Five More Players Who Warmed Up A Cold Weekend In Loudoun, VA

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are five more players that got some shine from the Loudoun Showcase. As expected, VDA teams performed head and shoulders above other teams here. While some will use it to show the ECNL dominance over other leagues, I'll remind them that VDA is one of the top clubs in the entire country, and while there were some good GA teams, it wasn't the top teams, nor did MD United bring any of their ECNL teams to the event, which could have made for some good matchups especially at 2011. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["351875"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69a9a8f4d48c9"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Noelle is a standout defender for Northern VA Alliance 2011 who went undefeated for the weekend without giving up a single goal. Much of that effort is thanks to Noelle's ability to play any of the big 3 defensive positions up the middle, CB or the 6. She's got average height at 5'5, and does a good job staying patient and making solid plays when she gets the chance. Good ball distribution, she's not afraid to move the ball up the field or play when challenged. Even though this is the one year that didn't get a NVA vs VDA matchup, I still got to see a pretty good show defensively. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["351878"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69a9a8f4d4926"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Kate is a young keeper with great size, she's already 5'11 as a freshman. At that size, the concern is usually can they maintain the speed needed at the higher levels, but Kate seems to do pretty well in that department. She uses her body well, stretching out to make plays, and has strong hands to go along with it and contain rebounds. She's got a very strong leg which leads to punts over the midfield line. I didn't get a chance to see any goal kicks, so not much to say there, but I did see her make a few dives to her left to make saves, and she does a good job of trusting her teammates in front of her to mark a player or take an option away for the build out. She's playing on one of the top GA teams in the area, and along with a good strong defensive line in front of her, they play some very stingy defense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["351880"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69a9b7ea24587"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Tenley is a tenacious defender. She plays physical, she's patient, she doesn't make many mistakes. She's the kind of solid CB you feel confident in out on the field. She has no trouble bringing the ball up, and has good vision to find the open lane or player down field. I didn't see her lose many 1v1 matchups, and she's got some great leg strength I saw hints of here or there. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["351884"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69a9b7ea245cc"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Mariana is a skilled forward who plays all over the field whenever the team needs her. She's played defense, she's played mid, she's played forward. She's at her best when she can go north to south, she's got high level speed as a track athlete as well, and when given some space to get on a run or take a corner she's dangerous. She's got a great shot, and nose for the ball, she will crash the net and isn't afraid to put her body on the line for a set piece. Playing now for Maryland Rush, she's constantly putting pressure on players and making them earn every step they take, especially on the wings and in the corners. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["351886"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69a9b7ea2460c"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Peighton is a player I've watched grow for a few years in this area. She's always been fast, and had a strong left leg, which makes for interesting match ups on the field. She's playing for MD Rush these days, and has developed nicely into quite a useful player. Mostly an offensive player when younger she has switched into a defender the past few years, playing a mean OB. She's quick enough to make up for any mistake and run down a player, she's got a very strong leg for clears, corners, etc. Because of that offensive start, she won't hold back from chipping up in the play and taking a nice long shot on goal. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I've got a few more under the radar type players that weren't at this tournament I'll working on getting some coverage soon, but these were the ones that jumped out at me for their play. There's always that argument going ECNL is the ONLY way to college, GA is as good as ECNL, but I like to find the talented players at smaller clubs, or clubs just not in the alphabet scene. I've seen quite a few players recently get signed by local D2 and D3 schools, and every once in a while I come across one that is D1 level. It's nice to see them get some shine in these showcases where colleges can make their own decision if they HAVE to be an alphabet player or not. In the mean time I'll continue to build up my stockpile of MD players so that maybe we can get our first rankings list going. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->