ECNL Texas: Elite Center Backs in the 09 division

The ECNL Girls soccer League held its second National Event in the 2025 calendar year two weekends ago, in Dallas, Texas, featuring three days of action involving over 200 teams from the entire country at the Toyota Soccer Center and the MoneyGram Soccer Park.   Despite the cold weather, some really exciting matches were held and some of the most talented prospects in the country were able to deliver excellent performances as they continue to prepare for the final portion of the season.   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2025/02/ecnl-texas-day-1-photos/">ECNL Texas: Day 1 Photos</a></li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2025/02/ecnl-texas-day-2-photos/">ECNL Texas: Day 2 Photos</a></li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2025/02/ecnl-texas-day-3-photos/">ECNL Texas: Day 3 Photos</a></li> </ul>   Prep Soccer Texas was in attendance during all three days of action in Dallas, covering dozens of matches and taking a look at hundreds of the players who got on the field during the extended weekend.   With the event concluded, it's time we feature the players that impressed us with their games. The 09 age group continues to be our focus this week and this time we'll point out the center backs who had strong showings in Dallas:    Murray was with the Challenge SC team that got one win, one loss and one tie in Dallas. I got to watch their opening match, when the team got one of their two clean sheets over the weekend, tying SLSG Green 0-0. Murray played in the center of their back three and served as their last line of defense. She was typically matched up with the opponent's most physical forward, but also did a good job when she had to move away from her position to defend in space. The center back also contributed offensively, playing a major role in the team's buildup with her calm and efficiency on the ball and also appearing well in set pieces, sending free kicks and corner kicks into the opponent's penalty box.    <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Besides locking things down in the backline for <a href="https://twitter.com/Challenge09ECNL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Challenge09ECNL</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/chuckiemurray09?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@chuckiemurray09</a> also takes corner kicks very well. Solid performance from the center back. <a href="https://t.co/wHCjH8uaN9">pic.twitter.com/wHCjH8uaN9</a>— Guilherme Torres (@grtorres) <a href="https://twitter.com/grtorres/status/1890801326696681555?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2025</a></blockquote>    Warren's FC Delco team left Dallas with a positive record of two wins and one loss. I caught their debut match, a 5-2 win over Sting Black, when she had a solid shift in central defense. Warren relied a lot on her mobility to make stops and was very effective with it, consistently getting to the ball before her opponents. Despite not being very tall or physical, she played hard and won most of the duels she was involved. The center back was also extremely calm on the ball, waitining patiently for passing lanes to open before she could find a teammate upper in the field.     Brendel played for the [program_tooltip program_id='278052' first='Albion' last='Hurricanes FC'] team that returned home from Dallas with one win and two losses. I got to wacth them in their only victgory, a 1-0 win over Eclipe Select, and the center back was one of their standouts. Playing on the left side of ther center back duo, Brendel benefited from her excellent positioning to have a solid defensive game, appearing on the right places to make stops or to cover her teamamtes. On the few occasions she was beaten, the defender did a great job of coming back and delaying opposing forwards by forcing them to make an extra dribble or to take the ball to their weak foot. She was also very accurate with her long passes, doing a great job of finding teammates in the attacking half.    <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=kEw6azzx6Bo </div></figure>    Sexton and her Sting Royal teamamtes had a perfect weekend in the event, securing three victories. The team conceded only two goals and her presence in their backline was one of the reasons for their defensive solidness. I got to watch Sting when they defeated SLSG Navy 1-0 on Saturday and Sexton's play was decisive in their clean sheet. She was excellent at using her physicality to defend the penalty box, but was also very hard to beat when she had to operate in other areas, displaying great mobility and timing her defensive actions very well. Sexton was also the vocal leader of the team's defensive system, constantly communicating with her teammates. The defender got on the ball a lot and executed good passes out of the back, also stepping forward with the ball when she had space.    <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">It was a successful <a href="https://twitter.com/ECNLgirls?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ECNLgirls</a> showcase this weekend‼️We went undefeated with 3️⃣ big wins and over 125 colleges watching. Here are a few of my highlights🎥 from all 3 games ⬇️ <a href="https://twitter.com/ImCollegeSoccer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ImCollegeSoccer</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ImYouthSoccer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ImYouthSoccer</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/USYNT?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USYNT</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TopDrawerSoccer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TopDrawerSoccer</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepSoccer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepSoccer</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/StingSoccerClub?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StingSoccerClub</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Gosset41?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Gosset41</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/SCLDS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SCLDS</a> <a href="https://t.co/CnzqtAt40B">pic.twitter.com/CnzqtAt40B</a>— [player_tooltip player_id='148431' first='Ava' last='Sexton'] (2027) (@futbol_ava) <a href="https://twitter.com/futbol_ava/status/1891843373406851428?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2025</a></blockquote>    Debro was with the SLSG Navy team that had two ties and one loss in Dallas. Despite the negative outcome, the team was solid defensively, only conceding three times. I got to watch them in a 1-0 loss to Sting Royal where she did a great job of containing an offensively-talented team for almost the entire match. Debro's athleticism and quickness helped her beat opponents for the ball on most occasions and she also displayed good insticts to make stops. Playing as a left-sided center, she has a huge role in the team's buildup and was unafraid to push forward with the ball when she had a chance, getting as far as the end line in one of her plays.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/02/2J4A0114.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-279569" /></figure>    Crider was part of the Sting Austin team that ended the event undefeated, with two wins and one tie. I was on the sidelines in their final match, a 2-1 win over Eclipse Select, when she provided great defensive coverage to her teammates. Crider did a great job of dominating the area around the penatly box, making several interceptions and winning duels. She was also very calm on the ball and supported the team's buildup with accurate passes.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/02/2J4A0222_8b5a55.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-279863" /></figure>

The ECNL Girls soccer League held its second National Event in the 2025 calendar year two weekends ago, in Dallas, Texas, featuring three days of action involving over 200 teams from the entire country at the Toyota Soccer Center and the MoneyGram Soccer Park.