ECNL National Finals Texas Team Preview: Solar SC G10

The ECNL League 2024-2025 season is set to come to an end this week, with the National Finals taking place in Richmond, Virginia, from Friday to Monday.   With only eight teams standing in the U17, U16, U15, U14 and U13 divisions, the tournament will be held at the West Creek Complex and the VACU Fields at Striker Park and will determine the league's national champions.   The state of Texas will be represented in four of the five age groups in Virginia and we'll now preview some of those teams and go over how they got there.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Solar SC G10</h2>   Competing for the title in the U15 division, Solar SC G10, out of Allen, in the Dallas area, were by far the top team in the Texas Conference this season, winning the division with a perfect campaign of 15 victories, while scoring 46 goals and conceding only four.   Solar were flawless in the ECNL Playoffs too, beating Minnesota Thunder 2-0, FC Prime 5-0, PDA Blue 1-0 and fellow Texans [program_tooltip program_id='283243' first='Albion' last='Hurricanes FC'] 2-1 in San Diego to secure their spot in the Finals.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.instagram.com/p/DL8vV91u55a </div></figure>   They will face the home team of Fairfax VA Union on Friday at 10:00 AM local time in the quarterfinals.   Roster   [player_tooltip player_id='191528' first='Camille' last='Barrett'] and Kayla Hayworth are the team's goalkeepers. The backline has [player_tooltip player_id='287512' first='Harper' last='Castillo'], Macie Colven, [player_tooltip player_id='169424' first='Kylie' last='Guerrero'], [player_tooltip player_id='210647' first='Hadley' last='Hartsfield'], [player_tooltip player_id='214744' first='Sutton' last='Kelly'] and [player_tooltip player_id='210603' first='Wynn' last='Ellis'] as the main options. Solar's midfield depth includes [player_tooltip player_id='210628' first='Addison' last='Staats'], [player_tooltip player_id='210620' first='Stephanie' last='Culbertson'], [player_tooltip player_id='112566' first='Aubree' last='Apodaca'], [player_tooltip player_id='270111' first='Amina' last='Cook'], [player_tooltip player_id='202665' first='Ryan' last='Fratangelo'] and [player_tooltip player_id='211781' first='Quinn' last='Mack']. In the attack, [player_tooltip player_id='191530' first='Avery' last='Barrett'], [player_tooltip player_id='214144' first='Addy' last='Boone'], [player_tooltip player_id='211778' first='Lauren' last='Dyer'] and Blake Folse carry the team's scoring load.   Key Players    Solar's starting goalkeeper Barrett is one of the reasons for the team's impressive solidity, as she's always ready to step up and make stops when opponents make it past the backline. The goalkeeper was excellent in the Playoffs, leading the team to concede only once in four matches against high-level opponents. Barrett uses her length extremely well between the posts and is very reliable and secure with her actions in the goal. The goalkeeper also does excellent work in distributing, both using her feet and finding teammates with accurate throws.     A member of the US U15 national team on their recent trip to Europe, Guerrero is one of the building blocks of Solar's excellent defensive system. Typically used as a left-sided center back, she works very well in partnership with [player_tooltip player_id='214744' first='Sutton' last='Kelly'] as the two complement each other well to help their team produce clean sheets. Guerrero is very quick and intelligent with her movement in the backline, which allows her to thrive when facing opponents in 1v1 duels, but also to step into the right spots and make defensive plays after her teammates are beaten. The defender also shows calm and quality every time she gets on the ball and is very effective at moving it upfield with intelligent passing.      A talented and hard-working wide player, Fratangelo can play different roles out wide for Solar, but has been more often used at left back. She has solid skills to contribute on both sides of the ball, but stands out offensively. Fratangelo is very dangerous when operating out wide because she's very good at beating opponents and can also provide great service. She has good instincts and often gets into the penalty box too, even more when playing as a wide midfielder.      Staats joined Solar this season and immediately became a key piece for them in midfield - she can also play on the backline. A player with USYNT pedigree, she has the intensity level and the quality to dominate the game from her central midfield position and does it very consistently. Staats is very active defensively, not only covering a lot of ground but also stopping opponents with well-timed tackles. She is also brilliant with the ball, igniting quick transition plays right after she wins possession and getting into the final third to finish chances. Because of how well she uses both feet to pass and finish and how intelligent she is with her decision-making, Staats can be very difficult to stop when in attack mode.    <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=9kcb64hrOyc </div></figure>    One of the many talented offensive players on the team, Barrett delivers excellent production and a high-energy game in the final third. She's probably at her best when used in the striker role because of how well she works with her back to the goal and how she gets to facilitate plays in the final third. Barrett sees the game very well and is very smart with her touches in the attacking half, often dismantling backlines with quick passes. Also an excellent finisher, she's a modern forward who puts a lot of effort into pressing defenders and forcing them into making errors.

The ECNL League 2024-2025 season is set to come to an end this week, with the National Finals taking place in Richmond, Virginia, from Friday to Monday.