ECNL TX: Last-second goal gets Albion G10 past Challenge in Derby

<p>The 2025-2026 ECNL Girls League has pretty much entered its winter break following the conclusion of the Kansas City National Event at the start of December. A few select matches, however, continue to take place around the country.</p>   <p>Prep Soccer Texas will closely follow the progress of the ECNL season for local boys and girls teams for the next several months, attending matches and showcases held in the Lone Star State to produce articles, photos and social media posts that highlight the impressive performances and accomplishments from our players.</p>   <p>On Saturday, December 13, we attended the H-Town Showdown between crosstown rivals [program_tooltip program_id='283243' first='Albion' last='Hurricanes FC'] and [program_tooltip program_id='283282' first='Challenge' last='SC'] in the 2010 age group. The match took place at the Campbell Road Sports Park, as part of Albion's traditional Texas Girls Showcase, and had the home team prevailing 3-2 thanks to a goal scored in the last play of the duel.</p>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='283243' first='Albion' last='Hurricanes FC'] G10 vs. [program_tooltip program_id='283282' first='Challenge' last='SC'] G10 - <a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2025/12/ecnl-tx-albion-hurricanes-fc-g10-vs-challenge-sc-g10-photos/">Photos</a></strong></li> </ul>   <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/DSQIou_DlvA/?img_index=1 </div></figure>   <p>Albion started the match stronger and scored their first goal in the 12th minute, when forward [player_tooltip player_id='214146' first='Bridget' last='Asekomhe'] made a strong run through the middle and fired a crossshot to send the ball into the back of the net. Ten minutes later, midfielder [player_tooltip player_id='214154' first='Marlow' last='Woodford'] got on the end of a corner kick taken by [player_tooltip player_id='214145' first='Ashley' last='Baxter'] and doubled their lead with a header.</p>   <p>The home team was able to preserve their lead until the end of the second half, when [program_tooltip program_id='283282' first='Challenge' last='SC']ored twice to gain new life. They got one back in the 30th minute, with midfielder [player_tooltip player_id='295336' first='Maxine' last='Lopez'], who got a cross from defender Rian Delgado and fired a left-footed shot. Two minutes later, midfielder Sophia Williams got the ball into the box off a free kick on the right, and forward [player_tooltip player_id='293358' first='Callie' last='Cleveland'] attacked it to level the score. Another set piece ended up deciding the match, as Asekomhe picked up the rebound of a corner kick and fired a powerful shot to seal Albion's victory in the last play of the match.</p>   <p>With the result, Albion goes into the break in fifth place in the Texas Conference standings, with seven wins, one loss and three ties. Challenge are eighth, with five wins, four losses and two ties.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Players of the Match</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">Asekomhe decided the match for Albion with a pair of goals, but her strong performance went well beyond that. The focal point of her team's offense, she was a constant threat to Challenge's backline with her quality on the ball in the final third. Asekomhe diversified a lot with how she attacked Challenge's backline, and was very good when working with her back to the goal, either making turns on defenders or playing quick passes back to the midfielders. She also drifted wide and dropped back on some occasions to get on the ball and stood out with her decision-making. The forward got a little bit lucky to have the ball that decided the match coming right into her feet, but didn't waste the opportunity, firing a confident shot to score in the last play.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/12/2J4A0166.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-343382" /></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Woodford was very active and efficient in midfield and played a big role in Albion's victory. A defensive midfielder, she was excellent in her duty of shielding her team's backline, reading plays extremely well, and winning many duels in the center of the field - she also made a couple of big stops inside the box in what could have been dangerous finishes for Challenge. Woodford also displayed quality and intelligence on the ball, quickly moving it from one side of the field to the other when she had possession. She got into a good spot in a corner kick to score the team's second with a header and almost got another one in the first half, following up on a play and getting on the end of a rebound.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/12/2J4A0184.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-343387" /></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Baxter was the engine of Albion's midfield and did the heavy work of connecting the team with class and intelligence. She got on the ball a lot and was very direct and efficient with how she moved it forward, executing nice passes and making strong runs through the center of the field. Baxter did a good job of sliding into the left side of Albion's attack during the first half and made good plays there, firing a pair of dangerous shots from there, one of which hit the crossbar. The midfielder was also very precise with her set-piece deliveries, assisting Woodford in the team's second goal with an accurate corner kick cross.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/12/2J4A0180.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-343386" /></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Gibson was used in a more offensive role than usual, playing as a second forward, and had a solid performance, being one of Albion's top attacking options. Her movement was very intense and intelligent, often generating space for her or her teammates to make plays in the final third. Gibson connected well with her teammates and was always very smart with how she moved after connecting a pass, immediately offering her teammates an option. She was excellent at drifting wide from the center of the field and making runs on the ball, exploring the space on both flanks and sending nice crosses into the box.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/12/2J4A0191.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-343391" /></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">For most of the match, everything that Challenge created went through with King. Playing as an attacking midfielder, she had a lot of freedom to move on the field and used it well to find pockets of space to get on the ball. King was very efficient with her runs, covering a lot of ground in no time and being very direct with her movement on the ball. The midfielder also did well at creating space in tight areas with quick moves and was intelligent with her distribution. King also demonstrated good energy to play defense, dropping back and helping her team deal with Albion's offense.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/12/2J4A0196.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-343393" /></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Challenge's best moment in the game coincided with Lopez's emergence as a playmaker in the center of the field for them during the second half. She took charge of the team's offensive game and relieved King, who went to play up top, adding another threat near the goal for the team. With her intelligent and accurate passing, Lopez made her team's offense flow more smoothly and helped them have more of the ball. She also scored the goal that initiated her team's reaction by attacking the space in the box and sending the ball into the back of the net with a difficult left-footed shot.</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/MaxineLopez2029/status/2000041022148194338?s=20 </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Despite Challenge conceding three goals in the match, Sincler had a solid shift for them in central defense. She started the match as a left-sided center back and then moved to the center of their back three when they switched systems. The defender was very reliable in the backline, clearing crosses in the penalty box and stepping up to cover her teammates out wide. Sincler also demonstrated good mobility when she had to defend in space, tracking opponents and keeping them under pressure as she challenged them.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/12/2J4A0190.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-343390" /></figure>

The 2025-2026 ECNL Girls League has pretty much entered its winter break following the conclusion of the Kansas City National Event at the start of December. A few select matches, however, continue to take place around the country.