Reliable Center Backs at the Texas Shootout

<p>The club soccer season is entering its final stretch around the country and girls' teams from Texas will have an excellent opportunity to fine-tune their games ahead of the start of the playoffs in their respective leagues this weekend.</p>   <p>One of the most traditional showcases held in the Lone Star State every year, the Texas Shootout will have its 38th edition from Saturday to Monday, at the Round Rock Multipurpose Complex, in the Austin area.</p>   <p>The tournament organized by [program_tooltip program_id='283282' first='Challenge' last='SC'] will feature as many as 120 teams from several different leagues, which will play in five different age groups during Memorial Day weekend. Some of the best players in the state will be in action this week, and before the tournament begins, we're taking a look at some of them. It's time we shortlist the center backs:</p>    <p class="text-gray-700">Scheet is one of the defensive pillars of the [program_tooltip program_id='283451' first='RISE' last='SC'] USC TX RL G07/06 ECNL team. A center back with a good mix of physical and technical skills, she's very good at protecting the penalty box, often forcing opponents to finish from distance or play wide in order to be able to create chances. Scheet reads the game very well and is always ready to step up and make defensive plays, be it intercepting long passes or pressing opponents and forcing them to make errors. The defender is well-versed in possession too, and does a good job of connecting passes out of the back.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Buchanan is part of the BVB 08G FDL team out of the Dallas area. Standing at 5'9", she's very good at defending the penalty box in the air, but is extremely mobile too, doing well when she has to defend in space or sprint back to recover. Buchanan, who also plays basketball, is very cold when defending inside the box, timing her tackles extremely well to stop opponents when they are about to shoot. She's also very comfortable on the ball, contributing to the team's buildup and connecting long passes out of the back.</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=lkxfjZb0Cew </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Freitag will be in action with SA City G09 GA this weekend in Round Rock. Capable of playing on central defense or at the defensive midfielder role, she thrives with her positioning, never being caught in the wrong spot and consistently stepping up to cover teammates or double on opponents to come out with the ball. Despite not being very tall, Freitag also defends well in set pieces, reading the trajectory of the ball very efficiently and finding her way to it to make clearances. The defender is very technical and distributes the game very well out of the back, using both feet to connect passes and make plays.</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=hBvQYSDKP84 </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Venson plays for the [program_tooltip program_id='283497' first='Sting' last='Austin'] G10 ECNL team. A super physical center back, she provides the team with a huge presence in the backline, massively increasing their ability to defend in the air and to keep opponents out of the penalty box. Despite her big frame, Venson moves very well and knows her way in the central area of the field, doing a good job of keeping opponents under pressure when she is dragged outside the penalty box. The center back is calm and collected on the ball and keeps her passing game simple and efficient.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/02/2J4A0078.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-279690" /></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Lehner is one of the center backs in the [program_tooltip program_id='283243' first='Albion' last='Hurricanes FC'] G10 ECNL team. Despite playing one age group up with them, she's a key piece in their defensive system, helping the team shut opponents down with her intelligent play. Lehner is not very tall or physical, but defends very well inside the penalty box thanks to her ability to read plays and get into the best spots to intercept passes and clear crosses. The center back also does well when chasing opponents upfield, remaining close to them and successfully forcing them back. Lehner has good passing range and does a good job of finding teammates in the attacking half with accurate passes from the backline.</p>

The club soccer season is entering its final stretch around the country and girls' teams from Texas will have an excellent opportunity to fine-tune their games ahead of the start of the playoffs in their respective leagues this weekend.