ECNL Texas: Energetic Outside 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. As we continue to look into the 09s age group, today we'll highlight some of the most impressive outside backs in the division:    Kilareski was with the FC Delco team that ended the event with two wins and one loss. I got to watch them in their first match in Dallas, a 5-2 win over Sting Black, in which she had a flawless performance at right back. A very technical player, Kilareski didn't put a foot wrong and helped her team on both sides of the ball. She appeared very well in the final third, supporting the team's offense by either getting to the end line to make crosses or coming inside to operate as an additional playmaker. One of the team's captains, the right back was also very firm defensively, controlling her area of the field with great efficiency.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/02/2J4A0076_aefbce.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-279561" /></figure>    Sanchez was with the Eclipse Select 09 team that dropped all three matches in Dallas - each of them by a single goal. Originally a forward, I got to watch her playing right back in a 1-0 loss to [program_tooltip program_id='278052' first='Albion' last='Hurricanes FC'] and was positively impressed by her performance. Sanchez's offensive instincts were apparent when she got into the attacking half as her game was very smooth and she made some good plays to get to the end line and send crosses into the penalty box. 'AJ' also did solid work in her own half, supporting the team's buildup when needed and playing with great intensity on the defensive side of the game to protect the space behind her back extremely well.    <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=TghEZraUDq8 </div></figure>    Struyk was part of the [program_tooltip program_id='278052' first='Albion' last='Hurricanes FC'] team that completed its schedule in the event with one win and two losses. I got to watch her in the team's only triumph, a 1-0 victory over Eclipse Select, and she was very active as a left back for them. Struyk was very solid defensively, going with great energy to win duels and using her positioning to intercept through balls that aimed the space behind her. The outside back also appeared well in the final third, using her long legs to efficiently cover ground and overlap on the left, offering a passing option to her teammates.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/02/2J4A0180_d2c2e4.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-279585" /></figure>    Weissmueller's Solar SC team went undefeated over the weekend, getting two wins and a tie. I caught their opening match, a 2-0 win over Kansas City Athletics, and she was among the top players on the field. Weissmueller played a few different roles for Solar and I thought she was really productive at right back. Weissmueller was of great value to her team's offense as she consistently appeared in the final third and used her quick thinking to find solutions to plays and elude opponents with one-time passes and quick moves. Defensively, she was very good at using her body to win duels and didn't have any issues dominating her zone of the field.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/02/2J4A0209.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-279592" /></figure>    Wilson's [program_tooltip program_id='278678' first='Dallas' last='Texans'] team ended the tournament with a negative record of one win and two losses. They had a difficult debut, falling to San Diego Surf 4-1, but she was still able to put on a solid shift for them at left back. Wilson was very solid defensively, and, even being under pressure for most of the time as San Diego dominated possession, she won most of the duels in her side of the field. She moved to midfield during the match and helped her team be more competitive in the central are of the field, playing with great energy and determination. Wilson also helped initiate some of the team's offensive plays with her quick, smart passing.    <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">ECNL Dallas Showcase Feb 2025. Team Won 1 out of 3. Not the outcome we wanted. Success is no accident! Back to the Lab!! @mnwilso_09 highlights <a href="https://t.co/vIvQvwslBl">pic.twitter.com/vIvQvwslBl</a>— Mwilson27 (@Mwilson2728052) <a href="https://twitter.com/Mwilson2728052/status/1892410843356131831?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2025</a></blockquote>    Gilkey was an important piece in the Sting Austin team that was in excellent form over the weekend, getting two wins and one tie. She did a great job at left back for them in their final match in Dallas, a 2-1 win over Eclipse Select. Gilkey was extremely solid defensively, having great success in her actions to stop opponents who ventured into her zone of the field. She also spent some time playing center back and continued to be dominant. Gilkey also displayed great quality on the ball and supported her team's offense with excellent passes out of the back and by occasionally pushing forward to engage in combination plays.    <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">So much fun playing with this team, one pass can turn into a fast break so quickly, get ready we are coming <a href="https://twitter.com/EllaCarr2010?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EllaCarr2010</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/EvaPensamiento?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EvaPensamiento</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/stingatx_2009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@stingatx_2009</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ImYouthSoccer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ImYouthSoccer</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ImCollegeSoccer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ImCollegeSoccer</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/grtorres?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@grtorres</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/attack?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#attack</a> <a href="https://t.co/9EkrDEfGou">pic.twitter.com/9EkrDEfGou</a>— [player_tooltip player_id='149326' first='Blake' last='Gilkey'] 2028! (@BlakeGilkey) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlakeGilkey/status/1894162851406713105?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2025</a></blockquote>

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.