TX Preseason U16: Rise and Challenge even in shortened scrimmage

After a quick break in the summer, the 2026-2027 club soccer season is about to start, with most of the boys' and girls' leagues having start dates between the end of August and the first half of September.   Prep Soccer Texas will continue what it's done for the past few seasons and will offer extensive coverage in the MLS Next, the ECNL, and the Girls Academy Leagues, attending matches and tournaments in the Lone Star State so we can follow the progress of the prospects in the state and be introduced to new ones, providing them with the exposure they deserve.   Before league play begins, we're covering preseason games, and on Saturday, August 8, we were at South Campus in Houston when Rise SC in the Girls Academy League and <a href="https://prepsoccer.com/program/challenge-sc/">[program_tooltip program_id='283282' first='Challenge' last='SC']</a> in the ECNL League met in the U16 age group.   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Rise SC U16 vs. [program_tooltip program_id='283282' first='Challenge' last='SC'] U16 - Photos</li> </ul>     The match was supposed to have three 25-minute periods, but it was canceled during the second period due to lightning in the area. [program_tooltip program_id='283282' first='Challenge' last='SC']ored first in the 21st minute of the first period after [player_tooltip player_id='384249' first='Caitlin' last='Purcell'] dispossessed a Rise opponent on the edge of the box and passed the ball to forward Claire Curtis, who scored. Rise leveled the score in the third minute of the second period, right before the interruption, with forward [player_tooltip player_id='352567' first='Kavya' last='Nepal'], who pressed a Challenge defender, won the ball and fired a low shot into the back of the net.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Players of the Match</h2>    Playing on the right side of Rise's attack, Nepal provided some firepower and intensity to their offense. She was very direct and creative with her dribbling and used her body well to handle physical plays from opponents and keep the ball. Nepal made good plays on the wing and was also dangerous when she came inside to combine with her teammates. She showed great effort to chase long passes and fight for the ball, and in one of those plays ended up scoring her team's equalizer, pressing a Challenge defender to win the ball on the edge of the box and calmly sending it into the back of the net.    <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/DbzqnhltZdO/ </div></figure>    Mireles had a solid shift between the posts, doing well when called to action and making some nice stops. She couldn't have done any better to avoid Challenge's goal as her team turned the ball over in the backline, allowing Curtis to finish 1v1. The goalkeeper made some good saves and was always alert to leave her spot and get to passes played behind the backline, avoiding what could have been dangerous plays for the opponents. Mireles also did well with her long passes out of the back, and in one of them, she set up the play for Nepal's goal.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2026/08/2J4A0179.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-384232" /></figure>    Playing as a right back, Kelly was very consistent and solid with her play. She had a strong defensive performance, standing out for her positioning and doing a good job of winning duels to prevent Challenge from creating chances in her zone. The outside back showed calm and quality on the ball to help break the opponents' press with quick passing and movement off the ball, while also overlapping on the right and being an option in the attacking half.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2026/08/2J4A0180.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-384233" /></figure>    Playing at the heart of Challenge's midifield, Lopez was very good at dictating the team's pace on the ball. She did a great job of getting involved in the team's attacking plays and used her high soccer IQ and her quality on the ball to facilitate plays in the center of the field. Lopez also thrived with her ability to beat opponents with body moves to create space to make runs through the center of the field. She took great care of the ball, showing intention every time she had it and consistently contributing to the team's playmaking.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2026/08/2J4A0199.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-384245" /></figure>    Olivarez began the match playing as a center back and had a promising start. Her ability to read plays and anticipate moves allowed her to win the ball many times and stop Rise's attacking plays around the penalty box. She was also very comfortable and efficient on the ball, passing it intelligently out of the back and even dribbling it forward when she had the space to do it. Olivarez moved into midfield for the second period and, despite not having much time to make an impact before the match was cancelled, showed good ability to operate in tighter spaces as well.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2026/08/2J4A0193.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-384240" /></figure>    Purcell played on the right side of Challenge's attack and was very active offensively for them. She was a constant option to her teammates, making runs on and off the ball on the wing and keeping Rise's backline under constant pressure. Purcell often managed to take the ball to the end line and delivered good crosses into the box. She was great at identifying a heavy first touch from a Rise defender before pressing her and winning the ball in her team's goal, and wasn't selfish, getting it to Curtis, who was in a better spot to finish.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2026/08/2J4A0177.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-384230" /></figure>

After a quick break in the summer, the 2026-2027 club soccer season is about to start, with most of the boys' and girls' leagues having start dates between the end of August and the first half of September.