ECNL Playoffs Day 1

What a day for it in pretty much perfect conditions for soccer at Surf Park in San Diego, California. The grass fields were in amazing condition and the temperature never got above 72 degrees. College Coaches, Scouts, Agents, and Media had the pleasure or watching matches from 8am-7pm. Here's who caught our eye on day 1:    In one of the 8am Kick Offs I was very excited to watch this U17 Slammers HB Koge side. Loaded with so much talent. [player_tooltip player_id='19499' first='Ireland' last='Churchill'] had an impressive outing with a lovely assist on the game winning goal with a low sprayed ball into the 6 hard box. Has such quality on the ball, her first touch is butter, and she turn a corner really fast.     It is a sight to behold when this young woman opens up into a sprint. She might be the fastest soccer player in the 2026 recruiting class. There's going to be a cheetah on campus at Cal Berkeley soon! Keep your gazelles locked away in the house.     Morell is a top player. I wasn't even planning to go watch her game but there was a big crowd there so I figured I'd check it out. Morrell stood out the minute I started watching. The way she moves is different. She's really deceptive and super light on her feet in tight spaces. Fantastic small space dribbler. She has an amazing feel for the game. Super impressive performance from her.     Scored an absolute banger to tie the game for her [program_tooltip program_id='283257' first='Bay' last='Area Surf'] side against Internationals in the first round of the U19 playoffs. A swerving shot about 30 yards from goal right in the top corner. The best goal I saw all day.     Leifried was on my list of players to watch and she did not disappoint. She played left back, right back, and central midfield. She scored a great goal from right back smashing a shot with real power past goalie from a tough angle. She's becoming more and more of a physical presence on the field. She's playing up a year but you wouldn't of guessed that by watching. She's a bully out there imposing her will on opposition. Really good facilitator when she gets on the ball too, her vision is super advanced.     If you like the a player with razzle dazzle Aguilar is her. She has a library of moves you just don't see very often at any level let alone a youth one. Has incredible command of the ball with all surfaces of her foot.     I heard a parent on the sideline joke "I wonder if coach will put her in goal next?" She plays everywhere and doesn't miss a beat. Put a couple of lovely crosses in on the overlap playing either outside back or right wing or both who knows. Scored the best penalty I saw all day where she smacked the ball right into the top right corner to ice the game 2-0 for her [program_tooltip program_id='283641' first='De' last='Anza Force'] side. She's an absolute dawg! Big fan.     The Stanford commit is an extremely fluid athlete. She has a really powerful shot and quick burst of speed. Really committed on the defensive press and seems like an excellent teammate.     So calculated in possession and disruptive defensively. The Alabama commit is an exceptionally talented midfielder. Half turn queen who can find penetrating balls past the oppositions back line consistently. Loves a quick one, two in tight quarters.     Going to the University of North Florida Doyle played really well against [program_tooltip program_id='283641' first='De' last='Anza Force'] albeit in a 2-0 defeat. If it wasn't for her the game could have been much worse. Playing center back in this game against a team that had the ball for a big chunk of it Doyle was asked to defend a lot. And defend she did. So many headers, tackles, shields, ground duel wins, clearances, good fouls, and recoveries.     Monberg showed why the National Team called her in recently against Legends today. She never fails to disappoint when I watch her play. Really fast over 10-15 yards. One of those players that looks like she moves as fast with the ball as she does without it.     Lahtela scored the only goal for MVLA against a very strong Legends side in the opening game in this group stage. Whenever Lahtela was in the game it seemed like MVLA had life. They unfortunately lost 3-1 in this one and will be looking to rebound in the next one with everything still to play for.     What an incredibly talented young soccer player Ms. Hill is. USC must have been jumping up and down when they landed this young woman who will be coming into their 2026 recruiting class. She scored two great goals and had a questionable one disallowed against a very good [program_tooltip program_id='283257' first='Bay' last='Area Surf'] defense. Right from the first whistle it seemed like anytime Hill got the ball something good happened for Solar.     Henderson is going to be one of the most sought after goalies in the 2027 class. She looks like a force to be reckoned with in-between the sticks for [program_tooltip program_id='283257' first='Bay' last='Area Surf']. She's tall and super long as you can imagine that translates to being very good at claiming high balls and laying out for tough saves. Really bright future for this young Goalkeeper.     Hernandez scored for [program_tooltip program_id='283257' first='Bay' last='Area Surf'] from the spot and put in an excellent midfield shift for her team. You can always tell when kids have international experience it just makes their decision making that much faster. She is an El Salvadorian international who is committed to Seattle U.     Another one that I was not planning on watching but as I walked by her field and noticed how quick her burst of speed was I had to stay and watch. She scored a great goal and showed how polished she is on the ball. Another top USC commit in the class of 2026 Parsons has endless potential to be great.     Started the game at CB and then moved into midfield later on in the game as [program_tooltip program_id='283257' first='Bay' last='Area Surf'] needed and eventually got a goal. She's incredibly talented and really showed why she has been with the Youth National Team. She has so much energy and presence on the soccer field. She can pull all the strings in midfield and lock up opposition attackers defensively. So much quality when she gets on the ball to make positive plays happen for her team.     Seems to have grown a bit since the last time I saw her. But another masterclass performance from Travers in the [program_tooltip program_id='283257' first='Bay' last='Area Surf'] back line as she captained the team along with her teammate [player_tooltip player_id='111147' first='Elena' last='Vera']. She's playing a year up by the way and when she says something about defensive positioning you better listen to her because she just knows what to do out there on a soccer field. She's like the Ray Lewis of Youth Women's Soccer defensive maestro.     De Moor is a problem for a defense to deal with. Very physical player who loves a little contact from opposition defenders. She scored a good goal for Dallas in this game against a very formidable [program_tooltip program_id='283257' first='Bay' last='Area Surf'] side.     Her physical gifts are very apparent. She's tall, strong and fast. Has a rocket for left foot and can create separation on the dribble. She got on the end of a through ball rounded the goalie and tucked away the games first goal for her Crossfire side on their way to victory.

What a day for it in pretty much perfect conditions for soccer at Surf Park in San Diego, California. The grass fields were in amazing condition and the temperature never got above 72 degrees. College Coaches, Scouts, Agents, and Media had the pleasure or watching matches from 8am-7pm. Here's who caught our eye on day 1: