High-energy outside backs to watch at the I-10 Shootout

<p>The official start of the high school soccer season is just around the corner in Texas as teams from the Lone Star State have been testing themselves in scrimmages and non-district matches for weeks now, preparing for the beginning of actual competition in January.</p>   <p>Many tournaments are held at this time of the year as programs look for strong competition and this week one of the most popular of them on the girls' side, the I-10 Shootout, will take place across multiple locations in the Katy area. As many as 64 high school teams from the Houston area and beyond get on the field from Thursday to Saturday, competing in the eight brackets.</p>   <p>Prep Soccer Texas will be following the competition closely and reporting on the standouts, but before the ball rolls, let's take a look at some of the most talented prospects who will be representing their high school teams this week. Today we'll focus on the outside backs who can run for days:</p>    <p class="text-gray-700">Shaw is an important piece in the Kingwood team that will compete in the Cougar Bracket, having Cy Woods as their first opponents. She's an intelligent and versatile player, who can play multiple roles for the team, but appears more often at right back. Shaw is very technical, being capable of using both feet to execute passes, dribbles and shots, and her superior decision-making makes her actions very smooth. She can be a threat going forward, displaying an interesting ability to get to the end line and connect passes in the final third, but is also a solid defensive player, keeping things under control in her area of the field.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYMXrAKJMPM </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">St. John will play for Katy, the hosts of the Tiger Bracket, and will be with the team in their first match, against Clear Lake. A right-footed outside back, she can play on both sides with the same efficiency. St. John offers a lot offensively, using her pace to create chances out wide and her ability to combine and come inside to engage with her teammates, and is probably more efficient when playing in front of a back three or with proper coverage to her offensive pushes. Because of her pace and high energy, she can also play up top, using her never-ending movement to torment opposing defenders and chase long passes.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvT7yPZH7UU </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Lovell is one of the captains of the Ridge Point team that will compete in the Warrior Bracket and is set to start its campaign against Lamar. Because of her solid technical skills and her high soccer IQ, Lovell can play in a variety of positions, from center back to right winger, and always delivers at a high level. Mostly used as a right back with Ridge Point, she has great quality on the ball and is excellent at reading the game, understanding what to do in each situation and never leaving her team exposed. Lovell does solid defensive work and is very effective in set pieces, converting penalty kicks with consistency and creating opportunities out of free kicks or corner kicks.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fr8BknYdUjw </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">With Goodwin at right back, Stratford will be in action at the Spartan Bracket, having Cypress Ranch as their first opponents. She has been a strong contributor to the team since her freshman season, doing solid work on the right side of their backline. Goodwin, who can also play as a right-sided center back, is more of a defensive-minded outside back, making of her defensive duties her main priority on the field. She's big, physical and is very quick to throw her body in the way of opposing attackers to control the space. Although she doesn't push forward very often, Goodwin contributes to Stratford's offense with her intelligent and efficient passing.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/02/IMG_0595.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-162229" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Stratford vs Memorial</figcaption></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Pham and her Fort Bend Elkins team will appear in the Falcon Bracket, meeting George Ranch in their opening match. She can play on both sides, but is more commonly used on the left. Pham is a technical and intelligent player and her game stands out the most on the defensive side of the ball. She's a relentless and efficient defender, who holds hew own against elite opponents, even those who try to use their physical tools to outpower her. Pham is also very good at reading the game and reacting quickly to it, often getting interceptions around the penalty box.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/NVRmtOkxGZ4 </div></figure>

The official start of the high school soccer season is just around the corner in Texas as teams from the Lone Star State have been testing themselves in scrimmages and non-district matches for weeks now, preparing for the beginning of actual competition in January.