ECNL Texas – 2010 Division Center Backs Who Dominated the Box

<p>The ECNL Girls League had its second national event of the year earlier in February, when over 200 teams in the U14-U19 age groups from all over the country flew to Dallas for three days of matches.</p>   <p>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.</p>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><strong><a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2026/02/ecnl-texas-day-3-photos-2/">ECNL Texas - Day 3 Photos</a></strong></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/DU2H2J8jjxw/?img_index=1 </div></figure>   <p>Prep Soccer was in Dallas over that weekend, watching matches and looking at part of the thousands of players who got on the field during the event. On Saturday, we were at the Toyota Soccer Center, in Frisco, following matches of the 2010 age group. We're now featuring the players who did a good job in their matches, and today we'll look into the center backs:</p>    <p class="text-gray-700">Nielsen was with the FC Wisconsin team that secured a win and a loss over the weekend in Dallas. She was under constant pressure in a 3-1 loss to XF Academy and responded fairly well, standing out in her team's backline. Playing as a left-sided center back, Nielsen was very solid in the air and also had success with her duels, being very firm when going for the ball. The center back was in charge of initiating her team's buildup and was very good in that, too, showing vision to connect long passes and get her team out of pressure and confidence to dribble the ball forward when she had the space to do it.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2026/02/2J4A0024_e25d78.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-350528" /></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Whipple's XF Academy team went undefeated, earning two wins and a tie, and was one of the best defensive sides in the event, allowing only one goal in three matches. She led the team's backline in a 3-1 win over FC Wisconsin, demonstrating a solid defensive game and quality on the ball. With her team on the front foot for most of the time, Whipple was asked to defend in space very often, and she was excellent at it, showing good pace to track back and using her body very well to win duels. The center back was extremely valuable in possession as well, stepping into the attacking half and delivering accurate long balls and passes behind the backline.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2026/02/2J4A0030_e55755.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-350531" /></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Dawkins played for the Sting Black team that came out on top in both matches it played, while not conceding any goals. Playing as a left-sided center back, the captain was very good in a 2-0 win over NC Courage. Dawkins' positioning was always on point and allowed her to be in a position to make stops. The center back used her body very well when she had to get into duels, shutting down opponents before they got near her team's penalty box. Dawkins also worked with the ball at her feet, thriving with her passing and providing great service into the box off free kicks.</p>    <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/DU3afDUDRcS/ </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Kaghat played for the NC Courage team that had two ties and a loss in their trip to Dallas. She was the best player in their only setback, a 2-0 loss to Sting Black. Strong and quick, she was very active defensively, standing out for her ability to win duels and to step up in the right spots to cover her teammates when they were beaten. Kaghat also demonstrated impressive quality and confidence on the ball, attempting direct passes to get it to the attacking players and making some runs while driving it through the center of the field.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2026/02/2J4A0117_755c77.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-350553" /></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">With McCalmont in the backline, [program_tooltip program_id='283648' first='FC' last='Dallas'] went undefeated, registering a win and a tie in the event. I got to watch them in a 1-1 tie with SLSG Navy in which they fought despite being a player down to get an equalizer in the second half. McCalmont was very good in that match, providing the defensive coverage her team needed to push forward while also contributing to their playmaking. The right-sided center back was very good when defending in transition, using her positioning and athleticism to shut plays down. McCalmont consistently stepped into the attacking half and did well with the ball, passing it efficiently and keeping her errors low.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2026/02/2J4A0204.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-350570" /></figure>

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