Scout’s View: ECNL Girls Standouts from the Classes of 2029 and 2030

The ECNL Girls National Finals recently took place in Richmond, VA, featuring top teams in the U13-U17 age groups.

Elite level prospects for some of the best teams in the nation went head-to-head, showcasing many of the premier level recruits across each division. While the older age groups included many well-known prospects and some who are already committed to college, the younger divisions provided a proving ground for the next wave of top-level talent.

Longtime scout Jerry Penkala, owner and operator of JTF Academy, was on hand for the tournament, and compiled a list of some of the top players that he watched from the Class of 2029 and Class of 2030.

See below for Penkala’s top performers from the younger age groups.

Class of 2030

Presley Walker – Left Back
Eagles SC 2011 (CA)

A Class of 2030 athlete playing up for Eagles SC 2011, Presley was one of toughest, grittiest and most physical defenders I saw at the ECNL Finals, at any age group. She has great instincts in 1v1 situations and she consistently shut down some of the best wingers in the entire country. She plays way older than her age and way bigger than her current size. She has the potential to blossom into an incredible defensive impact player.

———————

Avery Johnson – Forward
So Cal Blues 2011 (CA)

Even as a 2030, Avery already has all the athletic and physical skills to be a dominant forward that can both play with her the back to the goal, hold and distribute, or turn and drive at defenders. With plenty of time to develop small details of her game, it’s scary to think how dominant she can become if she adds more technical details and off-ball positional knowledge to her physical, strong and athletic frame.

Class of 2029

Graduation: 2029

Abigail George

Defender

Michigan Hawks

ECNL Girls

Abigail is a promising young center back who played up for Michigan Hawks on a loaded National Championship winning team. She immediately fit in when she got on the field and showed herself as an equal with no dropoff from the starting center back. She had all of the attributes needed to be an impact defender: athletic, strong, fearless, and great timing on 1v1 tackles. She also has the field vision after the tackle to keep possession and quickly put her side on the attack. She has a great feel for when to make shorter passes and when to go for longer passes to generate quick scoring chances.

———————

Delaney Barber – Goalkeeper
FC Stars 2011 (MA)

One of the more consistent, technically-sound keepers I saw at the ECNL Finals, regardless of graduation year. She’s a great shot blocker, great at tracking the ball from the corner flags and making the right decision to attack the ball and punch it away if extremely dangerous, or collect the ball if it’s closer to her. She also communicated well and owned her entire 18.

———————

Callie Rochholz – Forward
Eagles SC 2011 (CA)

This forward/winger is a natural born scorer with the potential to develop into an outstanding overall attacking threat. She’s extremely smart with her off-ball runs, and has a tremendous work rate which always keeps her busy on the high-press or putting herself in the best off-ball locations to receive passes from her teammates. Callie is lightning-fast and smooth on the ball when in space, driving at defenders.

———————

Sutton Kelly – Center Back
Solar SC 2010 (TX)

This powerhouse Solar SC 2010 squad didn’t get the final result they wanted, but they’ll continue to be a national contender every year with their talent all over the field. Kelly is a phenomenal center back who plays up as a Class of 2029 prospect, who has the ability to consistently shut down the middle of the field and force opposing forwards into settling for low-percentage, highly-contested long range shot attempts. Kelly is tough-as-nails and comes up clean on all of her tackles, playing in high-pressure situations with an impressive level of poise and confidence.

———————

Nina Clement – Center Back
FC Stars 2010 (MA)

Clement is another younger recruit who played up against almost entirely older players, but you would never have known it based on her size, athleticism, toughness and her advanced understanding of both center back positions. She’s a difference-maker who switched between stepping and making clean tackles to shut down the middle of the field, while also roving to the outsides to cover attacks up the flanks.

———————

Cecily Worthington – Winger / Forward
Bay Area Surf 2010 (CA)

Cecily was one of the ‘instant offense’ players when she got into the game I saw, and was one of the most dangerous threats the entire time she was on the pitch. She uses her speed on the flank extremely well, often winning the end line to quickly fire off a dangerous negative cross. She can also use her size to her advantage with her back to the goal as a #9, and she knows the game instinctively at multiple positions, always finding the most impactful areas of the attacking third based on game flow.

———————

Elin Janz – Midfielder
Michigan Hawks 2011 (MI)

Elin was one of the most consistent and solid midfielders I saw at the ECNL Finals in the 2011 age group. She has outstanding patience and technical 1v1 defensive form which consistently results in clean tackles. She also possesses great field vision which often allows her to complete quick, line-breaking passes, which gives her the ability to be her team’s true link from back-to-front.

———————

Kendall Cahill – Holding Midfielder
So Cal Blues 2011 (CA)

Normally it’s difficult for a #6 or #8 to do enough to be noticed with players right in front of them and behind them, at the ECNL Finals, there were a number of players that broke that mold. Kendall is a perfect example of one of those players, as she brought an intense defensive mindset which was impossible to miss. She has a high motor and a competitive nature which drives her to win a huge percentage of her 1v1 encounters, and she becomes immediately attacking-minded after winning the ball.

———————

Shay Bennett – Left Back
Michigan Hawks 2010 (MI)

One of the main reasons the Michigan Hawks 2010 squad won the ECNL National Championship is their impressive depth across all positions. Bennett plays behind starting Class of 2028 left back Alex Bunce – a special player in her own right – and stunningly, there was virtually no drop-off when Bennett entered as a substitute. Much like Bunce, Bennett is a fearless, tough and physical defender with a ‘clean mean streak’. This was a game-changer in the National Championship, as the Hawks were able to bring in players off the bench with full stamina to continue the lockdown defensive effort.