GA Playoffs Texas Team Preview: Atletico Dallas 07/08

<p>After almost ten months of action, the Girls Academy League season is entering its final stretch, with only the best teams from each conference still alive in the battle to win the national title.</p>   <p>A critical moment of the season will unfold from June 18-23, in Norco, California, where the league playoffs will be held. 36 teams will compete in the U15, U16, and U17 age groups, with eight advancing to the League Finals, which will be held in Richmond, Virginia, from July 9-12. The U19 age group has only 12 teams in contention and will have the national champions crowned in Norco.</p>   <p>Six teams from Texas qualified to compete in the playoffs and will be in action in California over the next few days. In the days leading up to the event, we'll preview them:</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[program_tooltip program_id='333974' first='Atletico' last='Dallas'] 07/08</h2>   <p>The team from Dallas booked its ticket to Norco after ranking second in the league's Frontier Conference. In 18 matches, [program_tooltip program_id='333974' first='Atletico' last='Dallas'] earned 12 wins, four losses and two ties, securing 38 points.</p>   <p><strong>Their Opponents</strong></p>   <p>[program_tooltip program_id='333974' first='Atletico' last='Dallas'] begin the GA Playoffs and Finals in Group C. Their first opponents in the event will be Indiana's Indy Premier, Georgia's Top Hat Gold and California's LA Surf Soccer Club.</p>   <p><strong>Their Squad</strong></p>   <p>Avery Mollett and Kailegh West are the team's goalkeepers. Manning the backline are Sierra Rush, Emma Soignier, Delaney Untermeier, Ella Knauss and Izzy Alarcon-Vo. Midfield options for the team include Bree Williamson, [player_tooltip player_id='229586' first='Ava' last='Kim'], Bryleigh Domenico, Hannah Warren, Katie Purtle, Victoria Hoffmann, Allison Santos and Brynn Coleman, while Sienna Schutte, Maci Hatzenbuehler, [player_tooltip player_id='148476' first='Yahaira' last='Martinez'], Marinn Cameron and Sophia Sharpe lead the offense as forwards.</p>   <p><strong>Players to Watch</strong></p>    <p class="text-gray-700">Mollett is [program_tooltip program_id='333974' first='Atletico' last='Dallas']' starting goalkeeper. She's among the best in the state between the posts, showing impressive reflexes and instincts to keep the ball out of the goal with nice saves. Mollett also stands out with her ability to communicate with her teammates, consistently keeping them engaged and organized in the backline. The goalkeeper has nice quality with her feet, too, passing the ball well out of the back and finding teammates with accurate long balls.</p>    <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://youtu.be/HOzaRU2svVo </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Soignier plays as a center back for [program_tooltip program_id='333974' first='Atletico' last='Dallas']. Her excellent positioning consistently puts her in good spots to intercept passes and stop plays, especially in transition plays. Soignier also does a good job of keeping opponents under pressure, not allowing them space and forcing them back. The defender is very calm and comfortable on the ball, too, not hesitating to take the space in front of her and dribble the ball forward. Soignier also delivers great long passes out of the back and provides excellent service on set pieces.</p>    <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=kKJ8R1opJZs </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Kim plays as an attacking midfielder for [program_tooltip program_id='333974' first='Atletico' last='Dallas']. A lefty, she's very skilled and intelligent on the ball, and does a good job of using her quality to create chances for her team. Kim's vision allows her to unlock defenses with unexpected passes and she doesn't need much time on the ball to make an impact, standing out for her ability to scan the field before being in possession. She fires accurate shots from outside the box and also likes to step into it to finish chances, showing solid positioning and skills to score off headers.</p>    <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=_9j5tlakrXg </div></figure>   <p></p>

After almost ten months of action, the Girls Academy League season is entering its final stretch, with only the best teams from each conference still alive in the battle to win the national title.