ECNL Dallas: Five Texas Goalkeepers to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The ECNL Girls League is coming to Texas this weekend as the city of Dallas is set to host the second event of the 2024 calendar year and the sixth of the 2023-2024 season from Saturday to Monday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Matches will take place at the Toyota Soccer Center, in Frisco, and the MoneyGram Soccer Park, in Dallas, and as many as 224 teams will be in action, competing in the U14, U15, U16, U17 and U18/19 divisions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Texas will obviously have massive representation in the event, with 50 teams from the top clubs in the state entering to compete and showcase their skills over the three days of the event.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Soccer will be on-site following all three days of action, but before we get there, we'd like to highlight some of the most exciting prospects of the host state that will be on the field, starting with the goalkeepers:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["112681"],"_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":"Flores and her Sting Dallas Black G09 team will be faced with Orlando City, Concorde Fire Premier and FC Wisconsin this week in Texas. She has emerged as one of the most promising goalkeepers in her age group in the Lone Star State recently and has displayed consistent progress every time she goes out and plays. Flores is very explosive and that allows her to make acrobatic saves between the posts not many others would. She's also very confident and reliable when she needs to step out of the goal to catch or punch crosses, doing it with great efficiency. Another thing that stands out in her game is how patient and disciplined she is in waiting for the right moment to step forward and take up space from opposing attackers in 1v1 situations, not giving up anything.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65c69a8b0bbb5"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0t_brDB6iWU","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=0t_brDB6iWU </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["112614"],"_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":"Smithson will be with Challenge SC G09 when they meet Indy Eleven Pro Academy, Michigan Hawks Magic and Concorde Fire Premier in Dallas. She immediately became a starter for her high school team Kingwood Park as a freshman and earned 11 clean sheets in the first 14 matches of the season. Smithson is very long, but also very agile and she uses that combination to get to balls shot to the upper corner. She's also very effective when using her legs to make stops in 1v1 situations, enlarging her area. Smithson is also very calm in goal and has the mental toughness it takes to sustain long periods of pressure between the posts.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65c69a8b0bc60"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/PeytonSmithson1/status/1653386130534875137?s=20","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/PeytonSmithson1/status/1653386130534875137?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["27154"],"_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":"Davis and her Dallas Texans G08 teammates have matches against Liverpool FC IA Michigan, Eastside FC and GSA set up this weekend in the event. Although she's playing one age group up, the goalkeeper is a big part of the team and gives them a lot of confidence with her work between the posts. Davis is extremely comfortable in stepping out of goal to deal with crosses and will very rarely let the ball cross her zone in the penalty box. She's also a very solid shot-stopper, who thrives with her positioning and her ability to make last-second moves with her arms. Davis is also confident with her feet and often connects good passes out of the back.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65c69a8b0bcf1"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EV6r3K4gCs0","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=EV6r3K4gCs0 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Veronika Orzolek","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'8u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"100","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Coppell","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Sting Dallas Royal","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Orzolek will be the goalkeeper of the Sting Dallas Black G07 team that is scheduled to play against FC Wisconsin, Rockford Raptors and Richmond United this weekend. She has an interesting combination of technical, physical and mental tools and has been in great form with her high school team Coppell. Orzolek has excellent goalkeeper foundations and will always do the basics right, such as going with the correct hand to make a save and placing herself in the right spot to get to the ball. She's also fearless in how she plays the game, doing whatever it takes to keep the ball away from the goal, and is athletic enough to make big saves.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65c69a8b0bdf6"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["27127"],"_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":"Deleon will play with Classics Elite G06/05, who are set to go against Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Seattle United and FC Dayton RL during the event in Dallas. She has proven year after year to be among the best in Texas in her age group and will have another opportunity to showcase her game against some top-level competition at the national level. There's nothing not to like about Deleon's game as she commands the penalty box with great efficiency, handling crosses and finishes extremely well. She has excellent reflexes between the posts and is very agile, making impressive stops with great frequency. She's also solid with her feet and is typically very precise with long passes.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65c69a8b0be84"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/NDeleon2024/status/1733915334204149988?s=20","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/NDeleon2024/status/1733915334204149988?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->