GA Spring Showcase: Five Texas Players to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Girls Academy League is hosting its Spring Showcase this week, with teams from the U15 to U19 age groups set to take the field in Greensboro, North Carolina, for five days of action from Thursday to Monday. It will be the l last GA event before the playoffs in June and teams from all over the country will make the trip to get some valuable competition ahead of the start of the most important moment of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The state of Texas will be represented in the event, sending 13 teams across the four age groups to North Carolina, and here are five players from the Lone Star State worth your attention:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["148482"],"_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":"Rutherford and her BVB IA 09 team are scheduled to face Cedar Stars Academy, IFA and One Knoxville in pool play in the U15 division. The goalkeeper uses her body well to cover space between the posts and is very quick to dive to make stops when she has to. Rutherford is also very efficient when dealing with shots aiming the upper corners as she does a very good job of timing her jump and stretching her arm to get to the ball. She has a good command of the penalty box, getting out of the goal to catch crosses, and is calm and efficient with her passing out of the back. The goalkeeper is very vocal too and communicates effectively with the defenders in front of her.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-661fe91cbe8c1"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/13672446/6618888923040a59f9952c57' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-661fe91cbe952"} /--> <!-- 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":"Alise Martin","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'9u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"102","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Rouse","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Lonestar SC","_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":"Martin will be in action with Lonestar SC Black 08 when they face Albion SC, Cedar Stars Academy and Skyline Elite in the U16 division. She plays as a box-to-box midfielder and gets to make a great impact on both sides of the ball. Martin shields the backline well, playing with energy and using her body to win possession in the middle. A lefty, she's very skilled on the ball too and plays a major role in the team's buildup with her accurate passing and excellent vision. Martin can be an offensive threat in the final third with her ability to hit the ball with power and precision, which allows her to score on long-distance shots.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-661fe91cbe9fb"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBC5mW5uYPQ","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=DBC5mW5uYPQ </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":"Sophia Sharpe","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'4u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"101","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Allen","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Renegades SC","_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":"Sharpe will be an interesting option for Renegades SC 08 when they play Broomfield Soccer Club, Sockers FC and Seacoast United this week in the U16 division Greensboro. She's originally an outside back, but can play anywhere in midfield because of her all-around game and her ability to pass and dribble with both feet. Sharpe's most interesting skill is probably her ability to progress the ball in crowded areas of the field by keeping it very close to her feet as she dribbles. She plays with good energy on defense and is very intelligent with her passing, finding good solutions and getting out of pressure.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-661fe91cbea92"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddy7zInZry8","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=ddy7zInZry8 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["27091"],"_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":"Expect Olague to be a creative force for San Antonio City SC 07 in their matches against Beadling SC, FC Tucson and Tonka Fusion Elite in the showcase. A crafty midfielder, she has all sorts of moves in her game and is very good at using her body to make fakes and turns and shield the ball, being very hard to dispossess. Olague is very direct with her runs and is especially dangerous in transition plays, when she has even more space to explore. The midfielder is also very efficient in front of the goal as she displays great calm to waiting for the right moment to finish and impressive precision with her shots.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-661fe91cbeaee"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/19516578/651caf0719b02f101c0eff17' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-661fe91cbeb0d"} /--> <!-- 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":"Emily Fowlkes","_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":"5'6u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"101","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Tomball","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"HTX","_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":"Fowlkes will be one of the defensive anchors of her team HTX 07, which is set to play New York SC, Indy Premier SC United and West Coast Soccer this week in North Carolina. A versatile player, she can contribute anywhere across the backline and also as a defensive midfielder. Fowlkes is very intelligent with her positioning and is always in a spot that allows her to make stops defensively. She uses her body well in physical duels and plays with great energy when defending. In the backline or the midfield, she does a good job in possession with her clean passing and has a good presence inside the penalty box in attacking set pieces, often scoring with headers.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-661fe91cbeb95"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/emily_fowlkes/status/1706171457582112783","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/emily_fowlkes/status/1706171457582112783 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->