Girls Academy Frontier: Rise SC G09 vs. HTX 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 Saturday, October 5, we were at the South Campus, in Houston, following the Girls Academy Frontier Conference H-Town Derby between Rise SC G09 and HTX G09.</p>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><strong><a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2024/10/girls-academy-frontier-rise-sc-g09-vs-htx-09-photos/">Girls Academy Frontier: Rise SC G09 vs. HTX G09 - Photos</a><br></strong></li> </ul>   <p>The first half of the match was very even, but HTX got a head start near the end, when a shot by forward [player_tooltip player_id='155704' first='Blake' last='Landry'] bet goalkeeper Taylor Thompson. In the second half, the visitors took full control of the match and turned their victory into a more comfortable one with midfielder [player_tooltip player_id='148498' first='Hallie' last='Montgomery'] scoring twice, Landry getting her second goal in the match and forward [player_tooltip player_id='229576' first='Lexi' last='Baker'] also getting one. </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/1842608402159255723 </div></figure>   <p>The road victory has placed HTX in third place in the conference with 13 points (four wins, one loss, one tie). Rise are fifth with nine points (three wins, two losses).</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Players of the Match</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">HTX's defensive system did a very good job of protecting their goalkeeper and preventing that many finishes when her way, but when the team needed her, Moore was there. The goalkeeper handled the crosses and free kicks sent into the penalty box with confidence and also had no trouble stopping the few shots that went into the target. Moore was, however, very active with her feet, as her team's defenders passed her the ball very often when in possession and she did a good job with it every time, even when some of the passes sent to her looked a bit short or tight. The goalkeeper also communicated extremely well with the backline and helped keep things organized.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/10/IMG_8987.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-267280" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Rise SC G09 vs. HTX G09</figcaption></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Playing in the center of HTX's back three, Molina displayed great control of the final third and a good ability to adapt to what the game required from her. In the first half, Rise had a more dynamic attacker up top in Ariana White and the center back displayed great mobility to get to wider areas and make stops. In the second half, she was matched up with the more physical [player_tooltip player_id='229552' first='Naomi' last='Medeiros'] and battled her very well, also in the air during free kicks. Molina was also very comfortable on the ball and played an active role in the team's buildup with solid passing out of the back.</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/1842602572684894285 </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">The dynamic Montgomery played an excellent match, operating as the engine of HTX's midfield and helping the team offensively with two goals. She covered a lot of ground in midfield, winning duels on the defensive side of the game and helping the team push forward with nice runs through the middle. During the second half, Montgomery moved to left wingback and contributed two important goals. In the first, she followed up on a play that developed on the right and came inside the penalty box to finish with an easy tap-in. In the second, she hit a beautiful shot from outside the penalty box into he left upper corner.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/10/IMG_9039.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-267297" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Rise SC G09 vs. HTX G09</figcaption></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Hallie's twin sister Harper was also in great form on Saturday, playing a major role in the team's victory. She started the match as a right wingback and played very aggressively, pushing the team forward with quick combination plays and runs off the ball. In the second half, Harper moved into an attacking midfielder role and helped articulate many of the team's offensive plays with smart passing and movement off the ball. Montgomery was also a threat with her shots from outside the penalty box.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/10/IMG_9035.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-267296" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Rise SC G09 vs. HTX G09</figcaption></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">It took Landry a little while to find the best spot for her to make a difference on the field, but when she did it, she was very active for HTX. The forward had some very good runs on the right, but also displayed an interesting ability to operate more centrally, combining with the other forward and midfielders to create chances. Landry was very strong with her dribbling and looked to get on the ball the entire time, moving well to be in spots where teammates could find her. She scored the team's first goal by picking up a rebound inside the penalty box and finishing it with a low shot and the second by 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/1842590919717175628 </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Like Landry, Baker seemed a little bit off during the first half, but she came back during the second half and was a centerpiece in HTX's offense. Her hold up game and her ability to hit quick passes with her back to the goal helped her team create and convert several chances in the last minutes of the match. Baker used her vision and quick thinking to help facilitate plays and also had some good runs through the left. She finished one of them with a beautiful shot from outside the penalty box and scored the team's fourth goal. </p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/10/IMG_9085.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-267311" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Rise SC G09 vs. HTX G09</figcaption></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Rise SC's captain, Perry played as a left-sided center back and, alongside fellow defender [player_tooltip player_id='288542' first='Meagan' last='Schultz'], helped her team resist the opponents' constant attempts until the final portion of the second half. She was very effective at winning duels and did a good job when dealing with crosses too. Perry displayed very good quality on the ball and tried to push Rise SC forward with accurate passes out of the back and even some runs through the middle. She also sent some dangerous crosses into the penalty box out of free kicks, but her team couldn't convert on them.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/10/IMG_9068.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-267305" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Rise SC G09 vs. HTX G09</figcaption></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Medeiros was very discrete in the first half, when, playing as an attacking midfielder, she didn't find much space to operate, being immediately surrounded by HTX players when she got on the ball. Medeiros started the second half as a striker and was much more effective for them. Her presence up top gave her team the ability to play long through the center and she was successful at getting on the end of passes and holding the ball. She had a nice battle with HTX's [player_tooltip player_id='229570' first='Bryana' last='Molina'], winning some and losing some.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/10/IMG_9057.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-267301" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Rise SC G09 vs. HTX G09</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.