Ranked Players on Rise after ECNL PHX
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Phoenix, Arizona – The first ECNL National Event of the club season wrapped up on Sunday from the Reach 11 Sports Complex. The first event featured some of the defending national champions in this league in various age groups. With…
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Continue ReadingPhoenix, Arizona – The first ECNL National Event of the club season wrapped up on Sunday from the Reach 11 Sports Complex. The first event featured some of the defending national champions in this league in various age groups. With the high level of teams on display, the individual talent was there to match.
Check out the ranked players who impressed scouts on site from the event.
Kai Beary Kai Beary 6'1" | GK JSerra Catholic | 2027 State #3 Nation CA , So Cal Blues 08 – Beary had another strong showing for So Cal Blues. Good hands, great presence on crosses, organized her defense well, and excellent distribution, Beary showed all the traits that make her a special talent for the position.
MacKenzie Stearns MacKenzie Stearns 5'10" | D Poway | 2026 State CA , So Cal Blues 08 – Stearns impressed during the playoffs at left back and she continues to prove that she is one of the best in the nation in that position. An elite 1v1 defender, Stearns was a key piece for the Blues’ shutout victory. She had a great recovery tackle in the first half.
Braelynn Galt, Chicago Inter 08 – Galt is one of the best goalkeepers in the 2027 class in the country, and she showed why on Friday. She has all the tools to be a star as a modern-day goalkeeper. Her distribution was really impressive and looks like something she has continued to work on recently. She was pinging passes with accuracy over distance and her drop kicks were on point with their intended target.
Gwen Zimmerman, Eclipse Select 07 – Smooth in her passing, Zimmerman impressed with her quality on the ball from defense and midfield.
Jordan Perry Jordan Perry GK Trabuco Hills | 2025 State CA , Slammers Koge 07 – Perry made an outstanding save to tip a high shot over the crossbar early on against MVLA on Friday.
Rylee McLanahan, Solar SC 07 – McLanahan scored a terrific goal for the opener against Hawks. She buried the shot into the upper corner of the net as soon as she noticed the defender had given her too much space. She is a smart player with a elite attribute for striking the ball.
Victoria Adams, Michigan Hawks 07 – Adams put in quite the shift against the talented Solar attack. She had two tackles in the first half to stop clear chances.
Evan O’Steen, Solar 07 – O’Steen made an outstanding save early on against Hawks. She handled a cross – that turned into a shot as it drifted on goal – O’Steen leaped over a teammate to secure the ball. Flipped in the air while securing the ball and landed on her back. She kept possession of the ball throughout the save. She’s a tough player with secure hands.
Reese Canada, Michigan Hawks 07 – Canada and the Hawks team had a tough time against the Solar squad, but she was still able to show her quality and create chances. Micayla Johnson and Canada showed their high level contributions on Friday.
Morgan Farnham Morgan Farnham 5'11" | GK Notre Dame | 2025 State #57 Nation CA , Beach FC 07 – Farnham and the Beach squad went 3-0 at the event. We caught her performance against FC Dallas on Saturday. The early start led to a slick playing surface which made for some difficult conditions for a goalkeeper. She was excellent in coming off her line and securing through balls confidently.
Shannon Davidson Shannon Davidson M Redondo Union | 2025 State #253 Nation CA , Beach FC 07 – The new look Beach midfield looked great against FC Dallas. Davidson and Avery Oder Avery Oder null | F Oaks Christian | 2025 State #10 Nation CA are dynamic on the counter. Both are skillful players who thrive in the transition. Sophia Kwon did well as the defensive midfielder.
Holly Storer, FC Dallas 07 – Storer has been a standout for some time on the FC Dallas team. The part of her game that impressed me in Phoenix was how much she has improved in controlling difficult passes into her. Passes at uncomfortable heights or passes with too much behind them, she handled pretty easily. Storer continues to make me believe she is going to be a contributor early on in her college career.
Zamorah Malinoski Zamorah Malinoski F Los Alamitos | 2026 State CA , Slammers FC HB Koge 08 – Malinoski scored the opening goal against Mustang in the lopsided victory. The attacker gets the credit for the tally, but it was a wonderful team goal that started with regaining possession from the center back who played out through the goalkeeper and eventually circulated the ball to the opposite side before Malinoski provided the magical thunder finish with her left foot.
Ireland Churchill Ireland Churchill F Eleanor Roosevelt | 2026 State CA , Slammers FC HB Koge 08 – Churchill is a key piece for Slammers. She is a creative player that doesn’t look that flashy. Churchill’s assist on the opening goal was a pass that maybe only a handful of players would attempt and even fewer could do successful. With a defender planted on her back, Churchill shielded the mark and used the outside of her foot to flick the ball into the path of Malinoski who finished off the movement with a goal.
