Players That Impressed: 2025 NCFC Youth visitRaleigh Girls College Showcase

North Carolina FC Youth’s 2025 visitRaleigh Girls College Showcase was held over the weekend, as top-level teams gathered for one of the most competitive events of the year.

Taking place from December 5-7 , the showcase played host to over 600 teams from across the U15-U19 age groups. College coaches from throughout the country traveled to North Carolina to see some of the best players in the country go head-to-head. (COLLEGE COACH LIST)

Below are some of the top players from the weekend’s event sorted by graduation year. You can also nominate a player who stood out during the event through the following link.

2029

Scarlett Kingston | Midfielder
Lowcountry United/James Island Youth SC 10G Aspire (SC)

Captained Lowcountry to an undefeated record in the U16 Elite Gold Division, knocking off Gwinnett Soccer Academy 10G ECNL RL in the opener (4-2). Her calming presence in the midfield helped her team maintain possession and earning back-to-back draws against Charlotte Soccer Academy Blue ECNL RL (1-1) and Charlotte Independence SC 10G Aspire North (2-2).

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Rylee Rice | Goalkeeper
FC Alliance North 2010 (TN)

Playing up with FC Alliance’s 2010s (she typically plays with the club’s 2011 ECNL team) Rice showed that she was more than up for the challenge. Alongside a stout backline, Rice helped Alliance to an undefeated record in the U16 Elite Navy Division Bracket B (2-0-1, 7 points). Between the posts, Rice has excellent footwork and consistently positions herself to make the difficult stops. Through three games Alliance allowed only one goal, earning two shutouts in North Carolina.

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Marley Thompson | Midfielder
Charlotte Independence GA Aspire North 11 (NC)

Operating out of the attacking midfield, Thompson was integral to the Independence scoring nine goals in three matches. Her runs on and off of the ball helped open up play for Charlotte all weekend while giving defenders fits. She was also unafraid to mix it up with defenders using her strength to create space and get shots on target.

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Bella Rothmann | Midfielder
Southern Maryland Rush 09 Blue (MD)

A consistent presence all over the field as she shifted between holding midfielder, attacking midfielder, and forward throughout the weekend. Defensively she seems to always find the player with the ball and is usually winning 50/50 balls. A varsity kicker on her high school football team translates to her having great composure and accuracy on her soccer free kicks and corners. On Saturday, she had two assists and 1 goal to help her team to a 3-2 win.

2028

Olivia Kurzecki | Midfielder
Match Fit Surf ECNL RL 10 (NJ)

Set the tone for Match Fit in their attacking third down in North Carolina, scoring two of the teams first three goals in victories over Carolina Velocity (2-0) and Grove United (2-1). Operating out of the midfield position Kurzecki can break through defensive lines with ease using her superior ball control to transition Match Fit into the final third. Her passing skills are also on point as she can thread balls through to her teammates in the tightest of spaces.

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Bristol Povondra | Midfielder / Forward
Evolution SC 09G NL (NE)

Alternating between the midfield and forward positions, Povondra sparked the Evolution attack all weekend leading the team to a 3-0-0 record in the Elite Silver Division Bracket A. On the field, the Marian high schooler can anticipate what opponents are planning and always seems to have a countermove ready. Working alongside Alexa DeGeorge and Leena Brunt Evolution scored ten goals in the division which was the most among all teams.

2027

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Kate Riismandel | Defender / Midfielder
Baltimore Armour 2009 GA (MD)

Provided consistent attacking support for Minor up top, scoring two goals and adding two assists for Armour in the Showcase Division. Riismandel has a superior sense of when to make her runs on the outside, knowing when to put the foot on the gas and when to slow the pace of the game down. She is also more than willing to mix it up with defenders to give her team an attacking boost.

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Lilli Granert | Forward
NJ Crush ECNL RL 09 (NJ)

Scored three of Crush’s of seven goals over the weekend to lift New Jersey to first place in Bracket C of the U17 Elite Navy Division. Granert consistently applied pressure on defenders all weekend, creating goal-scoring chances for both herself and her teammates to exploit. In addition to having a keen sense of when shoot, her passing skills are also on point making her a well-rounded attacking talent for New Jersey.

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Brighid Lee | Goalkeeper
NCFC Youth 09 ECNL RL Elite (NC)

Blanked SYC on Friday (0-0) to kickstart North Carolina’s run through Bracket A of the U17 Elite Girls White Division. She continued her strong run of form on Saturday, holding the West Florida Flames ECNL RL to a single goal (6-1). In difficult situations against attackers Lee shines, making the small adjustments necessary to stop goal-scoring opportunities. She can also make the long throws to switch the field of play and give her defenders some respite.

2026

Emma Braxton | Forward
SYC Soccer 08/07 GA (VA)

Provided a consistent attacking presence for SYC up top on matchday one against Black Rock FC, scoring a goal and tallying an assist off of a goal by Krystyna Scott in their 2-1 victory. She continued her strong run up top for SYC on Saturday, adding a second goal in their 1-1 draw with TLH Reckoning. Braxton has a nose for goal and can make the small cuts necessary to give her the best chance at burying her shot into the back of the net.