Southern California’s 2024s from Girls Academy to offer now

The Southern California region is full of prospect for pretty much every level of college soccer. With June 15 only one day away, there are quite a few players in the class of 2024 who will be hearing from college coaches starting on Wednesday. The Girls Academy has a number of players who will be a key part of the recruiting class of programs from all over the country, but especially for teams on the West Coast. Southern California has a few of the teams that will have standouts on the radar of college coaches especially after the recent GA Talent ID event in San Diego at the end of May. Check out the players scouts should know and call on June 15 from the class of 2024 in the Girls Academy. [player_tooltip player_id="18899" first="Elizabeth" last="Boamah"], Albion SC, Left Center Back, Francis Parker Boamah is on the U.S. U16 National Team. She is going to be an early phone call for all of the college coaches with realistic expectations of landing a player of that accomplishment - basically only teams consistently in the top 25 rankings. So what are the qualities that Boamah brings to her side? She is a left center back that can match up with any forward in the country. She has the speed and physical presence to be a shutdown defender. She has a preference to pass with her right foot, but she is good with both feet. She can play through the build-out and makes good reads on passing options. Her standout moments on the field come when she sees the space in front of her off an interception and she can run into the area. She covers ground quickly with her long strides and she has a bit of flair to her game. It is enough to suggest some potential as an outside back in the future. The problem with moving from out of center back is that takes away of her best attributes as an eraser, she can erase mistakes from her team with her recovery speed and defensive instincts. [player_tooltip player_id="47602" first="Kaela" last="Martinez"], Albion SC, Midfielder (CM), University City High School Martinez should be an early call for a number of top programs in the Pac-12. She was the best player on the field during parts of the first half of the Girls Academy Southwest Talent ID event on May 30. She is a center midfielder who is excellent on the ball. She connects passes and gets out of pressure with smart, quick decisions. She always receives the ball with the correct foot, which shows how solid her technical foundation is for a youth player. Martinez finds passing angles that most players just can't see, and it helps open up the game for her teammates. As good as she is now, she will be even better with the right coaching at the next level as she seems to be at her best when her team is pinging the ball around the field. One area of improvement for Martinez would be in the defensive side of the game. She looked hesitant to put in a tackle at times in the middle third. She made some terrific tackles in the defensive third when needed, but offering that aggressive pressing mentality throughout the pitch will get her onto the field sooner at the next level. [player_tooltip player_id="33290" first="Taylor" last="Davis"], City SC, Goalkeeper, Carlsbad Davis a terrific goalkeeper from the region for the 2024 class. She has been a part of Youth National Team training centers as well as the Girls Academy Talent Identification. She is a confident player in goal and plays with that swagger. She is excellent with her feet and can play under pressure. She has sure hands and does not allow many rebounds. Davis is ranked as the <a href="https://prepsoccer.com/california/rankings/girls/2024-rankings/">No. 3 goalkeeper in the state of California by PrepSoccer,</a> but she is ranked higher among some college scouts. [player_tooltip player_id="47603" first="Rori" last="Gartner"], City SC, Midfielder (CM/DM), Fallbrook Gartner has the physical traits that certain college coaches seek out from prospective recruits. She is a physically imposing midfielder who is excellent on the defensive side of the game. She puts in tackles when near the ball and leaves a mark on the game with her ability to win the ball and quickly start the attack for her side. She can knock players off the ball with her strength, and comes away cleanly with possession in most duels. She covers a lot of ground in the game and does well in marking situations. Gartner has the quality to fill in as either a center midfielder or as a defensive midfielder. She is not a flashy player, but she is so valuable to her side for the work she does in protecting the center of the field defensively. Her decision-making in possession needs to improve at the next level, as she has too many giveaways from that role for a full-time role at a top program. But she easily has the potential to improve that aspect of her game. [player_tooltip player_id="47604" first="Jeanna" last="Ceja"], LA Surf, Midfielder (CM), Hawthorne Ceja is a player that impressed at the Girls Academy Talent Identification event. She is a skillful attacking midfielder. She is not a massive threat to score, but she she is a gifted passer and dribbler. She is clever in her passing and has a great first touch to set her up for success. Her movement off the ball is very good too. She knows where to move to open up space for her teammates in the center midfield roles. [player_tooltip player_id="47605" first="Gabriela" last="Alvarez"], LA Surf, Winger (Right), Palos Verdes Alvarez is an active winger who usually sees a lot of the ball during the game. Her quick first step and dynamic change of pace makes her a difficult player to contain in 1v1 situations. When she has an advantage, she is good at whipping in crosses from the channel. She has a lot of the physical traits that college scouts look for from a difference-maker at the winger position. [player_tooltip player_id="47606" first="Holly" last="Wilbanks"], LA Surf, Center back (right), El Segundo Wilbanks has plenty of versatility to her game, but likely figures to be a center back as she has at the elite club level in recent years. Wilbanks offers a long throw-in on top of her quality between the white lines. She is a solid defender who is good at reading the game and intercepting entry passes. [player_tooltip player_id="18904" first="Gabriella" last="Nacelli"], West Coast FC, Midfielder (DM), San Clemente Nacelli is an intriguing prospect from the class of 2024. She comes from a high pedigree as she was part of the U16 National Team Virtual Camp in 2021, but missed some time due to injury. She is playing well now for the West Coast FC side in the Girls Academy. When Nacelli is at her best, she is a disruptive force at defense midfield who can dictate the game. She is equally good on a side that is stuck in a defensive shell as well as a team that is possession dominant, which is an attribute that will work well for mid-major programs with high ambition. Nacelli's floor is a multi-year contributor in the midfield for a strong program. Her ceiling is a four-year starter at a top program at the next level. She already has the instincts and tactical intelligence to read the game at a higher speed. Getting her into those environments and seeing how she does against players who move at that pace will be key.