Clements, Bridgeland on to I-10 Shootout bracket finals
One of the most popular and exciting high school tournaments in the state of Texas, the I-10 Shootout has progressed on Friday, with second-round matches taking place across eight high school campuses in the Katy area and the finalists of…
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Continue ReadingOne of the most popular and exciting high school tournaments in the state of Texas, the I-10 Shootout has progressed on Friday, with second-round matches taking place across eight high school campuses in the Katy area and the finalists of each bracket are now confirmed.
Prep Soccer was in attendance for two of those encounters and here’s what we saw:
CLEMENTS 2 – 1 DEER PARK
The Fort Bend Clements Rangers from Sugar Land secured a spot in the final of the bracket held at Taylor High School against the home team by coming out on top of a close match with the Deer Park Deer, which they won 2-1.
The Rangers found the back of the net for the first time at the 25th-minute mark in the first half with freshman midfielder Jocelyn Kianka collecting a loose ball in the penalty box and putting it on the back of the net. Kianka did it again in the second half, stretching her right leg to connect with a cross from junior forward Chloe Le and beat Deer Park’s sophomore goalkeeper Kamryn Shamblin.
The Deer got one back in the second half, with senior defender Abigal Scott scoring from a long-range free kick, but couldn’t find another goal and force a penalty shootout.
Players of the Match
Jocelyn Kianka
Jocelyn Kianka
The two goals she scored make Kianka the obvious choice to start the list, but she did a lot more from the Rangers during the 80 minutes. She centralized the team’s playmaking and was frequently fed the ball in the center of the field. Kianka did a very good with it, finding good passes and displaying an interesting ability to dribble in tight spaces. She also had great timing with her runs into the penalty box and got on the end of two plays to score. The midfielder was very important at the start of the match too, when she used her size to head long passes coming from the back and help her team retain possession.
Chloe Le
Chloe Le
Le was a handful for Deer Park’s defense during the entire match. She was very smart with her movement on the attacking third, always finding pockets of space to get on the ball and make plays. Le displayed great versatility and a very complete offensive game, using her pace to create from the wings and combining with her teammates through the middle. She fired some dangerous shots and assisted Kianka in her second goal with a good pass from the left.
Sonali Aras
Sonali Aras
If Kianka and Le gave Clements the offensive strength they needed to score twice, Aras was pivotal in keeping things under control in the back. The freshman played a very good match, using her excellent positioning to make interceptions and disrupt plays. She was also very solid in the air when tested. Aras showed great skills on set pieces too and was the one in charge of Clements’ free kicks and corner kicks.
Abigail Scott
Abigail Scott
Scott was a centerpiece in Deer Park’s defensive system and she did a solid job on both sides of the ball. Playing in the center of the team’s back three, she coordinated the Deer on defense and came up big to cover for her teammates when needed. The center back was also strong in the air. Because of her ability to shoot from distance, she was assigned to take free kicks and scored a beautiful goal.
Kamryn Schamblin
Kamryn Schamblin
Clements didn’t necessarily dominate the match in a strong way, but they had some of the best scoring opportunities and Schamblin came up big for Deer Park on some occasions. The goalkeeper was solid in her actions and kept her team in the game with her reliable play in between the posts. Very good when handling long-distance shots, Schamblin also did well when collecting crosses inside the penalty box.
BRIDGELAND 1 (3) – (1) 1 LAKE HIGHLANDS
In another closely-contested match, the Bridgeland Bears from Cypress overcame the Lake Highlands Wildcats from Dallas in the penalty shootout (3-1) after a 1-1 tie across 80 minutes at the Cinco Ranch High School.
The Bears started the match really strong and scored within the first three minutes with junior forward Anaiyah Robinson Anaiyah Robinson F Bridgeland (TX) | 2024 State #127 Nation TX using her pace to beat the defense and fire a low shot to score. The Wildcats continued to compete and equalized early in the second half with sophomore forward Ashlyn Steele Ashlyn Steele F TX shooting from distance.
In the penalty kick shootout, Lake Highlands struggled with four of their five takes missing and Bridgeland moved forward with a 3-1 win.
Robinson was on fire all night, creating all sorts of problems for Lake Highlands’ backline. She played on the right for most of the time and her pace and her ability to get to the end line were extremely valuable for the Bears. She had great movement and excellent composure in front of the goal to score Bridgeland’s goal early in the match. Playing more centrally near the end, she used her size to be a target for her teammates and almost scored on a header.
Riley Hammond
Riley Hammond
Hammond was a force in the middle of the field, making a huge impact on the game with her play. Very tall and athletic, she used her size to win balls and was really difficult to beat. She read the game really well and got several interceptions. Hammond also displayed great quality with the ball, hitting the right passes to either setup a quick fast break or to help the team build out of the back.
Brooke Hensley
Brooke Hensley
Hensley played an important role for Bridgeland down the left side of the field. Very mobile, she was frequently on the ball and had great success driving to the end line to send crosses into the penalty box. The winger was also very good with her off-the-ball movement, often showing up with a lot of space to finish. Hensley also did an important job defensively, tracking back and closing the space on her side.
Steele played a very good match for Lake Highlands, being the team’s top offensive player. She spent most of the time on the left and displayed a great capacity to push the ball forward with her dribbling ability. Steele roamed in the attacking third and always provided an outlet to combine with her teammates. She was audacious to try some long-distance shots during the match and was rewarded with one going in and scoring the equalizer for the Wildcats.
Leah Kappler
Leah Kappler
Kappler was another player who had a big role in Lake Highlands taking the match to the penalty shootout. She came up big on quite a few occasions during the match, denying Bridgeland some 1-on-1 goal opportunities. Her reflexes were truly impressive and helped her get off her line to close the space from opposing attackers. She was celebrated by her teammates on a couple of these plays.