Five Texas Goalkeepers to See at ECNL Girls Finals

<p>The biggest week of the year has arrived in the ECNL Girls League, as the league is set to host its Playoffs and Finals for the U13, U14, U15, U16 and U17 age groups from July 11-17 in Redmond, Washington.</p>   <p>The massive event held at 60 Acres Park will feature as many as 288 teams, which will compete in the Champions League, North American Cup, Showcase Cup and Friendlies in the Pacific Northwest.</p>   <p>The state of Texas will have as many as 25 teams making the trip to the state of Washington, with [program_tooltip program_id='283243' first='Albion' last='Hurricanes FC'], [program_tooltip program_id='283282' first='Challenge' last='SC'], [program_tooltip program_id='283296' first='Classics' last='Elite'], [program_tooltip program_id='283311' first='Dallas' last='Texans'], [program_tooltip program_id='283648' first='FC' last='Dallas'], Solar SC, [program_tooltip program_id='283497' first='Sting' last='Austin'], Sting Black and Sting Royal all being represented in the event.</p>   <p>As we focus our event coverage on the U15, U16 and U17 age groups, we'll now list five players in each position who could make an impact in the Playoffs. Today, we look into the goalkeepers:</p>    <p class="text-gray-700">Atkins and her Sting Royal G11 team will play in the North American Cup, starting their campaign against California's Eagles SC. She's always ready to see action between the posts and uses her length to get to difficult shots on the corners and make impressive saves - she's also very good at stopping penalty kicks. Atkins has great command of the penalty box, too, and dominates the area when she comes out to claim crosses. One of the team's leaders, she has a strong right leg and is capable of sending the ball well beyond the midfield line with her punts, also showing good accuracy.</p>   <p><strong><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DQMaAxxgjcj/">Highlights</a></strong></p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Webb plays for the Solar SC G11 team that will have South Carolina's CESA Liberty as its first opponent in the Champions League Playoffs. One of the best in the state, she is very hard to score on, showing an impressive ability to remain focused under pressure and excellent instincts and reflexes between the posts. Webb's quickness is another of her strengths, and it allows her to consistently beat opponents and get first to the ball when passes are played behind her backline. The goalkeeper is highly skilled in possession, and defenders give her the ball not only to avoid pressure, but to use her ability to move it quickly and efficiently to break opponents' press.</p>   <p><strong><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DLqeXPjuhZr/">Highlights</a></strong></p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Jeff will be in action in the Showcase Cup, where her Sting Black G10 team is set to face Michigan Hawks Magic in the first round. Athletic and explosive, she gets to shots many wouldn't expect a goalkeeper of her size to, forcing opponents to work very hard to beat her. Her goalkeeping technique is also excellent, allowing her to perform saves with a high degree of complexity and to handle the simplest ones with confidence. Jeff is very quick in her mind and doesn't hesitate when she has to leave her line and go for the ball, getting a head start over opponents.</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=iKtXC4tzIuY </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Favenesi is one of the goalkeepers in the [program_tooltip program_id='283243' first='Albion' last='Hurricanes FC'] G09 team that will play in the North American Cup, beginning their journey against California's Marin FC. Her positioning between the posts is excellent, often limiting the possibilities for opposing forwards when finishing chances and putting her in spots that allow her to impact the game. Favenesi is also very good in 1v1 plays, using her length very well and making some impressive leg saves. The goalkeeper also does a good job of putting the ball back in play with quick throws to her teammates and accurate punts.</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=AwTMYrwpkLU </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Ta and her [program_tooltip program_id='283648' first='FC' last='Dallas'] G09 team are among the ones competing in the Champions League - they play Virginia's Richmond United in their first match in Redmond. The goalkeeper will join the team straight from a US U17 training camp in Japan, elevating their defensive solidity with her outstanding game between the posts. Ta's goalkeeping is flawless, as she's an excellent shot-stopper, dominates the penalty box when she comes out to claim crosses and simply doesn't make mistakes. She adds to it with a reliable possession game and the vision to initiate attacking plays immediately after making a stop by quickly getting the ball to teammates in good spots.</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=orQNPdepTbc </div></figure>

The biggest week of the year has arrived in the ECNL Girls League, as the league is set to host its Playoffs and Finals for the U13, U14, U15, U16 and U17 age groups from July 11-17 in Redmond, Washington.