ECNL Texas - Class of 2029 Forwards Who Had Great Performances

The ECNL Girls League had its second national event of the year last weekend, when over 200 teams in the U14-U19 age groups from all over the country flew to Dallas for three days of matches.   With a thunderstorm hitting the area on Saturday, the first day of matches was cut short, but after that, two days of great play followed across the three venues that hosted the event.   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2026/02/ecnl-texas-day-2-photos-2/">ECNL Texas - Day 2 Photos</a></li> </ul>   <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/DUzRvm0jiQs/ </div></figure>   Prep Soccer was in Dallas over the weekend, watching matches and looking at part of the thousands of players who got on the field during the event. On Sunday, we were at the Toyota Soccer Center, in Frisco, following matches of the 2011 age group. We're now featuring the players who did a good job in their matches, and the forwards are our next subject:    Fletcher played for the [program_tooltip program_id='283497' first='Sting' last='Austin'] team that ended the event with a win and a loss. She was one of their best players in a 3-0 win over Eastside FC, bringing great dynamism to their offense. Fletcher did a great job of consistently getting involved in her team's offensive plays, either dy dropping deeper to get on the ball or offering a passing option at the wings. She was very effective when dribbling the ball forward, showing good pace and control, and also stood out with her passing. Fletcher also thrived in pressing opposing defenders, making it harder for them to build out of the back.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2026/02/2J4A0027_28def8.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-350439" /></figure>    Thibodeaux was one of the attacking pieces of the Sting Black team that got a win and a tie in the showcase. I got to watch her team in a 1-1 tie with Sporting Blue Valley, and she was consistently dangerous on the left side of their attack. Thibodeaux did a good job of staying wide and managed to progress the ball down the line by either making runs at defenders or combining with her teammates. He also showed good resources and impressive creativity to create space when under pressure, on many occasions using her first touch to get a head start on her opponents as she brought the ball inside.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2026/02/2J4A0063_897015.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-350445" /></figure>    McGrath and her [program_tooltip program_id='283311' first='Dallas' last='Texans'] team had a productive weekend in the event, earning a pair of victories. She was very effective offensively for them in a 4-0 win over FSA FC, getting involved in most of their attacking plays. A center forward, McGrath played the role with great mobility, dropping deeper and drifting wide to get on the ball. She worked well with her back to the goal, consistently making turns on opponents, and was very intelligent in combination plays, releasing the ball at the right time and immediately moving into an open spot to get it back. McGrath also thrived with her positioning inside the box, having some good chances to score.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2026/02/2J4A0077_d151de.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-350449" /></figure>    Kuba played for the SLSG Navy team that earned a win and a loss in their trip to Texas. She was the focal point of their offense in a 2-0 win over [program_tooltip program_id='283317' first='[program_tooltip program_id='280767' first='DKSC' last='']' last=''], helping her team create and finish chances. A tall and physical player, she worked well with her back to the goal, demonstrating quality to make plays with both feet and good vision to find wingers in nice spots. Kuba was very mobile and also appeared on the wings, using her pace to go at defenders and make plays out wide.     Hutchinson was part of the Solar SC team that won both their matches in the event. I got to watch their 2-0 victory over FC Stars Blue, when she was consistently dangerous playing on the left side of their attack. Hutchinson displayed a solid all-around game, keeping the opposing backline under pressure with her ability to make plays in different ways. She did very well in getting to the end of long passes and quickly turning forward after controlling the ball. Hutchinson made some nice plays out wide, beating opponents off the dribble and crossing the ball into the box, but also did well when bringing it inside and attempting curled shots. The forward also followed up well on plays that developed on the right, getting into the box and being a target for crosses.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2026/02/2J4A0185_c4970e.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-350477" /></figure>    O'Brien helped [program_tooltip program_id='283648' first='FC' last='Dallas'] end the weekend undefeated with two wins and a tie. She was highly influential in their 3-0 win over Bethesda SC, leading the line for her team with tremendous quality. A center forward, O'Brien was very intelligent with her movement on the field, picking the right moments to drop back and get a touch on the ball and to attack the space behind the outside backs with runs off the ball. She made some good plays out wide, showing quality and confidence to go at defenders and looking to find her teammates with crosses. An excellent finisher, O'Brien also stood out with her movement inside the box, beating defenders for the ball on multiple occasions.

The ECNL Girls League had its second national event of the year last weekend, when over 200 teams in the U14-U19 age groups from all over the country flew to Dallas for three days of matches.