Northern California 2030 Standouts: Center Backs to Watch

The Prep Soccer state rankings for California's 2030 class will be updated this week. Prior to the release of the new rankings, check out a scouting report on a handful of center backs from Northern California who have impressed during the opening months of the 2026/2027 club soccer season. This piece features players from the 2011/2012 ECNL age group who have stood out from the games in August and September.    Curtin is a center back on the Cal Odyssey 2011/2012 ECNL team. She is listed as a midfielder on the roster, but I've seen her playing right center back in the early games of the ECNL season. Curtin is a defensive stalwart for Cal Odyssey. She's also been part of the NorCal PDP. She's an outstanding defender in her positioning, tactical knowledge, and competitive drive in 1v1 duels.   Curtin has been good on the ball too. She can break pressure off the dribble and does well retaining possession for her squad. Curtin has the tools to be an elite defender from this class for a long time.     Sandhu attended the Prep Soccer event in Northern California. She earned a write-up from that event for her standout play at outside back. She's been equally as good, if not better as a center back this season for Odyssey.   Sandhu is confident on the ball and makes good decisions on the ball. She has the versatility to fill in a number of roles on the field. She plays with her head up and has an excellent first touch.   Sandhu has shown the quality to suggest she will be among the top players in this class for a long time.     Waxman is a center back on the MVLA 2011/2012 ECNL team. She was part of the US Soccer U14 West Region National Team camp. Waxman has cemented her spot as one of the best center backs in this class given her soccer smarts, skill, and elite defensive qualities.   This season Waxman has been brilliant for her club team. She has shown the ability to read the opposition and cut out passes to eliminate chances early. She possesses the athletic quality to track forwards anywhere. Her defending ability allows MVLA to push numbers forward and really unlocks their style of play.   Waxman also has excellent ball striking qualities and can hit a long range pass with accuracy consistently. She has all the tools to be the top center back in this class at a national level.     Stewart is a center back on the MVLA 2011/2012 ECNL. She was invited to the Reign FC Academy Youth Combine over the summer. She was also a standout at the Prep Soccer NorCal ID event.   Stewart has been a mainstay of the MVLA backline and has been able to meet any challenge as the team raced out to an unbeaten record through the first six games of the campaign. She is a great organizer and elite 1v1 defender. She has the athleticism to suggest she will be an early standout at the next level too.     Northcote is a defender on the [program_tooltip program_id='283641' first='De' last='Anza Force'] 2011/2012 ECNL team. She can play center back or outside back. I've mainly see her play as a center back so far this season. Northcote has put together some highlight reel plays through the early stretch of the season, which has been challenging to the De Anza squad.   She's a good on-the-ball defender. She uses her body well in the duel and shows good strength in the challenge to keep her balance while forwards tend to hit the ground. Northcote is excellent on the pass as well. She can ping a ball through a tight window. She's shown the ability to whip in a cross in the past too, which suggests some upside as an outside back in the future too.    <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=Lhrtvqyamzw </div></figure>

The Prep Soccer state rankings for California's 2030 class will be updated this week. Prior to the release of the new rankings, check out a scouting report on a handful of center backs from Northern California who have impressed during the opening months of the 2026/2027 club soccer season. This piece features players from the 2011/2012 ECNL age group who have stood out from the games in August and September.