Scout’s View: Class of 2027 Standouts from the ECNL Girls North Carolina Event

The ECNL Girls North Carolina National Event took place from May 30 – June 1 as some of the nation’s best teams went head-to-head in the league’s final showcase of the 2024-25 regular season.

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 2027.

See below for Penkala’s top Class of 2027 performers.

Mia Orso – Holding Midfielder
Maryland United FC 2009 – Jersey #11

Mia was the best holding midfielder I saw all weekend. She had the best pass completion rate of anyone I saw at any of the several dozen games I watched. She’s physical, can be intimidating, has great size, great technical skills and she’s an incredibly consistent and accurate free kick taker. In short, she is probably the best overall holding mid I have seen since Kennedy Ring, a 2025 Penn State commit.

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Noelle Clabaugh – Midfielder
Penn Fusion 2008 – Jersey #11

Representing a loaded Penn Fusion 2008 team with All-Americans all over the field, Noelle stood out even among that group. Incredibly fast and smooth, she usually starts more defensive in the midfield then drifts to the attacking side as the game goes on. Her technical ability on the ball, pinpoint passing accuracy, ability to drive at players and her rocket of a shooting leg are just a few of her top attributes. She’s one of the top prospects in the country for the Class of 2027.

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Caroline Gauvin – Winger / Forward
Connecticut FC 2009 – Jersey #17

This CFC team was one of the most explosive offensive teams at the showcase, and Caroline was their biggest offensive threat. She’s a total handful anywhere near 25 yards from out from the goal. She has NCAA D1 Power 4 caliber speed in space, and she can send the ball to her teammates on a dime from long range, almost at will.

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Caroline Fike – Center Back
United Futbol Academy 2009 – Jersey #12

Fike is tough, smooth on the ball, smart, athletic and a great defensive leader. She leads by example with her high work rate, and by constantly lifting up her teammates with communication. She’s the type of player that knew what was going to happen two steps before everyone else, and she kept everyone as organized as possible, and even covered for her back line as many times as needed.

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Venina Moodie – Forward / Winger
Bay Area Surf 2009 – Jersey #7

Venina was among the most talented 2027 offensive players I saw all weekend. She pressured the back line all game with endless energy and effort, but also was very good technically, creatively, and had the field vision and instincts to dish off to her teammates. She also had a great finish and huge leg if that was the better play. But she also could drive on defenders to create space or create a shot of her own.

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Lilah Gilmore – Center Back
Reading Rage Surf 2009 – Jersey #9

This Reading Rage Surf 2009 team was well-coached, technically-sound all over the field, and this center back completely solidified and controlled the back line. Lilah is tough and has great instincts defensively. She cleanly completed all 12 tackles 1v1 in the game I saw, and was extremely smooth on the ball and calm right after each tackle to complete all of her passes out of the back. She covered well for her outside backs all game and had great instincts to slide to whichever side looked dangerous, way before help was needed.

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Lilly McDonald – Left Back
United Futbol Academy 2009 – Jersey #18

One of my favorite players to watch all weekend because of her work rate, toughness and just how personally she took every single 1v1 she had defensively. Maybe the first time I saw a player that the word ‘feisty’ doesn’t even come close to describe her accurately. She was the most competitive player I saw all weekend. She is a lefty, has great speed and seemed to have a huge soccer IQ. She was great on angles and had high awareness of everything going on around her, and she completed multiple two-line passes.

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Nancy Cagle – Midfielder
Phoenix Rising FC 2008 – Jersey #14

Nancy played up on this team primarily composed of 2026s, and was immediately impactful and noticeable. As a central midfielder, she was the link between the back line and front. She could also immediately clog the middle of the field defensively if needed, and was so technically sound on the ball, she could drive at players and create space as well as create chances for her teammates.

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Laney Kowitz – Midfielder
Pipeline SC 2009 – Jersey #18

Laney was one of 3 very similar, tall and athletic central midfielders on this team. She could easily switch from the #6 to the #8 to the #10 and play each extremely well, plus was a total terror in the 18 offensively. She was either high pressing and causing turnovers, smashing the ball on frame or setting up teammates for scoring chances.

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Zoe Lawless – Center Back
Albion Hurricanes FC 2009 – Jersey #21

Another tough, extremely athletic, fast and smart defender that can both cover or step/tackle as a center back, which is not as easy as it looks. She reads the game so well it seems like it’s extremely natural for her to make immediate, good decisions. Great field vision and one of the better defenders at completing long passes to break lines, as well being smart and playing simple if her team is winning and needs to keep possession. She looks like a Power 4 Conference talent and has a huge ceiling as well.

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Nico Shin – Right Winger / Forward
Beach FC (CA) 2009 – Jersey #22

This defending National Championship team is obviously loaded with talent all over the field, and half of this team could be included in this list based on the game I saw. But Nico Shin, a right forward/winger really stood out, causing havoc all over the field. One of the most athletic offensive threats I saw, great speed (including sneaky speed when high pressing in the 18), plus just her overall presence whether it was out wide on the flank, or floating into the 18 when the ball was far side, she was a pain for Maryland United all game and had to be identified where she was all game as well.

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