Standouts at ECNL New Jersey Showcase: Goalkeepers

Players Development Academy hosted a girls ECNL showcase over Memorial Day Weekend in Somerset, N.J. I was able to watch several games at the Morningside Farm and PDA Complex on the Saturday. Here’s a look at some of the goalkeepers that stood out to me at the event. <b>[player_tooltip player_id="19265" first="Charlotte" last="Wilfert"], Goalkeeper, LAFC So Cal U17</b><b> </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Wilfert impressed me in a match against Minnesota Thunder. She was quick coming off her line, a strong communicator in the back and a commanding presence under pressure. I was particularly impressed with how she organized her backline on a tricky free kick from the six-yard line. </span> [caption id="attachment_46952" align="alignleft" width="300"]<a href="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2022/06/6N4A9556-crop-1107x727-1654525532.jpg"><img class="wp-image-46952 size-medium" src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2022/06/6N4A9556-crop-1107x727-1654525532-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> <em>[player_tooltip player_id="19395" first="Erika" last="Upson"]</em>[/caption]<strong>[player_tooltip player_id="19395" first="Erika" last="Upson"], Goalkeeper, De Anza Force U17</strong> Erika came off the bench in the 3-0 loss to San Diego Surf and made a fine <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFqw2svFXIs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">save to deny Halle Dixon a goal</a></strong></span> on a well-taken angled shot. <b>[player_tooltip player_id="21673" first="Emily" last="Dorfman"], Goalkeeper, United Futbol Academy U17</b><b> </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dorfman stood out to me in her willingness to battle for 50-50 balls and overall strength and commitment coming off her line. </span> <b>Kyleigh Bland, Goalkeeper, Maryland United</b> <b>U17</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bland had her hands full against a strong attacking side in PDA White and while Maryland lost the match 2-0, she stood out to me for her shot-stopping ability and strength. </span> <b>[player_tooltip player_id="24770" first="Franky" last="Dunlap"], Goalkeeper, NC Courage U15</b><b> </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dunlap made <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OAgasA9dsw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an incredible stop on an audacious long range shot</a></strong></span> in the first half against Penn Fusion and ended up keeping the clean sheet in a hard fought 1-0 win. </span>