Avarie Gonzalez Avarie Gonzalez GK Los Alamitos | 2026 State CA , Slammers FC HB Koge 08 – Gonzalez had a bit of a hiccup at the start of the game against Mustang as she took maybe a half second too long to make a decision with the ball at her feet. The great part about Gonzalez is that she learned from that and adapted. She was quicker in getting the ball off her feet and realized the Mustang attackers were closing quickly. With that adjustment, she was a key part of the opening goal in getting the ball swung from one side to the other quickly. Gonzalez, who is a goalkeeper, also made some outstanding saves. But the mental resolve to learn and grow from a moment in the game was definitely something scouts will notice.
Laina Harder Laina Harder D Santa Margarita Catholic | 2027 State #135 Nation CA , Slammers FC HB Koge 08 – Harder is a top player in the 2027 class and a top player on the Slammers team. She plays in the center of the defense and does well in every aspect of the role. She can man-mark, but she also does well in providing cover for her teammates. She’s composed on the ball and does well making good decisions in possession. Erin Ha was also good for Slammers.
Danielle Chaump, Sting Black 08 – It often feels like Sting Black can try to feed the ball to one wing more often than the other side, but when you have a player of Chaump’s ability on the wing it certainly makes sense to do that. Champ was seeing a ton of the ball early on in the second half against Concorde Fire Platinum. She was creating chances nearly every time too. She also scored the best goal I saw on the weekend. She received the ball out wide and had set up this move on the two previous sequences. She had driven to the end line and whipped in a cross. This time, Chaump saw the defender anticipating that so she cut inside onto her left and ripped a shot into the upper corner of the net. It was a world-class finish for the winger.
Mimi Flanagan, Sting Black 08 – Flanagan was outstanding in the midfield for Sting against Concorde. The way that the Sting midfield play off each other to break pressure and then find the attacking players with their passing was terrific. Abigail Graul and Jaylynn Traver were also part of that great midfield.
Reese Liner, Sting Black 08 – Liner is not a new name on PrepSoccer, but there was an element of her game that felt like it deserved some added attention after this weekend. During the game against Concorde Fire Platinum. Liner blocked a weak shot and kept control of the ball under her feet. Rather than boot the ball out of bounds or long, she faked a pass to send the pressure away from her and then played a calm pass to a midfielder to get out of the quick counter-press and start the Sting attack. It was a small thing, but it’s great to see a player playing with that type of awareness and confidence. Tyller Grimes, Lily Weiss, and Mikaela Valentine were also standouts for Sting.
Jordan Hill, Solar 08 – Hill is a stud. She looked like she is ready for a challenge against older competition during the games in Phoenix. A playmaker who could fill in at any role, Hill was slicing apart the opposition with her passing. She had a great assist to Finley McKnight for the equalizer against SLSG Navy.
Rhiannon Mahon, Solar 08 – Mahon did well in slowing down the SLSG Navy attack. She went step for step with some of their speedy, skillful attackers.
Thea Dimitroff, SLSG Navy 08 – Dimitroff’s pressure on the ball from the winger position was really impressive. She was immediately switched on and did well in getting pressure on the ball and creating turnovers in opportune spots – including the lead-up to the goal.
Maddie DiMaria, SLSG Navy 08 – DiMaria was also involved in the play leading up to the goal, but she also made an impact throughout the second half with her play. She was quick on the ball and made good decisions. DiMaria is a difference-maker at the highest level in club soccer.
Daya King Daya King null | D State #36 Nation CA , Legends FC 07 – King had a picture perfect slide tackle against Concorde Fire Platinum. King is a Youth National Team player from the outside back spot so everything she does is at a high level. King still makes plays pretty regularly that surprise even the super high standards we have for her.
Zoe Matthews Zoe Matthews null | F State #30 Nation CA , Legends FC 07 – Speaking of high standards, Matthews is a top, top player and showed that once again in Phoenix. Gliding across the field and pinging passes. Matthews found a great new (and old) running partner in Kyla Dawn as they ran a pretty good combination game between the two of them to create chances.
Ella Martinez, Concorde Fire Platinum 07 – Martinez reads the game well and is fiercely competitive. She wants to play against the best and she wants to win. There are times when it seems like she forces passes too quickly and tries to push the pace too much. Overall though, the signs are there for a midfielder who will do really well at the next level. Raygen Lewis was also very good for Concorde Fire.