I-10 Shootout – Goalkeepers Who Stood Out
It was a busy weekend for girls’ high school soccer in Texas with one the most traditional tournaments, the I-10 Shootout, taking place between Thursday and Saturday in eight high school campuses in the Katy area. Prep Soccer followed some…
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Continue ReadingIt was a busy weekend for girls’ high school soccer in Texas with one the most traditional tournaments, the I-10 Shootout, taking place between Thursday and Saturday in eight high school campuses in the Katy area.
Prep Soccer followed some of the action, watching four matches during the first two days of the event, and seeing eight of the 64 teams – Atascocita, Bridgeland, Cy-Fair, Deer Park, Fort Bend Clements, Friendswood, Lake Highlands and Memorial – make really interesting things on the field.
During this week, we’ll navigate through each position and feature some of the players from these teams that left a really strong impression. We start today with the goalkeepers.
Elise Bienvenu
Elise Bienvenu
Bridgeland went to win the Cougar bracket in dominant fashion, with only three goals conceded in as many matches, and Bienvenu was one of the reasons for their defensive solidness. A very reliable goalkeeper, she checks every box with her play and is always very calm. Bienvenu typically handles long-distance shots very well and is also agile enough to stop closer range finishes. She’s also very strong at collecting crosses and loose balls inside the penalty box and she makes decisions quickly and doesn’t hesitate in going for it.
Leah Kappler
Leah Kappler
Bracket winners Bridgeland scored less than four goals only once in their campaign and that speaks volumes about how well Kappler performed when her Lake Highlands team faced the Bears. A brilliant shot-stopper, she made some really impressive point-blank saves, displaying great reflexes and explosiveness. Kappler is very quick to leave the target and places her body well to cut opponents’ shooting angles. She’s also very solid when dealing with long shots, typically catching them without any issues.
Kamryn Schamblin
Kamryn Schamblin
Although her Deer Park team lost when I watched them play against Fort Bend Clements, Schamblin was one of the top players on the field on the occasion. She kept her team in the game with some big saves on multiple occasions and was very reliable throughout the entire match. Schamblin wasn’t one to give second chances to attackers, always catching the ball in her first attempt, and also thrived when collecting crosses inside the penalty box.
Esther Quintanilla
Esther Quintanilla
You don’t get to see many freshmen playing big roles between the posts at this level but Quintanilla is certainly an exception to that. The Cy-Fair goalkeeper played like a veteran and was really solid for her team in the match against Atascocita. Quintanilla has great size for the position, but is also very agile and capable of getting off her line to face opposing attackers when needed. She is very good at collecting crosses too, be it on the grass or in the air, and doesn’t struggle with the ball at her feet. The best about Quintanilla’s game, however, is that she still has tremendous room for growth.
Jess Aguilar
Jess Aguilar
Aguilar was another goalkeeper who left a strong impression, having a solid shift with Atascocita against Cy-Fair. She’s very consistent with her actions and rarely makes a mistake or a bad decision. Aguilar is not necessarily a ‘highlight reel’ kind of goalkeeper, but she gets the job done using her intelligence and quality on the ball. Another interesting aspect of her game is that she can kick the ball with a lot of power, sending goal kicks well upfield.