Girls Academy U16: Rise SC beat HTX 1-0 in the H-Town Derby

The 2025-2026 Girls Academy season is about to reach its halfway point, which will be marked by the league's traditional Winter Showcase, which this year will take place from December 4-9, in Norco, CA.   Like we've been doing for a few years now, Prep Soccer Texas continues to follow the teams from the Lone Star State throughout the season, covering matches and producing photos, articles and social media posts of the duels involving the most talented players from the state.   On Saturday, November 22, we were at South Campus for the H-Town Derby between Rise SC and HTX. The home team took advantage of one of the few chances they had to score the game-winning goal and prevail 1-0.   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Rise SC G10 vs. HTX G10 - <a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2025/11/girls-academy-u16-rise-sc-vs-htx-photos/">Photos</a></li> </ul>   Rise's game-winner was scored in the ninth minute of the second half, when midfielder April Alanis won the ball back in the final third and assisted forward Natalie Ochoa, who sent the ball into the back of the net with a left-footed shot.   The victory took Rise up to sixth place in the Frontier Conference standings with 21 points (five wins, five losses, six ties). HTX are second, with 35 points (11 wins, two losses, two ties).   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Players of the Match</h2>    Alanis was arguably the most impactful player in Rise's victory, having a key role in the team's playing system from her central midfielder spot. With HTX having the ball for most of the time, she was tireless when playing defense, helping shield the team's backline and forcing the opponents to play wide, while also winning many duels. Alanis was also tasked with initiating Rise's transition plays, and she did very efficiently, showing great vision and quality to execute long passes. She was brilliant in the play that ended in the team's game-winning goal, picking the best moment to step and press higher and timing her pass to Ochoa extremely well.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/11/2J4A0269_eef668.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-341754" /></figure>    Cathey had an excellent performance between the posts and helped her team produce a clean sheet against a strong HTX team. She was particularly active in the first half, when the opponents managed to fire several shots on target, and demonstrated impressive quality and reliability every time she went for the ball, making safe stops and not giving up rebounds. Cathey also played a big leadership role with the team, communicating well with her teammates and keeping the backline organized. The goalkeeper used her strong leg to send her punts very high up on the field.    <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/DRYgSCQEQCO/ </div></figure>    Ochoa spent most of the match in the striker role and had to work hard as she chased long passes against multiple defenders. Her determination and good positioning allowed her to make plays on a few occasions, even if outnumbered. The forward converted the only real chance she had and scored the team's game-winning goal in a play in which she was very smart with her run, which created the angle for Alanis to give her the ball, and precise with her left-footed shot. After being out of the match for some time, she returned playing as a wide midfielder on the left, and provided great defensive support for the team in the final minutes of the match, while also making some runs in transition.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/11/2J4A0310_a7ba9d.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-341763" /></figure>    Rise's back three of Coleman, Tayla Gordon and Lilly Cabel was instrumental in their victory, providing great stability for the team and shutting down HTX's offensive attempts. Playing on the left, Coleman was very timely with her defensive actions, making stops and avoiding what could have been dangerous fouls around the box. The left-footed defender helped her team relieve HTX's pressure in the second half by clearing many crosses in the air or on the ground. She also did well on the few occasions she had to defend in space, showing good mobility and an interesting ability to read plays.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/11/2J4A0263.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-341751" /></figure>    Playing as a right back, Ubokudom was part of Rise's backline that had a flawless performance. She used her physical tools very well when playing defense, winning many duels and forcing HTX to try and make plays through the right side of their attack. Ubokudom also thrived when tucking in to help defend the box when the opponents crossed the ball from the opposite side, making several clearances in the air. She didn't make it past the midfield line very often, but had a couple of strong runs on the ball upfield, most notably one during the second half in which she earned a corner kick that helped cool HTX down after several minutes of pressure.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/11/2J4A0212.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-341729" /></figure>    Playing as a central midfielder, Puna was HTX's offensive hub in the match. Every attacking play of her team went through her, who was very intelligent with her distribution, quickly moving the ball from the center of the field, and also stepped into the final third to attempt final passes and shots. Puna was also very active defensively, covering ground in midfield and using her quickness to win the ball. She was moved to the backline in the final minutes of the match, but continued to step into the attacking half and make plays, operating as an extra playmaker for her team as Rise was limited to defending.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/11/2J4A0316_c3125c.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-341765" /></figure>    The right wingback had a very offensive approach and was one of her team's main attacking options in the match. With Rise efficiently blocking the center of the field, HTX had to try to make plays on the flanks and Rodgers was arguably their best option. She consistently stepped into the final third and was very efficient with her plays, beating defenders off the dribble and making crosses from the end line. Rodgers also brought the ball inside from the right on some occasions, disorganizing Rise's defensive system and creating space for her teammates to explore.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/11/2J4A0231_a8ea56.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-341738" /></figure>

The 2025-2026 Girls Academy season is about to reach its halfway point, which will be marked by the league's traditional Winter Showcase, which this year will take place from December 4-9, in Norco, CA.