Standouts at ECNL New Jersey Showcase: Forwards

Players Development Academy hosted a girls ECNL showcase over Memorial Day Weekend in Somerset, N.J. I was able to watch several games at the Morningside Farm and PDA Complex on Saturday. Here’s a look at some of the forwards that stood out to me at the event. <h2>U17</h2> <b>[player_tooltip player_id="24291" first="Sophia" last="Bradley"], Forward, PDA Blue U17</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bradley has all the gifts to be a talented forward, but what stood out most to me was her creativity in the runs she was making, which was giving fits to the FC Prime defense in PDA’s 3-1 win. </span> <b>[player_tooltip player_id="18654" first="Hope" last="Leyba"], Forward, Utah Royals U17</b><b> </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hope</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Leyba was a weapon for the Royals going forward and presented some mismatches defensively in the game against FC Bucks on Saturday but her defensive effort is what impressed me most. </span> <b>[player_tooltip player_id="22477" first="Marley" last="Kahle"], Forward, Racing Louisville U17</b><b> </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kahle and [player_tooltip player_id="22435" first="Amelia" last="Jones"] did well combining and putting the defense under pressure in a 4-1 win over Santa Rosa United on Saturday. Kahle’s vision and ability not only to create shots for herself but also for teammates stood out. </span> <b>[player_tooltip player_id="22435" first="Amelia" last="Jones"], Forward, Racing Louisville U17</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Like Kahle, Jones was a handful for the Santa Rosa United defense winning 50-50 balls, taking defenders on and creating chances. </span> <h2>U16</h2> [caption id="attachment_46666" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2022/06/6N4A0183-crop-1824x1198-1654208203.jpg"><img class="wp-image-46666 size-medium" src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2022/06/6N4A0183-crop-1824x1198-1654208203-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> <em>[player_tooltip player_id="23983" first="Gabriella" last="Miller"]</em>[/caption]<b>[player_tooltip player_id="23983" first="Gabriella" last="Miller"], Forward/Winger, PDA South U16</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Miller scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win over Florida Elite on Saturday as a result of her hard work down the left flank. Her ability to fight for the ball in tight spaces and out-duel defenders stood out to me. </span> <b>[player_tooltip player_id="26322" first="Chloe" last="Burst"], Forward, Challenge SC U16</b><b> </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">It’s hard to draw too many conclusions from the messy field conditions, but Burst was a bright spot in the 5-2 win for Challenge SC. She has a strong left foot and a quick trigger.</span> <b>[player_tooltip player_id="23729" first="Emma" last="Rietz"], Forward, Heat FC U16</b><b> </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Heat FC and Challenge SC were involved in the wildest game I saw on Saturday. It was a back-and-forth affair that Challenge SC won 5-2 but that was really a win most of all for the poor field conditions. The ball was skipping and stopping and players were slipping and sliding all over. One player who stood out for Heat FC was Rietz, who was able to have a decent game despite the conditions. </span> <h2>U15</h2> [caption id="attachment_46667" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="wp-image-46667 size-medium" src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2022/06/6N4A9894-300x200.jpg" alt="Mikyla Hau-Golden" width="300" height="200" /> <em>Mikyla Hau-Golden</em>[/caption] <b>Madeline Marcotte, Midfielder/Forward, Pittsburgh Riverhounds U15</b><b> </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Marcotte <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmCjYX0o2hs">scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win</a></strong></span> over East Meadow on Saturday but it was her overall movement on and off the ball and ability to use both feet that stood out most to me.  </span> <b>Mikyla Hau-Golden, Forward, Cleveland Force U15</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mikyla was a strong presence on the front line for the Force and was dangerous going forward in transition whether taking it herself or finding a teammate to run onto a pass. Her hold-up play when she came back to get the ball was also effective. </span> <b>[player_tooltip player_id="25678" first="Alexandra" last="Dreihaup"], Forward, Penn Fusion U15</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Alexandra was active throughout the match and perhaps unlucky to not get a goal when she put one on target from way out that NC Courage goalkeeper Franky Dunlap was able to get a hand to and knock out for a corner. Alexandra’s movement on the ball and ability to find space on her runs and fearlessness to take on defenders stood out. </span> &nbsp;