Best defenders and goalkeepers from Florida

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The PrepSoccer player rankings for Florida were released last week. The freshman class features a number of top defenders and goalkeepers including players with international experience. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Check out the <a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2023/05/updated-2026-florida-girl-rankings/">PrepSoccer Florida player rankings</a>. <a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2023/04/behind-the-scenes-the-prepsoccer-national-rankings-2/">Learn more about the scouting process</a>. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Below is a scouting report on a few players from the 2026 Florida rankings. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["112064"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Kellier is a player with youth international experience. She played for Jamaica during the Concacaf U15 Championship. She is playing right center back for her club team. She should be on the radar for most scouts considering the youth national team experience. There is a reason to believe she is starting to take her game to the next level. The athleticism and defensive instincts are always there. Her club coach is helping her improve her decision-making, which is making her a better player on the ball. FC Prime plays through her side in the build-up so she is getting a lot of repetitions on the ball under pressure and she is improving a lot game from game. If Kellier becomes comfortable with that aspect of her game, she will be a top center back target from this class.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["125492"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Vocal leader for her team. Does well in communicating with there defenders. Right-footed. Excellent passer. Easily hits a cross-field ball. Saw her make a couple of saves from the run of play. Could use her hands more on the shots, let the ball hit her body and corralled the rebound. Has the frame to be a top player in her position for this class.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["137420"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Gonzalez is a player who needs no introduction. She is a member of the Mexico U17 Women's National Team. She is also on the ODP National Select Team (she missed out on Dallas Cup because she was in France with the Mexico youth national team) and has been part of U.S. Soccer Regional Talent ID events. I've seen her play as a center back for her club team, but it's easy to see her position versatility given her comfort on the ball. She is capable of playing 1-2 touch soccer at high level. She recently u003ca href=u0022https://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/palm-beach/fl-cn-boca-adrianna-gonzalez-mexican-soccer-20230330-3bk7gxjjbnhshfc2dmitv6mppq-story.htmlu0022u003egave an interview saying UCLA and Duke u003c/au003ewere her dream schools, which is a pretty lofty goal but she has the talent to get those types of schools interested in her for the 2026 class.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["21342"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Listed as a midfielder/defender on her player profile, I saw her play as a center back. Loved the effort from Arey. Matched up against one of the best 2027s in the country, she fought for every ball. Did well when she could put her body on the mark. Had some trouble tracking her off the ball runs. Arey looked comfortable playing under pressure. She is one to watch for the future.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["137477"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Reid is a weapon on set pieces. She is a tall center back who will put her head on the ball. From the run of play, she is one part of the stalwart center back pairing for the Florida United 08 GA team. [player_tooltip player_id='137479' first='Maya' last='Allen'] is the other piece of the puzzle. It's tough to get past the duo. They win any clearance. They support each other really well. Both win the win possession and when they track runners. Allen and Reid are a formidable center back tandem and will be for a long time.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["21151"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"Smith has been a standout in goal recently in ECNL play. She is comfortable off her line and does well with her feet. She can play as a sweeper-keeper thanks to her athleticism. She has good hands and her ability on crosses might be her best attribute. She high points the ball and uses her hands to secure the ball into her body. Smith has quality to shine at the next level.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["21145"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"Listed as a midfielder on her player profile, Archer played as a center back in the game that I saw. She is a versatile player who looked like she could play any spot across the back four. She did well in tracking marks and communicating with teammates to pick up runners. She played well off her fellow center back. She was aggressive in the tackle and did well in aerial challenges. I'd like to see Archer be more an option in possession as she could utilize her skill on the ball to help her side retain possession.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_7_player":["137495"],"_player_evaluations_7_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"Listed as a forward/midfielder on her player profile, Szamecki found a future home at left back. She's a perfect fit for that role. She has the pace to match up with top end wingers, and she has the skill on the ball to be a weapon going forward. Szamecki's recovery speed helped cut out a few chances in recent games in ECNL play. She could be one to watch next season as she develops a consistent role in that position.","_player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_8_player":["20998"],"_player_evaluations_8_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"With the way Jacksonville FC has played during parts of this season, Perry has been doing the job of two players. She covers a ton of ground in the game - maybe more than any other center back in this class. She is excellent in her timing of her tackles. She is good on the ball with quick decisions (but she doesn't rush the play). Perry is a leader of a defense and does well controlling her swath of the field.","_player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_9_player":["137503"],"_player_evaluations_9_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_9_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_9_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_9_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_9_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_9_evaluation":"Welke's effort jumped off the game film to me. She never let a bad pass or a mistake bring her level down. It was refreshing to watch her fly down the touch line and then work back without complaining when she didn't get the ball - there were some times when her run in the channel wasn't rewarded but she still tackled the challenge with enthusiasm the next time she got the chance. She played left back, but she's right footed. She also took free kicks for her side. She is a player to scout more in the future.","_player_evaluations_9_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_10_player":["137583"],"_player_evaluations_10_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_10_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_10_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_10_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_10_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_10_evaluation":"u003cp class=u0022p1u0022u003eTaylor is a center back on the IMG Academy 08 Girls Academy team. She is listed as a defender/midfielder on her player profile, but I've only seen her as center back. She tends to play pretty deep - almost sweeper-esque. She is a strong 1v1 defender when forced into action. Her best ability is reading the game. She gets into spots to support her teammates. She has a strong leg and can connect passes across the field. She is on the Watch List for this update as she was a late discovery in the scouting process. She is one to watch during the upcoming Showcases.u003c/pu003e","_player_evaluations_10_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":11,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-645aacaf3baa1"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->