ECNL Girls TX: Albion Hurricanes FC 08 vs. Solar SC 08

<p>The club soccer season is underway and teams from around the country are competing in their respective leagues in the first of several months of traveling and playing.</p>   <p>We, at Prep Soccer Texas, will follow as many matches and players as possible, paying close attention to everything that happens in the MLS Next, ECNL National and Regional Leagues and Girls Academy League, as well as showcases and tournaments, giving the talented players from the Lone Star State the exposure they deserve.</p>   <p>On Sunday, September 29, we were at the Crossbar Academy, in Tomball, following the ECNL Girls Texas duel between the Albion Hurricanes FC 08 and Solar SC 08.</p>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><strong><a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2024/10/ecnl-girls-tx-albion-hurricanes-fc-08-vs-solar-sc-08-photos/">ECNL Girls TX: Albion Hurricanes FC 08 vs. Solar SC 08</a></strong><br></li> </ul>   <p>Despite Solar strongly controlling possession, Albion started ahead as just before halftime outside back [player_tooltip player_id='112735' first='Claire' last='Johnson'] had a nice run forward and concluded it with a low shot that found the back of the net. In the second half, Solar brought forward [player_tooltip player_id='26578' first='Brynnlee' last='Bohannon'] off the bench and she managed to convert the chances they created, burying a penalty kick to tie and scoring the second with a left-footed finish.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/grtorres/status/1840492546977571128/ </div></figure>   <p>The victory kept Solar undefeated in the Texas Conference with five wins, three of them in League Cup play. Albion are yet to get their first win in the season, having four losses and three ties.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Players of the Match</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">The center back was the anchor of Solar's defensive system, shutting down most of Albion's offensive attempts during the match. Mahon was very effective in dealing with Albion's long balls, but also showed great reading and positioning to anticipate plays when they tried to create from combination plays through the middle. With Solar controlling possession, Mahon had the ball very often and she was excellent at assuring their buildup started efficiently. She circulated the ball well, hit some accurate diagonal passes and even ventured into the attacking half when she had the space to do it.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/09/IMG_8472.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-264438" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Albion Hurricanes FC ECNL G08 vs. Solar SC ECNL G08</figcaption></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Reyna's versatility and intensity were big assets for Solar as they had to work hard to beat a determined Albion team. She started the match in midfield and was very dynamic and efficient on the ball, quickly moving it around. Reyna spent time at both outside back positions in the second half and was very solid on both sides of the ball. She had no issues controlling her side of the field defensively and also added a lot offensively, pushing forward and helping the team create chances with smart combination plays.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/grtorres/status/1840472582799466969 </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Johnson's quality and intelligence on the ball was huge for Solar as they tried to turn possession into chances in the final third. She contributed a lot with her vision, quickly moving the ball from one side of the field to the other and helping generate space for the wider players to explore. Johnson was also very active defensively, reading the game well and reacting to it to make tackles and close passing lanes. She was very quick to identify Albion's strategy of sending long balls to their forward and managed to get in the way of many of their attempts to regain possession.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/grtorres/status/1840486923548168308 </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Playing one age group up, Swann still managed to make a difference and was one of Solar's main offensive pieces. She got on the ball a lot and always knew what to do with it, creating space with her dribbling and feeding her teammates with intelligent passes. Swann moved extremely well off the ball and was always available for her teammates in the final third. She fired some dangerous shots from outside the penalty box.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/09/IMG_8508.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-264446" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Albion Hurricanes FC ECNL G08 vs. Solar SC ECNL G08</figcaption></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Bohannon played the super sup role to perfection, coming off the bench in the second half to give Solar the goals they needed to take all three points. In the first of them, the forward was ice cold to convert a penalty kick. In the second, she showed determination to finish twice to score. Besides the goals, Bohannon also brought excellent movement off the ball and quickness to Solar's offense, helping them create against a well-structured Albion backline.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/grtorres/status/1840482399496368329 </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Allen was strongly tested in a match where Solar had the ball for the vast majority of the time and did a great job. She handled the pressure extremely well and made multiple saves that kept Albion in the game despite Solar's dominance. She was reliable in long-distance shots and showed great reflexes when they got to finish inside the penalty box. With Albion struggling to build out of the back due to Solar's high press, her punts became their only way to get the ball forward and she was precise with most of them, finding the forwards up top.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/grtorres/status/1840491307237773639 </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Playing as a left back, Johson was one of Albion's top players in the match. She was part of the team's solid defensive system and kept things under control on her side of the field. Johnson played with great energy and tried to push forward when she had a chance. She scored the team's goal in one of those plays, giving the ball to forward Amelia Kusinski inside the penalty box and getting it back to finish with a low shot.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/09/IMG_8518.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-264452" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Albion Hurricanes FC ECNL G08 vs. Solar SC ECNL G08</figcaption></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Originally a center back, Hodgson stated the match as a defensive midfielder and did a good job there. She used her size to occupy the space well and helped her team keep Solar away from the penalty box for most of the time. Hodgson moved back to central defense during the second half and continued to deliver there, defending Solar's attempts with efficiency. She also tried to push the team forward in the final minutes of the match with long passes.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/09/IMG_8547.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-264462" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Albion Hurricanes FC ECNL G08 vs. Solar SC ECNL G08</figcaption></figure>

The club soccer season is underway and teams from around the country are competing in their respective leagues in the first of several months of traveling and playing.