Six Illinois Girls Who Impressed in St. Louis

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Despite some cold temperatures, there were a handful of Illinois girls who stood out at the ECNL RL Showcase down in St. Louis over the weekend. Here's a few of my top standouts. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>M Natalie Henkel - Raptors FC 09</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A box-to-box midfielder that displayed so much energy Friday afternoon. I'm a big fan of the pace she plays with as almost all Raptors offensive transitions came through her. I also noticed her communicating with everyone and being very decisive with the ball. Shields off larger opponents, too. Definitely a prospect to watch in the class of 2027</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>GK Viktorija Tijunelis - Libertyville FC 08</strong> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>She's a keeper who showed so much poise in her matchup Friday afternoon. Extremely vocal to the back line and keeping her defense organized. Technically, she showed plenty of consistency with her distribution while also passing to the best option to lead a counter attack. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>F/M Kate Mondejar - Libertyville FC 08</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Love the speed she displays in the center of the field. Can blow by you with ease while also keeping her head up and showing good control on the ball. She had a pair of really good chances to score early in the 2nd half of their Friday night contest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>M Kimberly White - Libertyville FC 08</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>She was probably the most outstanding player in their opening match. A prospect worth a sensational touch around the ball while showing off numerous skill moves. She contributed heavily to not only stopping counter attacks, but making offensive plays in and around the box. An exceptionally gifted prospect who can play as a #6 or #8.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>F Mackenzie Jordan - Evolution SC 08</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of a few Evolution players who impressed last weekend en route to an unbeaten weekend. Jordan impresses you with her speed in the attacking third as well as her ability to be a productive wing back. Her ability to transition between attacking and defending, and vice versa, was also significant. She scored in their opening match and got an assist on the final day.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>F Katelyn Haiser - Evolution SC 08</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>She stuffed up the stat sheet last weekend. Kicking things off with a two goal-one assist performance on Friday and doing it again on Sunday. Really impresses as a #9 with her touch in and around the box as well as her confidence to take a shot from far out. Scored one of those on Sunday. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->