ECNL Girls Playoffs – Forwards to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After long nine months of competition, the highlight of the season is right around the corner in the ECNL Girls League, with the playoffs set to begin on Friday, June 24, in San Diego, California.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As many as 348 teams from the entire country will head to the West Coast to compete in the six age groups in an event that will reunite the absolute best talent in the country to fight for a spot in the ECNL Finals, which will take place in Richmond, Virginia, in July.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the days leading up to the start of the ECNL Playoffs, I'll highlight some of the most promising players I got to watch during the season, and these forwards could lead their teams to great success.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["26502"],"_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":"Bryant will be one of many offensive weapons in her strong Solar SC G06 team. She's a very versatile offensive player, who can be used in the different positions on the frontline and has the skills to thrive in all of them. Bryant is probably at her best when deployed on the wings, where she has enough space to beat opponents off the dribble and create chances. She's great at taking the ball to the end line but also makes some intelligent diagonal runs off the ball to get passes around the penalty box. Because of her great vision and her excellent passing ability, Bryant can also play behind a target forward, making combination plays through the middle and finding good passes.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64890d70a1326"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/audrey_bryant10/status/1627462489251229696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1627462489251229696%7Ctwgr%5Eb5370676d9ff2817cd2db8128c8858415c4daaa9%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10u0026amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fprepsoccer.com%2F2023%2F02%2Fecnl-houston-difference-making-forwards%2F","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/audrey_bryant10/status/1627462489251229696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1627462489251229696%7Ctwgr%5Eb5370676d9ff2817cd2db8128c8858415c4daaa9%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fprepsoccer.com%2F2023%2F02%2Fecnl-houston-difference-making-forwards%2F </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["23361"],"_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":"Pfeiffer will be in action with SLSG Navy G06 despite being a class of 2026 prospect. That alone speaks volumes about her potential, but doesn't get even close to reflecting how talented she is. From pace to quality on the ball and decision-making, she has all the tools to be an elite attacking player. Pfeiffer is at her best when playing on the wings, but she has the skills to thrive in the middle or in more clogged areas of the field too. She's great at beating opponents off the dribble, uses both feet extremely well and is a very good passer and finisher. Pfeiffer is very mobile and very intelligent with movement off the ball too. Her main attribute is perhaps her ability to the best of what each situation gives her.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64890d70a138a"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCLJdwcRmZU","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCLJdwcRmZU </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["19159"],"_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":"Stevens is, on most occasions, the focal point of the offense of her San Diego Surf G07 team. She typically plays in a more centralized position, but the fact that she does her work in a specific area of the field doesn't make the task of defending her any easier. That's because Stevens is a very complete player, who can hurt defenses in a variety of ways. She's physical enough to shield the ball from defenders and smart enough to connect well with the midfielder, which makes of her a very strong holdup player. Stevens can also make quick turns to get in good finishing spots or runs off the ball to get in behind defenses. She finishes well with both feet and can be dangerous from mid-range too.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64890d70a13db"} /--> <!-- wp:image {"id":98963,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/02/IMG_1668.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-98963" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Pittsburgh Riverhounds 07 vs. San Diego Surf 07</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["26972"],"_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":"Simpson leads the line for Sting Dallas Black G08 and she's not a forward most defenders would like to go up against. She plays much bigger than her actual size and can be an energizer bunny up top, making uncountable runs off the ball and harassing defenders when they have the ball. Simpson is very quick and technical too and she uses those skills extremely well to produce up top. She's also very direct with the ball, looking for the shortest path to get to a spot from where she can finish. Her movement off the ball is very smart too as Simpson typically comes from the left into the penalty box, always timing her runs very well.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64890d70a1426"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["28044"],"_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":"Newman is the most advanced player for her Eastside FC G08 team. She knows her way inside the penalty box and is excellent at making plays in tight spaces. The forward is also physical enough to battle defenders for space inside the penalty and doesn't need a lot of room to finish chances. Newman also has some good quality on the ball and can make plays from deeper positions as well. She's excellent at finding pockets of space between the lines to get on the ball and from there she can either find good passes to a teammate in a better position or make direct runs through the middle, using her physical tools to shield the ball.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64890d70a146b"} /--> <!-- wp:image {"id":99597,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/02/IMG_2017.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-99597" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Eastside FC 08 vs. Kansas City Athletics 08</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->