ECNL Dallas: 16s – Goalkeepers
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The top teams in the ECNL Girls League in the country were in Dallas from February 17-19, where the league held its sixth National event of the season. Over 220 teams were in action over the three days of the…
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Continue ReadingThe top teams in the ECNL Girls League in the country were in Dallas from February 17-19, where the league held its sixth National event of the season.
Over 220 teams were in action over the three days of the event and Prep Soccer was in attendance, following several matches a day and taking a lot at some of the top-level prospects in the country. On Monday, we were at the Toyota Soccer Center, in Frisco, where we got to watch 16 of the 50 teams of the 16s age group compete.
We’ve already highlighted the players that stood out in the encounters we got to watch and now we’ll expand that a little bit and list more prospects that left a strong impression, looking at one position at a time. Our first article will cover the goalkeepers that stood out during the day:
Real Colorado National had ups and downs during the weekend, getting a win and two losses, but Foulke was consistently good for them, allowing just three goals. I watched her in a 1-0 loss to SLSG Navy in which she was put to work and was only beaten by an excellent and unlikely shot. Foulke is very tall and uses her long frame extremely well to make stops between the posts and to handle crosses sent into the penalty box. The goalkeeper also displayed great agility and reactions, wasting no time to leave the goal and make stops in 1v1 situations.
Hensley was with one of the top teams in the division, SLSG Navy, and helped them get two victories in three matches, conceding just two goals – she also did a very good job in the ECNL National Selection Game. The goalkeeper was solid between the posts and worked hard to get a clean sheet against Real Colorado National in a 1-0 win. Hensley was always well-positioned to make stops and displayed great technique in her actions, rarely allowing for second chances and making the right moves to keep the ball out of the net. She also worked well in possession and displayed good confidence to continue to try connecting passes out of the back after she made a mistake.
Sicily Stevens
Sicily Stevens
The starting goalkeeper for La Roca, Stevens conceded four goals as the team secured a win, a loss and a tie over the weekend. She displayed excellent technical skills and was very effective when she had to make stops between the posts. I got to watch Stevens in a 1-1 tie with Richmond United when she was one of the best players on the field, leaving the goal to get in the way of opposing attackers on multiple occasions. She provided great stability to the team and was extremely reliable.
Wallace was one of the most successful goalkeepers in the division, getting scored just once and helping her team Utah Avalanche end the event undefeated with one win and two ties. I watched her in action in the one match in which she conceded, a 1-1 tie with NCFC Youth, and there was absolutely nothing she could have done to avoid that goal as the shot deflected off a defender, sending her the wrong way. Wallace was under pressure for a large portion of the match and kept things under control, using her agility to make stops between the posts. She’s not the tallest or most physical goalkeeper, but is incredibly quick and smart with her actions.
Highlights
Klujian was one of the key pieces of the Eclipse Select team that had a perfect weekend, snatching three wins, with just two goals conceded. They managed to stop some of the most powerful offenses in the division and the goalkeepers played a big role in their success, using her length and skills to keep the ball away from the goal. I watched her in a 2-1 win over Sting Austin in which Ecplipse had to sustain a lot of pressure and she was very reliable when dealing with shots and crosses.