Weekend Warriors at the GA Spring Showcase
The Girls Academy Spring Showcase continued on Sunday with the U17, U16, and U15 teams in action. For the U17 age group, Sunday was the final day of action at the event. There were some teams looking to end the…
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Continue ReadingThe Girls Academy Spring Showcase continued on Sunday with the U17, U16, and U15 teams in action. For the U17 age group, Sunday was the final day of action at the event. There were some teams looking to end the event with a positive result and others trying to conclude the trip to North Carolina with a perfect record.
PrepSoccer highlights some of the individual standout performances from the games on Sunday. Check out the standouts from Thursday | Friday | Saturday
Mia Ramirez, Clovis Crossfire 05 – Ramirez played as the left back in the first half and then switched to the right back in the second half. She did not have any spectacular plays from the game, but she was consistent in her approach. She was always in the right spot defensively, and clean on the tackle. She did well moving her feet to stay in front of the ball rather than reaching to put in a challenge. She offered enough in the attack to be a weapon when she was sprung free in the channel. She is a two-way outside back with room to improve in her crossing.
Sophia Kearney, STA 05 – Kearney was part of the attacking trio that put in a good shift for STA on Sunday against West Florida Flames. Kearney was the rocket on the wing. She is a dribbler who likes to run at the defense with the ball at her feet. She combined well with Layla Flores and Chiara Cosenza Chiara Cosenza M Westfield | 2023 NJ . Kearney’s best assets are her ball control and change of pace. Going from a stop to full speed helped create separation for her against the defense. Yesenia Aiken made a couple of good saves in the second half for STA.
Kyla Holmes Kyla Holmes 5'9" | GK State NJ , STA 05 – Holmes made an outstanding dive save on a free kick shot from Emily Gundin in the second half. The block might go down as the block of the tournament. Holmes is a player with youth national team pedigree and she lived up to that reputation with her performances at the Girls Academy Spring Showcase. Holmes is a verbal commit for the Yale class of 2023.
Emily Gundin, West Florida Flames 05 – Gundin is a center midfielder. She is a talented passer and creative attacking player from the center of the field. Her pass in the second half to loft the ball over the defense and send in attacker in on goal is not a common pass from the club game especially while under pressure. She is gifted on the ball, but she can take an extra touch from time to time. She competes so dispossessing her is not an easy task. The quality on set pieces she showed on Sunday should attract the interest of some top programs in the Southeast. Gundin is a midfielder to watch from Florida from the class of 2023.
Kaleigh Shafer Kaleigh Shafer M State MI , Nationals 06 – The Nationals midfield trio plays off each other so well. They are balanced and compliment each other so well. Shafer was clean on the ball and made some great passes in the attacking third. She did well moving off the ball so she was an outlet for her teammates. She has a good first touch and knows how to navigate out of pressure. She is a plus defender for her role, and can be a weapon in a high-pressing style. She is a top midfielder from the class of 2024 in Michigan.
Kealey Titmuss Kealey Titmuss GK Grand Blanc (MI) | 2024 State #25 Nation MI , Nationals 06 – Titmuss is about as good as it gets from the goalkeeper position. Distribution, shot stopping, communication, she checks off all the boxes. She stopped a penalty kick on Sunday in the game against SJEB at the Girls Academy Spring Showcase. She also made a couple of good saves on blocks from the run of play. Her distribution was also very good during the game.
Keira Billis Keira Billis 5'5" | M Oxford (MI) | 2024 State #50 Nation MI , Nationals 06 – Billis is listed as a midfielder on her profile, but she was playing center back in the first half on Sunday. Her athletic profile makes her a building block from either role. She is a shutdown defender, but also an excellent passer. Billis strikes the ball well – both in the run of play and on set pieces. Her battle against the SJEB forwards was fun to watch. Ava Panduren was another player that stood out from Nationals. The winger is talented and hard-working, pretty much the ideal combo for the role. She was very successful on the dribble on Sunday. There is a lot of depth and talent on this Nationals team. Alexandra Fouts was very good in the second half including scoring a nifty goal. It will be one of those rare teams that always have college coaches lined up on the sideline looking at some of the top 2024 talent.
Bridget Fox, SF Elite Academy 06 – Fox played right center back for SF Elite in the game against Sockers on Sunday. There are a few elements of her game that rate highly for the next level. She is a very smart player. She anticipates and reads the play early so she is the right spots to help out her side. She is comfortable on the ball even while under pressure. She showed good technique in striking the ball on long distance passes. Natalie Grosse had some good moments in the first half for SFEA.
Stella Kohl, Sockers 06 – Just weeks ago, Stella Kohl was dominating on the basketball court. On Sunday, she was dominating on the pitch. Kohl is a defensive midfielder with excellent vision. She plays the role like a point guard for her team. She took advantage of the space and time the opposition afforded her in the center of the field. The dual-sport athlete will have plenty of interest from college coaches after that performance.