ECNL Girls Texas Cup Champions: Solar SC 07
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Ten days ago, before last weekend’s ECNL Girls event in Phoenix, the best teams in the Texas Conference headed to Dallas for the first edition of the Texas Cup. The recently created event featured the top four teams in each…
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Continue ReadingTen days ago, before last weekend’s ECNL Girls event in Phoenix, the best teams in the Texas Conference headed to Dallas for the first edition of the Texas Cup.
The recently created event featured the top four teams in each age group of the Texas Conference Cup and rewarded the champions with a spot in the ECNL Playoffs, in June.
Let’s take a deeper look into some of the teams that triumphed in Dallas and secured a spot in the playoffs:
Solar SC ECNL G07
The team from Dallas triumphed in the highly competitive 07s division, with tight wins in both matches, defeating Real Colorado National 1-0 in the semifinals and FC Dallas 3-2 in the final.
Key Players
Playing one age group up with Solar SC 07, O’Steen is one of the most promising goalkeepers in the country. Very tall, athletic and explosive, she can make saves that not many other keepers would. Her positioning between the posts is typically excellent and she’s also great at reading opposing attackers and making moves. Her technique is also very good and O’Steen is not a keeper you’ll see out of position and conceding goals she could have avoided very often. She also has a strong, commanding presence on the field and is skilled on the ball after playing several years as a field player.
Typically used as a left back, Nugent contributes a lot to Solar in her area of the field. She’s very good on both sides of the ball and also very complete from a physical standpoint, displaying great pace, a strong lower body and impressive stamina on the field. Nugent is very solid defensively and shows a very high soccer IQ every time she has to make a defensive play, which puts her success rate at a very high level. She’s also very good going forward, using her pace and her dribbling ability to push the ball forward and her skilled left foot to finish and make crosses.
Highlights
Fuller recently captained the US U17 national team in friendly matches against Japan, but returned on time to contribute to Solar’s title with two goals and an assist in Dallas. The Gatorade National Player of the Year, Fuller is a high-energy midfielder, who has the tools to be a difference-maker at any level. There’s really nothing missing in her game as Fuller is intense, dynamic, creative and very disciplined from a tactical standpoint. She can not only hurt opponents in a variety of ways, but is also great at identifying which is the best tool to use in each moment, what makes of her a very difficult player to defend.
Highlights
Kennedy’s younger sister Kamdyn is also a highly impactful player for Solar 07. Very technical and intelligent, she moves the ball extremely well and always finds interesting solutions to offensive plays. She can play in midfield, where she helps her team break defensive lines and feeds the attackers with her accurate passes, or a little more advanced, taking advantage of her quick thinking and technical resources to create goal-scoring opportunities. Fuller uses both feet well when in possession and is also efficient in set pieces.
A very complete offensive player, McLanahan leads the attacking line for Solar 07. Very quick and skilled on the ball, she’s a forward that scores goals, but also assists her teammates, as she did twice in the Texas Cup. She can play wider or more centrally and will always create problems for opposing defenders with her excellent footwork and mobility. Her excellent first touch gives McLanahan a major advantage when she has space to attack in transition.