Stars of Texas Series: Part V

These six players bring to a conclusion this Stars of Texas series. The five parts allowed us to look more closely at 33 players with very bright futures, including six more players who are becoming players that more and more people know, and should know.   [player_tooltip player_id='140572' first='Grace' last='Engelman'], Keeper, Wakeland, Class of 2026   Engelman is a Dallas Texans 07 ECNL-RL player, and a sophomore keeper at Wakeland High. She is getting stronger, more agile and stronger in the air as she works to improve, as well as emphasizing having a more powerful and accurate goal kick. She is working on her footwork outside of goal kicks, too, getting more comfortable with the ball at her feet. Engelman is comfortable with getting the ball passed back to her, and is getting even more comfortable with it as she works on her footwork. She is a strong communicator, and this helps when playing in a truncated season like high school when the time to build relationships with your back line is not as long. She rises to the challenge of being a leader and she helps her team grow and work together.   [player_tooltip player_id='112604' first='Journie' last='Feliciano'], Forward, Kingwood Park, Class of 2027   Feliciano is a freshman at Kingwood Park and she plays forward for her school and her club, which is Challenge SC, playing on the 09 ECNL team. She can play as a No. 9 but mostly plays as a No. 11. Feliciano is a versatile striker, as she can do many things and she's growing in terms of being able to play with her back to the goal. Her improved play in this area has allowed her to make more plays towards goal as she is excellent about turning her defender. She's excellent out wide because she is great at whipping in crosses, either creating scoring chances or getting the team a corner. She's great at cutting inside, and getting better, as she uses her blazing speed to beat defenders and be a dangerous threat. Her speed comes in handy as well when tracking back, which she does as she is not afraid to defend.   Avery LaVenture, Outside Defender, Heritage, Class of 2027   LaVenture, a freshman at Heritage High, just recently moved to the right back position after being a central defender. She plays for the 2008 FC Dallas ECNL-RL team and she is a captain and a starter that plays every minute of every match, for both club and school. LaVenture settled in nicely, learning how to join into the attack as an outside back and providing dangerous scoring opportunities. Defensively, she's excellent about limiting the chances that attackers get. During the high school season, as a freshman she was playing against older players, some college committed, but she quickly grew confident and focused on executing on the pitch. She acts as a good leader and motivator for her team, and is always looking to improve as a leader and as a communicator. She's getting better with taking scoring opportunities, and has focused on developing even more speed. LaVenture is also what a student athlete should be, as she is top six percent in her class, academically, and she does 25 hours of volunteer work per year.   Serena Magaha, Keeper, McNeil, Class of 2025   Magaha was the starting keeper at McNeil High as a freshman and sophomore, and now in her junior year is focusing on club year around. She plays GA at Lonestar. Magaha is a very athletic keeper and what really stands out about her is her excellent footwork. She works hard, and it shows when you see her shot-stopping technique as she is able to make clean catches and prevent rebounds. Magaha plays well in possession, she distributes well with good range, and she's only going to get better because she is currently working on her technique and timing when it comes to 1v1's, tipping the ball over and dealing with crosses.   Aryana Martinez, Forward, Northside O'Connor, Class of 2025   Martinez is a junior forward at Northside O'Connor in Helotes, TX and plays club with SA City for the 2007 GA team. Martinez moves well off the ball, but continues to refine this to get better so that she can position herself effectively, both when on the attack and when needing to help out defensively. She is a very fast player and uses that speed to take on opponents and create opportunities, and as she refines her use of space and positioning, she will only get more dangerous. Martinez is also a leader and fills that vocal role on the pitch.   [player_tooltip player_id='112714' first='Kaitlin' last='Rota'], Forward, Hebron, Class of 2026   Rota can play any of the forward positions, playing on the outside or a striker. She's a sophomore at Hebron High and plays club for the Sting Dallas Royal ECNL 08 team. She is a very aggressive player, who plays hard and works hard. She has the ability to adjust and read defenses in order to make herself dangerous, and she remains very consistent in her approach. She's working on having more confidence on the ball, which will open things up for her. She's also working on being consistent on crosses to teammates. She is a team-first player and works well within a team framework.

These six players bring to a conclusion this Stars of Texas series. The five parts allowed us to look more closely at 33 players with very bright futures, including six more players who are becoming players that more and more people know, and should know.