ECNL Girls TX U16: Late equalizer gets Albion and FC Dallas even

<p>After a long break during the winter for the high school season, the ECNL Girls Soccer League is back to action as the best teams in the country face their matches in the spring as they prepare for the postseason.</p>   <p>Prep Soccer Texas resumed its coverage of the Texas Conference on Sunday, April 27, when [program_tooltip program_id='283243' first='Albion' last='Hurricanes FC'] G09 and [program_tooltip program_id='283648' first='FC' last='Dallas'] G09 battled in a U16 match at the Campbell Road Sports Park, in Houston, which ended in a 1-1 tie.</p>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><strong><a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2025/05/ecnl-girls-tx-u16-albion-hurricanes-fc-vs-fc-dallas-photos/">Photos: Albion Hurricanes G09 vs. [program_tooltip program_id='283648' first='FC' last='Dallas'] G09</a></strong></li> </ul>   <p>Playing at home, Albion started the match on the front foot and scored early. In the 11th minute, outside back [player_tooltip player_id='148497' first='Rylee' last='Struyk'] brought the ball inside from the right and fed winger [player_tooltip player_id='148485' first='Baylee' last='Corcoran'], who beat a defender off the dribble and scored with a powerful left-footed shot. The Houston side continued to have control of the match, but couldn't capitalize on it, going to the halftime break with a 1-0 lead.</p>   <p>In the second half, Dallas regrouped and gained control of the game, spending most of the time in the attacking half, while Albion tried to hit in transition. The visiting side made some strong attempts through the wings, but could only get their equalizer in the 37th minute, when midfielder [player_tooltip player_id='26848' first='Kacy' last='Corcoran'] took a corner kick, forward [player_tooltip player_id='112577' first='Catelyn' last='de Moor'] redirected it in the air, and midfielder Brynlee Ward appeared on the back post to score.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/grtorres/status/1916580502842274026 </div></figure>   <p>The point earned on the road has [program_tooltip program_id='283648' first='FC' last='Dallas'] in third place in the Texas Conference, with 27 points (eight wins, one loss and three ties). Albion are eighth with 23 points (seven wins, five losses and two ties).</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Players of the Match</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">Albion's goalscorer in the match, Corcoran was consistently dangerous on the left side of their attack. The winger was very strong in 1v1 situations, using her pace and dribbling skills to beat defenders and make plays out wide. Corcoran also did a good job of coming inside on some occasions, getting on the ball with her back to the goal and making turns or combining with teammates. She did a great job of staying onside in the play in which she scored, and finished it extremely well, putting power and precision into her shot.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/04/2J4A0130_b12e79.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-286312" /></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Struyk was very active at the right back position for Albion. She ran up and down the field the entire time, offering her team an interesting attacking weapon. Struyk was very difficult to stop when she got going because of how long her steps were and how well she was able to shield the ball, and she was very successful at bringing the ball inside on some occasions, like the one in which she assisted Corcoran for the goal, where she could find decisive passes. She also handled her defensive duties well, using her big frame to win duels and keep opponents under control.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/ryleens019/status/1917707801033425138 </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Lawless had a solid shift in central defense for Albion and was just three minutes short of leading her team to a clean sheet against a strong Dallas team. Playing as a right-sided center back, she defended the penalty box very well, winning duels in the air and clearing crosses that went into her zone. Lawless also did well when she was dragged away from the penalty box, showing good mobility to cover ground and staying tight to opponents to keep them under pressure. She thrived with her positioning and appeared in the right spots to cover her teammates on many occasions.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/04/2J4A0231.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-286341" /></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Playing next to Lawless in central defense, Brendel also performed very well and helped her team contain [program_tooltip program_id='283648' first='FC' last='Dallas']'s offensive push for most of the second half. The two displayed great chemistry and complemented each other very well, appearing in the right spots and helping with whatever was needed. The quickest of the two, Brendel made some important interventions inside and around the penalty box, dispossessing opponents and blocking shots in dangerous spots. She was also very involved in the team's buildup and connected good passes out of the backline.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/04/2J4A0244_ca54f4.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-286345" /></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Iglesias played a few different attacking roles for [program_tooltip program_id='283648' first='FC' last='Dallas'] during the match and was the team's most dangerous player on the field. She started the match on the wing and was very strong in 1v1 plays out wide, but also thrived when bringing the ball inside to create plays with her passing. The forward also occupied more of a central position in the team's offense and appeared well working with her back to the goal and facilitating combination plays. Igleasias pursued a goal during the entire match and had a couple of good opportunities to score, but was blocked by Albion's defenders.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/04/2J4A0177_bb713f.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-286325" /></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Playing two age groups up, Ward helped [program_tooltip program_id='283648' first='FC' last='Dallas'] take a point back home and put on a solid shift in midfield for them. She was very active in central midfield for them, covering a lot of ground and getting on the ball very often when the team had possession. Ward made some good runs on and off the ball on the right side of her team's attack and appeared in good spots in the final third. She was very smart to make a run to the back post in the play in which she scored and did a good job of redirecting a difficult ball into the goal.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/grtorres/status/1916578598347051383 </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Ta was very solid between the posts for [program_tooltip program_id='283648' first='FC' last='Dallas'] and kept the team in the game with good saves. She had to work a lot during the first half, when Albion had more of the ball, and responded very well, confidently handling the shots that went her way. Ta couldn't have stopped Corcoran's shot in Albion's goal as it was fired from very close range, but she was excellent at getting to crosses into the box in set pieces. The goalkeeper was also very efficient when putting the ball back in play and got to initiate some transition plays for her team with her accurate throws.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/04/2J4A0166_d11779.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-286321" /></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Heathcock was very active in central midfield for [program_tooltip program_id='283648' first='FC' last='Dallas']. She was involved in many of the team's offensive plays and made some good runs on the ball through the middle, doing a good job of keeping possession despite Albion's pressure. Heathcock also distributed the game well, making good choices with her passing and delivering the ball to her teammates in good spots. She displayed good energy and kept her intensity level high while she was on the field.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/04/2J4A0199_c097f3.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-286332" /></figure>   <p></p>

After a long break during the winter for the high school season, the ECNL Girls Soccer League is back to action as the best teams in the country face their matches in the spring as they prepare for the postseason.