Blythe has characterized herself as a reliable, dominant, and safe figure in her youth career. She strikes confidence in her defense whenever she needs to be called on. Her confidence in coming off her line, coming out for crosses, and even tasks that seem simple, makes her a very exciting prospect. We know that goalkeepers are more exposed to the cruelty of the sport. However, Blythe’s mental fortitude gives her an important advantage when making the transition into the college level. Whether or not her transition is immediate, I can be sure that when she gets her chance, she’ll shine. With a year left in the youth game as well, she has extra time to prepare for such an important task.

Blythe is a dominating figure in goal for the teams she represents, offering security whenever she’s called upon. Whenever there’s any sort of danger in or around the box, she’s very aware. She does not let any play get the better of her thanks to her awareness. One of the most notable aspects of her game is her timing. The first area we see this in is her ability to claim crosses. She makes it seem like second nature, even if she’s surrounded by teammates and opposition alike. If she can’t keep the ball in her possession, she’ll parry, or punch, it far from her. Another area we see it in is her ability to come off her line. She doesn’t do so just for the sake of it. If it’s a one-on-one situation, she imposes herself mentally and physically. She asserts her dominance as well as timing her movements correctly.

Clark is a goalkeeper on the Charlotte Independence 08 ECNL team. I was immediately impressed with her play on crosses. She is a powerful jumper and shows good exposition in her leaping ability to handle hard shots across the frame of the goal. Clark’s distribution is another strong point of her game. She’s contributed to the attack with her booming drop kick. The Independence goalkeeper has been a standout this season in ECNL play.