Texas High School Girls Team Spotlight – Friendswood Mustangs
The high school soccer season is underway in the state of Texas and until mid-April, then the State Tournament will be held, thousands of teams will be in action all across the Lone Star State competing for a spot in…
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Continue ReadingThe high school soccer season is underway in the state of Texas and until mid-April, then the State Tournament will be held, thousands of teams will be in action all across the Lone Star State competing for a spot in the playoffs.
Prep Soccer will be following the action and constantly providing match reports on some of the most exciting duels and highlighting the players that are standing out for their teams. We’ll also be presenting some of the most promising teams that we get to watch live so you know them a little bit better.
Friendswood Mustangs
The Friendswood Mustangs from the Galveston area are one of the teams that form the UIL Division 5A – Region 3, District 18. The program has a long and strong tradition in the region, having won the State Tournament in 2000-2001 and appeared in the State Semifinals, the last of which was in 2020-2021. With a strong returning core of seniors and juniors and some of the best players in the area anchoring the team, the Mustangs have the potential to make another deep run this season.
Players to Watch
Haley Rocha
Haley Rocha
Rocha is a versatile prospect who can play at the heart of Friendswood’s defense or right in front of it, providing protection as a defensive midfielder. In either position, she’s very efficient with her game, using her physical strength and athleticism to get in front of attackers and win possession back. Rocha is capable of putting great power on the ball with her right foot and often playing an important role for the team, connecting long passes out of the back.
Brynn Farrar
Brynn Farrar
Farrar makes a huge impact in the game from her defensive midfielder position. She does a lot of defensive work, using her excellent reading of the game to intercept plays and win balls and is also very good at turning defense into offense with her calm on the ball and her ability to connect passes. Farrar also has good size and is strong in the air. She has very good offensive presence as well, being capable of finishing from distance of making off-the-ball runs into the penalty box.
Gisele Kehres
Gisele Kehres
Kehres plays a more advanced role at Friendswood’s midfield and is one of the most creative players in the team. A lefty, she has great vision and is capable of connecting great passes and generating space even when operating under pressure. She’s very calm on the ball and makes the right decision every time in terms of progressing the ball up the field. Kehres is also very good at driving the ball forward on her own, dribbling past opponents and shielding it from them. She’s also very calm to finish in front of the goal.
Reagan Rudolph
Reagan Rudolph
A very mobile offensive player, Rudolph is a constant threat on the left side of Friendswood’s front line. She’s great on the ball and has great ability to dribble the ball or find good passes to her teammates. Her movement off-the-ball is also very intelligent, often creating space for her teammates or initiating runs into open spaces. Rudolph is also very good at finishing with either feet and does a very important defensive work, tracking back and closing the space on her side.
Olivia Schmidt
Olivia Schmidt
A senior, Schmidt is the focal point of Friendswood’s offense. A very complete player, she’s lethal in the attacking third with her excellent technical skills and her ability to perform a variety of roles well. Schmidt typically plays in a more central role and she’s very good at making runs behind the opponent’s backline and using her superb finishing skills and her calm on the ball to put it in the back of the net. She’s also great at dragging a defender to the midfield to open up space in the back and connecting passes to the wingers.