I-10 Shootout – The Efficient Fullbacks
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’re navigating through each position and featuring some of the players from these teams that left a really strong impression. We already looked at goalkeepers and defenders, so now let’s focus on fullbacks.
Charlotte Hardig
Charlotte Hardig
Hardig displayed a very strong game and proved to be a capable player on both sides of the ball playing on the right of Memorial’s backline. Her defensive game is really solid as she’s really hard to beat in 1-v-1 situations and also recovers well when that happens. She’s also tactically flexible, being able to play wider, as a true fullback, or more centralized, almost as a third center back. Hardig also has good power and skills on the ball when she pushes forward and often fires some dangerous shots from long distance.
Haley Pokorski
Haley Pokorski
Also a volleyball player for Lake Highlands, Pokorki has great size and is very strong in the air. No long balls go through her on the left side of her team’s backline and she is also smart enough to tuck inside and help protect the penalty box when the opponent is attacking through the right. Pokorski is strong with the ball on the turf too as she reads the game well and is good at anticipating. She’s also very calm when in possession and often connects good passes through the middle.
Sofia Vazquez
Sofia Vazquez
Vazquez was a force on Cy-Fair’s backline, playing primarily on the left. She’s a solid defensive player, who is tough to beat off the dribble and never gives up on plays, chasing attackers until the wins the ball back. Vazquez occupies the space really well and forces opponents to make the first move so she can use her pace to win the ball. Also capable of playing in the center of the backline, she’s very calm when she has the ball and always chooses a short and efficient pass over a long and risky one.
Makena Maina
Makena Maina
Maina is a player with apparent endless energy and that suits her well in her fullback role with Fort Bend Clements. Although she has mostly defensive duties with the team, Maina covers a lot of ground for them and makes sure everything is under control. She’s typically used on the right but can play on the left too and, regardless of which side she’s at, she won’t give any space for opposing wingers to beat her. Maina is very steady with the ball and plays simply, but efficiently, not giving the ball away.
Camryn Adams
Camryn Adams
Adams plays a solid role as Bridgeland’s right-back. She’s a stud defensively and, more often than not, can single-handedly handle all the incoming traffic on her side of the field, allowing midfielders and defenders to focus on their own assignments. Although she doesn’t push forward and get to the end line very often, Adams plays a fairly important role in her team’s offense, tucking inside and moving up to the midfield area to help Bridgeland move the ball.