ECNL Texas: Albion Hurricanes G08 vs. Sting Austin G08
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The ECNL regular season is coming to an end and teams from all over the country had a big weekend as they fight for the last spots in the postseason. There was a lot of competition in the Texas region…
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Continue ReadingThe ECNL regular season is coming to an end and teams from all over the country had a big weekend as they fight for the last spots in the postseason.
There was a lot of competition in the Texas region as well and Prep Soccer was out there on a rainy Saturday to follow the action between the Albion Hurricanes FC G08 and the Sting Austin G08 – click here to see the best photos of the match.
Albion Hurricanes G08 0 x 1 Sting Austin G08
Most of the match was played under heavy rain and that created an extra level of difficulty for two teams that displayed a very similar level of play to take control. Sting Austin were more aggressive during the entirety of the match and found the game-winning goal during the second half in a chance created by Lily Ruff Lily Ruff D State TX and Zea Gonzalez Zea Gonzalez F Pieper | 2026 State TX and finished by Kate Loudamy.
Top Performers
Ruff was a dynamo for Sting Austin playing as a box-to-box midfielder. She played with tremendous intensity and was very active on both sides of the ball, covering a lot of ground on defense and being involved with most of the team’s chance-creation efforts. Ruff was very direct and confident when in possession and used her ability to dribble the ball and change directions to beat Albion defenders and create space for herself. She found Gonzalez with a beautiful pass in the play that generated Sting’s game-winning goal and kept her intensity level high until the final whistle.
Gonzalez was a handful for Albion defenders to deal with and played a big role in her team’s game-winning goal. She used her physical tools extremely well to get on the end of long passes and gave opposing defenders no chance of anticipating her. When in possession, Gonzalez did very good hold-up play connecting with the midfielders, but also made plays of her own, dribbling in tight spaces and finding wider players in good spots. She made an excellent run off the ball before giving Loudamy the game-winning assist.
Wiele was one of the main reasons why Sting was able to maintain a clean sheet against a dangerous Albion team. Playing as a left-sided center back, she used her excellent positioning to disrupt plays and shut down several attempts from their opponents. Very mobile and intelligent, Wiele also did a very good job when covering her teammates, stepping up to make some big plays. She was also very strong in possession, rarely punting the ball upfield and often initiating Sting’s buildup with intelligent and effective passes. She also had a big role in set pieces, creating danger from corner kicks and free kicks.
Highlights
Krosnyak was probably Albion’s most dangerous attacking player in the match. CK, as she’s known, displayed a very complete game, being capable of operating as a typical striker or out wider. Her excellent ball control and her ability to use both feet in possession gave her a whole lot of possibilities when in possession and she made good decisions to eventually beat Sting’s defenders, even if she didn’t get a very good look to finish. Krosnyak also used her body well to win battles and tried to create for her teammates when she had the ball.
Hodgson was really solid in the center of Albion’s backline. She used her size well to anticipate plays, handle long passes and win aerial battles but was also very strong in 1v1 duels. She had an interesting battle with Gonzalez and won some and lost some, keeping Sting’s dangerous forward away from the penalty box for most of the match. Hodgson was also very technical and confident in possession, connecting some really good passes from the back and occasionally pushing the ball upfield herself with runs through the middle.
Goodwin offered a strong presence on the right side of Albion’s backline. Her steady presence there limited most of Sting’s production from that side and forced the opponents to attack more through the middle or the left. The fullback used her physical tools to occupy the space really well and also won most of the duels she was involved with. Goodwin was somewhat conservative in possession, preferring shorter, safer passes over riskier ones and had more of an offensive approach when her team was trailing.