Premier 07 – Lyons earned her way onto the standout list for her determination in the game against Legends. She was active defensively and showed off incredible recovery speed. She has a lot of potential.
Alyssa Gonzalez Alyssa Gonzalez D State #15 Nation CA , San Diego Surf 05 – The center back for Surf was excellent on Sunday. She did not put a foot wrong in the second half as Surf pulled off the come-from-behind 3-2 win over Crossfire.
Emmie Ennis Emmie Ennis M St. Ignatius (CA) | 2023 State CA , San Diego Surf 05 – Ennis gets the shoutout on the standouts list because she provided the incisive key pass on a couple of occasions in the second half. Her contribution on one goal came on the end of a great team sequence that showed off the quality on Surf from goalkeeper to center forward. Maryn Wolf Maryn Wolf F Point Loma (CA) | 2023 State #60 Nation CA scored on an assist from Claire Curran for the winner.
Cameron Bourne Cameron Bourne null | F Archbishop Murphy (WA) | 2023 #143 Nation WA , Crossfire Premier 05 – Bourne scored a spectacular goal in the second half to give her side a 2-1 lead. She struck the ball from the corner of the box and picked out the top corner for the goal. Hallie Prinos-Grumbach Hallie Prinos-Grumbach M Redmond (WA) | 2024 #51 Nation WA was also a standout for Crossfire. She did well always scanning the field before she received possession of the ball.
Millie Greer Millie Greer null | M Mountain Pointe (AZ) | 2023 State #86 Nation AZ , Phoenix Rising 05 – Greer scored a great header off an assist from Morgan Fiedler Morgan Fiedler M AZ in the game against Maryland United.
Rae’Ayn Gilbert, PacNW 05 – It was a rough outing for PacNW against FC DELCO, but Gilbert had some standout moments. The winger was a handful for the defense. She did not quit on a play and created some chances from the left wing.
KK Ream, Utah Royals AZ 07 – Ream delivered a great goal to open the scoring in the wild 3-3 draw against OK Energy. She received the ball with space on her defensive side of the half. She began her charging run forward that saw her glide past two before tucking home the opening tally. The 2009-born midfielder is one of the brightest talents in the youth game today. Caprice Chiuchiolo Caprice Chiuchiolo 5'3" | M Gilbert Christian | 2025 State AZ had some standout moments for Royals too. She uses every part of her foot when controlling the ball. She has excellent technical, ball mastery for a young player.
Onyeka Gamero Onyeka Gamero F Whitney (CA) | 2024 State CA , Beach 05 – Gamero is a point of emphasis for every team playing against Beach and she still finds a way to make a difference in the game. Gamero being able to cut in or take her player to the end line makes her one of the hardest players to defend in the ECNL. Avery Stevens and Keira Wagner also had standout moments for Beach.
Kennedy Fletcher Kennedy Fletcher M #158 Nation OR , Portland Thorns 05 – Fletcher was a standout in the Thorns defense. She stepped up in key moments and did well in possession of the ball. Amelia Warta, Ella Callanan Ella Callanan D Franklin (OR) | 2024 OR , and Claire Lindsay Claire Lindsay GK OR were also good for Thorns.