Blake Gilkey
Blake Gilkey
About Blake
Expert Analysis
Guilherme Torres | Prep Soccer Scout
Gilkey stood out for her versatility, playing in four different positions throughout the match and doing well in each of them. She started as a right winger and made good plays out wide, making turns on defenders and using her pace to take the ball to the end line. Yet during the first half, she dropped to right back, and then moved to the left. As an outside back, Gilkey showed great reading of the game, knowing when to step to intercept passes and when to stay back, while also doing well with her distribution when she stepped into the attacking half. She moved into central defense in the final minutes of the match and did well in the air, helping clear some of Challenge’s crosses.
Access all of Prep Soccer
Subscribe to read about this player
Read EvaluationGuilherme Torres | Prep Soccer Scout
Gilkey ranks fifth among the defenders and appears in 15th place overall in our updated Texas State Rankings. She’s part of the Cedar Park High School varsity team and plays in the ECNL Club League with Sting Austin U17. Recently reclassified as a 2027 prospect, Gilkey is a versatile defender who can play anywhere across the backline, but is more commonly used at the left back spot. Her defensive game is very strong, as she does very well in physical duels and has excellent instincts, picking the right moments to dispossess opponents. Gilkey also contributes at a high level on the ball, helping her build out of the back and engaging in combination plays in the attacking half. The defender is a threat in attacking set pieces, too, appearing in great spots in the penalty box to finish chances.
Access all of Prep Soccer
Subscribe to read about this player
Read EvaluationGuilherme Torres | Prep Soccer Scout
Gilkey features in the backline of Sting Austin G09 ECNL. She can play in any of the three positions, but is more often used at left back, where she can impact the game on both sides of the ball. Gilkey uses her body extremely well to play defense and is very tough to beat in 1v1 plays because of how patient and intelligent she is in reacting to actions performed by opponents. She also has good quality on the ball and has a strong passing game, which allows her to both find teammates with long balls out of the back and to engage in quick combination plays when in the attacking half.
Access all of Prep Soccer
Subscribe to read about this player
Read EvaluationGuilherme Torres | Prep Soccer Scout
Gilkey was an important piece in the Sting Austin team that was in excellent form over the weekend, getting two wins and one tie. She did a great job at left back for them in their final match in Dallas, a 2-1 win over Eclipse Select. Gilkey was extremely solid defensively, having great success in her actions to stop opponents who ventured into her zone of the field. She also spent some time playing center back and continued to be dominant. Gilkey also displayed great quality on the ball and supported her team’s offense with excellent passes out of the back and by occasionally pushing forward to engage in combination plays.
Access all of Prep Soccer
Subscribe to read about this player
Read EvaluationGuilherme Torres | Prep Soccer Scout
Gilkey will be with Sting Austin ECNL 09 when they face DKSC RL 08 and Dallas Texans RL 08 in College Station. Her solid two-way game and her excellent instincts make of her a perfect fit for the right back position and a very important player for her team. Gilkey is a lockdown defender, who covers space well, knows how to use her body to dominate opponents and has a perfect understanding of when and how to tackle down. She also offers a lot offensively, consistently making herself available for combination plays and picking the right moments to push forward to contribute with goals and assists.
Access all of Prep Soccer
Subscribe to read about this player
Read EvaluationGuilherme Torres | Prep Soccer Scout
Gilkey switched clubs during the season and now features for Sting Austin 09 in the ECNL league – their three-match schedule in College Station has duels against Vegas United SC, Albion Hurricanes FC ECNL and FC Dallas ECNL. Her arrival boosted the team’s offense as she’s capable of contributing both with assists and goals. Gilkey is very quick when operating in the attacking half and does a very good job of picking the right options to make things happen offensively. She’s also very solid defensively, working hard to dispossess opponents and being very difficult to beat in 1v1 situations.
Access all of Prep Soccer
Subscribe to read about this player
Read EvaluationJR Eskilson | Prep Soccer Scout
Gilkey had a stellar showing at right back in Sting Austin’s final win against FC Stars White. The outside back did everything right and set the tone for her side. She was quick to get open for teammates and saw a lot of the ball early on as an option for her side. She was equally as influential defensively as she put in good tackles and locked down her side of the field.
Samantha Crider
Samantha
Crider
5'6" | D
Westwood | 2027
State
TX
was also a standout defensively for Sting Austin on the right side.
Access all of Prep Soccer
Subscribe to read about this player
Read EvaluationJR Eskilson | Prep Soccer Scout
Gilkey is a terrific outside back. She is physically imposing at the point of contact. She is quick to pounce on a bad touch. She reads the game well. She has been absolutely dominant at right back at the start of the season.
Access all of Prep Soccer
Subscribe to read about this player
Read EvaluationPlayer Claimed
News
Recruiting
- School
- Offer?
- Visit
- Offer graphic
Related Players
View other players from the same club team.
View other players from the same high school.
