Girls Academy Frontier: SA City SC 09 vs. STLDA 09

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.   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.   On Monday, October 14, we visited the Gosling Sports Fields, in The Woodlands, to catch the Girls Academy Frontier Conference match between SA City SC 09 and St. Louis Development Academy 09.   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2024/10/girls-academy-frontier-sa-city-09-vs-stlda-09-photos/">Girls Academy Frontier: SA City SC G09 vs. St. Louis Development Academy G09 - Photos </a></li> </ul>   Despite playing on the road, STLDA had control of the match since the start and took a 1-0 lead into the halftime break after [player_tooltip player_id='288065' first='Reece' last='Hoffman'] scored. In the second half, the St. Louis side was more efficient in making their dominance show on the scoreboard and ended the match with a 5-0 win, with Hoffman getting another two and [player_tooltip player_id='149753' first='Ella' last='Vaughn'] and Samantha Compton adding one each.   Their fifth victory in seven matches, elevated St. Louis Development's points total in the Frontier Conference to 15, with five wins and two losses, tied for third. SA City SC continue in ninth place with one point - one tie, five losses.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Players of the Match</h2>    Hoffman was a difference-maker for STLDA, scoring three goals and playing a major role in the team's victory. She showed great presence inside the penalty box and impressive composure in front of the goal, but also a little bit of craftiness to score her second one as she managed to send the ball over the top of SA City SC's goalkeeper from a difficult spot. Hoffman also made some smart diagonal runs from the middle to the flanks was worked well with her back to the goal, getting a little bit of separation from opposing defenders to connect with her teammates. She played in the midfield during part of the second half and also did a solid job in a deeper area of the field.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/10/IMG_9708.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-269979" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">SA City SC G09 vs. St. Louis Development Academy G09</figcaption></figure>    Vaughn was the heart of her team, appearing a lot in the match and putting her stamp in almost every play created when she was on the field. She was very good at dribbling the ball in the center of the field and used her vision to connect passes and articulate plays in the final third. The midfielder also used her size well to win physical duels and dominated the center of the field defensively. She scored one of the team's goals with a beautiful shot from outside the penalty box and was involved in many other chances.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/10/IMG_9762.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-269992" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">SA City SC G09 vs. St. Louis Development Academy G09</figcaption></figure>    Playing as an attacking midfielder, Benoist was another player to get on the ball very well in the final third. She had a lot of freedom to circulate on the field and used it very intelligently, finding pockets of space to get on the ball and playing very aggressively with it, always looking to push it forward with dribbles or passes. Her movement off the ball was excellent and very well coordinated with the other attacking players. Benoist also displayed excellent technique with her skilled left foot, hitting accurate passes and beating opponents off the dribble.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/10/IMG_9743.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-269987" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">SA City SC G09 vs. St. Louis Development Academy G09</figcaption></figure>    Walter completed STLDA's attacking system very well, operating with great efficiency around the penalty box. She was very good at getting the ball with her back to the goal and making turns on opponents to generate space. Walter was very smart with how she connected with teammates in combination plays and with how she moved to get the ball back. At the start of the match, she sensed some vulnerability on the right side of SA City SC's backline and fed winger Heidi Vatterott with some great through balls, including the one that resulted in the team's first goal.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/10/IMG_9697.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-269976" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">SA City SC G09 vs. St. Louis Development Academy G09</figcaption></figure>    With STLDA having the ball for the vast majority of the time, Williams wasn't under a lot of pressure during the match, but was always ready to react when SA City SC tried to push forward. The center back was very strong in duels, was consistently in good spots to intercept long balls and displayed very good mobility to cover in wide positions. Williams had a very active role when her team had possession and looked very calm and confident on the ball, making good decisions and doing a good job of finding teammates behind their opponents' lines of pressure.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/10/IMG_9711.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-269981" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">SA City SC G09 vs. St. Louis Development Academy G09</figcaption></figure>    Diaz had a little bit of a difficult start to the match as, playing as a right back, she was constantly targeted by STLDA's through balls. Her game improved a lot when she moved to the left as she was more successful in the defensive duels and was able to use her pace to win possession. Diaz also contributed to the team offensively, hitting good passes out of the back and helping get the ball upfield. She spent some time in midfield during the second half and continued to make good decisions in possession.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/10/IMG_9677.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-269972" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">SA City SC G09 vs. St. Louis Development Academy G09</figcaption></figure>    Playing in front of SA City SC's backline as a defensive midfielder, Eaton was a little bit overwhelmed at the start of the match, when STLDA placed several talented players in the central area of the field. She played with a lot of intensity and still managed to make several stops, using her great reading of the game to cut passing lanes and win duels. The midfielder was also very active in possession as her teammates constantly looked for her. Eaton did a good job with her distribution and also progressed the ball with runs through the middle when she sensed an opportunity.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/10/IMG_9673.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-269970" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">SA City SC G09 vs. St. Louis Development Academy G09</figcaption></figure>    SA City SC didn't have much success trying to attack STLDA when in possession, so transition plays became an interesting weapon for them and Shirley contributed a lot to that. Very quick in her mind, she was often fed the ball in tough spots or under pressure, but did a very good of beating opponents with turns and progressing the ball with her runs. She also did a good job of picking the right passes when closer to the penalty box, but couldn't really generate a real chance. Shirley also did a good job with her set pieces.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/10/IMG_9794.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-270002" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">SA City SC G09 vs. St. Louis Development Academy 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.