Aggieland Friendship Cup – Five Players to Watch – U18/U19
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The start of girls’ club soccer competition in the country’s main leagues is just around the corner and teams from the entire country have been spending the last few weeks in preparation matches or tournaments, where they can fine-tune their…
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Continue ReadingThe start of girls’ club soccer competition in the country’s main leagues is just around the corner and teams from the entire country have been spending the last few weeks in preparation matches or tournaments, where they can fine-tune their games ahead of the beginning of the official games.
Several of the top teams in the state of Texas will head to College Station this weekend for the Aggieland Friendship Cup, a massive tournament that will feature 144 teams from the U12 to the U19 age groups between Saturday and Sunday.
There will be some serious talent in action this week and here are players to follow in the U18/U19 Age Group:
A goalkeeper capable of shutting down even the strongest offenses, Bracken will be operating between the posts for Sting Dallas Royal RL G06/05 this weekend. A Trinity College commit, she delivers everything one would expect from an elite goalkeeper, making big saves when her team needs them and offering positive leadership to her teammates. One of Bracken’s main assets as a shot-stopper is her excellent positioning, which puts her one step closer to getting to the ball, be it when trying to catch a finish or when she needs to leave goal and stop a transition play.
Highlights
Beya Rosales
Beya Rosales
Rosales moved clubs this offseason, leaving the Dallas Texans to strengthen DKSC ECNL G05’s backline. She’s a very complete center back, who gets to impact the game on both sides of the ball and gives a lot of stability to her team. Defensively, Rosales benefits from her ability to anticipate plays to get easy interceptions quite often, but she’s not shy about using her great physical tools to win the ball either. A lefty, she has excellent quality on the ball, helping her team’s buildup with accurate passes from the back and eventually driving the ball up herself.
A University of Texas commit, Foley is one of the key cogs in her Solar SC ECNL G06/05 team that’s considered by most one of the most talented in the country. She brings a lot of quality and intensity with her play in the middle and is also the team captain, providing some much-needed leadership. Foley is very skilled with the ball and sees the game very well from her central midfield position. Her playing style works perfectly with Solar’s collective game and it’s not unusual to see Foley start a play around the midfield line and get inside the penalty box to finish it just a few seconds later. She’s also an excellent finisher, be it in the run of play or in dead-ball situations.
Smith puts her stamp on basically every play created by Challenge SC ECNL G06 with her skilled left foot. She plays as more of a deep-lying midfielder and is great at finding space to get on the ball and initiate plays. Smith is also a very intelligent player, who knows when to push the pace or to build up on a slower rhythm and she really dictates Challenge’s offensive rhythm. A tall player, she also uses her size well to win aerial battles in the middle and intercept long passes. The midfielder is also a threat in set pieces, especially with her precise crosses.
A forward with excellent physical and technical tools, Belanger will be the focal point of the Dallas Texans ECNL G06/05’s offense. Standing at 5’10”, she can dominate nearly every center back with her physicality and is a threat in the air and also an easy target for long passes. Her size, however, is just one of Belanger’s skills as she also features a very potent and talented left foot. She’s an excellent finisher and likes to operate inside the penalty box, but also creates to her teammates and is excellent at providing assists.