ECNL Girls TX: Albion Hurricanes FC 09 vs. Solar SC 09

<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 09 and Solar SC 09.</p>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2024/09/ecnl-girls-tx-albion-hurricanes-fc-09-vs-solar-sc-09-photos/"><strong>ECNL Girls TX: Albion Hurricanes FC 09 vs. Solar SC 09</strong></a></li> </ul>   <p>Solar scored the first goal of the match early in the first half, when [player_tooltip player_id='112567' first='Addison' last='Bizjack'] made a great play on the right side and crossed the ball to [player_tooltip player_id='112559' first='Landry' last='Gannon'], who shot into an open net. A few minutes later, Albion struck back, with [player_tooltip player_id='165670' first='Carden' last='Allison'] sending a great cross into the penalty box and [player_tooltip player_id='148491' first='Jillian' last='Hutchison'] heading it into the back of the net. Forward [player_tooltip player_id='89271' first='Kamoree' last='Slater'] came off the bench in the first half and decided the match with two goals, the first one in a nice run through the middle and the second one getting on the end of a cross.</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/1840461080696393824 </div></figure>   <p>With the victory, Solar continue undefeated in the Texas Conference with five wins, three of them in League Cup play. Albion have two wins, three losses and two ties in the Texas Conference, with one loss and two ties in the League Cup.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Players of the Match</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">Griswell was one of Solar's defensive pillars in the match, performing multiple roles at an excellent level for the team. She spent most of the match as a center back, forming solid partnerships with [player_tooltip player_id='112563' first='Mia' last='Ortega'] and [player_tooltip player_id='112557' first='Brooklynn' last='Davis'] and using her physical tools to dominate the penalty box. Her ball distribution out of the back was another major asset for Solar as they consistently managed to build their game thanks to her passing. Griswell spent part of the second half in the holding midfielder role, where she shielded the backline efficiently, continued to pass the ball intelligently and even assisted in the team's third goal, infiltrating into Albion's penalty box and crossing the ball to Slater.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/09/IMG_8401.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-263778" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Albion Hurricanes FC G09 vs. Solar SC G09</figcaption></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Andries occupied Solar's holding midfielder spot for most of the match and was one of the team's key players with her high-energy game. She played with a lot of intensity and helped her team dominate the central area of the field with her ability to disrupt plays and win duels. Andries is a very cerebral player too, who never puts a foot wrong and is always well-positioned to impact the game. Her quality on the ball was of great value for Solar as it allowed them to make shifts from one side of the field to the other, helping them get Albion's defense out of shape.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/09/IMG_8378.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-263770" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Albion Hurricanes FC G09 vs. Solar SC G09</figcaption></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Bizjack dictated Solar's pace in midfield with her smart passing and movement off the ball. She always seemed in control of the game and pulled the strings with great efficiency, making good choices and finding teammates in good spots. Bizjack played more to the right in Solar's midfield three and had teammates frequently look for her as they attempted to progress the ball. She did a good job of creating space with quick moves and was great in the play that resulted in the team's first goal, feeding [player_tooltip player_id='112559' first='Landry' last='Gannon'] for an easy tap-in.</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/1840447306136772877/ </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">The dynamic winger came off the bench during the first half and took Solar's offense to another level. She spent more time on the right wing and was very difficult to stop with her pace and her ability to change directions. Aguilar was very aggressive every time she got on the ball, making a quick turn on the defender assigned to her and pushing the ball forward, at times making diagonal runs that disorganized Albion's backline. In the second half, she was used more centrally, as an attacking midfielder, and showed tremendous potential to impact the game there too, beating defenders off the dribble in tight spaces and finding teammates with great passes.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/09/IMG_8443.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-263792" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Albion Hurricanes FC G09 vs. Solar SC G09</figcaption></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Slater came off the bench alongside Aguilar and decided the match for Solar with two goals. In the first one, she made a strong run from the left to the middle and finished with power and precision. In the second, she showed a great presence inside the penalty box, following a play that developed on the right and beating her defender to the ball to send it to the back of the net. Slater displayed a very complete game, at times operating more centrally and using her body to work with her back to the goal and on other occasions getting the ball out wide and going at defenders with her dribbling ability and pace. </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/KamoreeSlater/status/1840595783986356264 </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Albion's holding midfielder LaFollette was instrumental for her team as she helped them match Solar's intensity in the central area of the field. She never stopped running and covered a lot of ground there, disrupting some offensive attempts made by their opponents. LaFollette won most of the duels she was involved with and also intercepted several passing attempts. She also showed an interesting ability to support the team's offense by making quick runs upfield with the ball and moving it efficiently with her passing.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/09/IMG_8423.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-263785" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Albion Hurricanes FC G09 vs. Solar SC G09</figcaption></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Hutchison played a solid match in midfield for Albion, making good plays int he offensive side of the game. She was very good at identifying pockets of space to get on the ball and was always well-positioned to get on the ball. When she was in possession, Hutchison tried to immediately push it forward, be it with quick runs or by finding a teammate further upfield. The midfielder also displayed great intelligence in attacking the penalty box, as she did in the play in which she scored the team's goal with a difficult header.</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/jillhutchison09/status/1840546308395843741 </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Mansour was excellent in her box-to-box role and was very involved with Solar's play. Her accurate passing and her ability to send balls in behind the backline were instrumental as Albion tried to hit their opponents in transition, but she also knew when to move the ball around and change the pace of the game. Mansour also played with tremendous intensity defensively, covering a lot of ground and going hard for her tackles. She almost scored a beautiful goal from outside the penalty box, but saw her shot stop in the crossbar. </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/1840455382042558517 </div></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.