Players That Impressed: ECNL Girls 2023 National Playoffs
The ECNL Girls National Playoffs is taking place with over 330 teams in the U13 through U18/19 age groups competing at Surf Cup Sports Park in San Diego.
Teams left standing at the end of the National Playoffs will reconvene July 14-17 for the ECNL Girls Finals in Richmond, Virginia. To see results for all brackets of the ECNL National Playoffs, click here.
Here are some of the top performers from the event, sorted by graduation year.
2028
Earned two clean sheets to start Champions League play for Eclipse (2-0 over FC Prime and 1-0 over Mustang SC). Hasan anchors a defensive unit that is the only side in their age group to have yet to give up a goal. A highly athletic goalkeeper, she can take on attackers in the air and on the ground and more than hold her own.
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Stella Spitzer | Forward
Solar Soccer Club 10 (TX)
Stella’s play making ability has been the difference maker for her teammates. Her ability to escape pressure to release a shot or assist her teammate’s goals has been a game changer. More importantly, her calm confident command of the ball has helped her teammates thrive.
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Presley Cason | Midfielder
D’Feeters Kicks Soccer Club 09 (TX)
The set piece specialist was integral to D’Feeters booking their spot in the Round of 16. In game 2, her perfectly executed corner kicks resulted in two goals and a win for DKSC over the Portland Thorns. In game 3, Presley placed a corner kick into the far corner pocket to give DKSC the win over SLSG and advance.
2027
Allowed just two goals in four matches against Virginia Development Academy (1-1), Internationals (8-1), Gwinnett Soccer Academy (2-0), and MVLA (1-0) to lift San Juan to the Elite Eight in the ECNL Playoffs. McBride has participated in both the USYNT U14 Talent ID Camp and the ID2 Camp.
Mia Binkowski | Midfielder
Virginia Development Academy 09 (VA)
Her playmaking abilities were integral in VDA’s stunning second half comeback victory over GSA. Binkowski notched 2 assists in the final 15 minutes during VDA’s surge from a 2-0 deficit in a game that ended in a 3-2 win.
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Skylar Hansen | Midfielder
Virginia Development Academy 09 (VA)
Scored a brace in the final 15 minutes of VDA’s comeback effort against GSA, with both of her goals coming off assists from Mia Binkowski. Hansen’s back-to-back scores pulled VDA back from a 2-0 deficit, before Liv Roth netted the game-winner.
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Noelle Clabaugh | Midfielder
Penn Fusion Academy 08 (PA)
Scored 3 goals in the teams first two games defeating Real Colorado Athletico 5-0 and Arlington 5-3. Penn Fusion is unbeaten heading into their final game of group play on Wednesday.
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Raelyn Young | Forward
D’Feeters Kicks SC 09 (TX)
Displayed dynamic defensive and offensive aerial work during game two versus Portland Thorns and scored on a header to tie the match. She was fast with and without the ball, and creative in tight spaces to get the ball to open players.
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Ava Pascarella | Forward
Penn Fusion Soccer Academy 08 (PA)
Scored five goals, including a hat trick and notched three assists for a Penn Fusion side that scored 15 goals in pool play and put in a strong effort against a tough Solar side in the 2008 Champions League. Participated in last year’s 2022 ECNL National Selection Game in New Jersey.
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Jordyn Heathcock | Midfielder
Oklahoma Energy FC 08 (OK)
Was a key contributor in Oklahoma Energy FC’s ECNL North America Cup Championship victory. She scored eight goals in four games, including hat tricks in both the semifinals and finals.
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Riley Weaks | Forward
Portland Thorns Academy 09 (OR)
Scored 5 goals over the course of three games for the Portland Thorns Academy 09 squad, stepping up to lead the attack on the biggest stage of the season.
2026
Scored four goals in the Riverhounds’ first two matches in the North American Cup, to help the side past NC Fusion (5-2) and Gretna Elite Academy (4-3). The USYNT midfielder has used her speed all weekend to move the ‘Hounds from a defensive posture to an attacking one and works seamlessly with Simone Sharpless (See below in Class of 2025) on 1-2 combinations.
Was the standout midfielder in the Legends ECNL 2008 vs Sting Austin ECNL 2008 game creating multiple scoring opportunities. In the last 60 seconds of a 0-0 game, Sloane made an outstanding play by beating a Sting Austin defender and crossing the ball to Abby Coppolo, who headed it in.
Big time play by Featured Player @SloaneJPhillips, providing the game-winning assist in the final 30 seconds for @LegendsFCSoccer 2008! #ECNLplayoffs
— SoccerWire (@TheSoccerWire) June 27, 2023
Scored both goals for Concorde in their 2-2 draw with Sporting Blue Valley. Her brace was secured off of a nice run towards goal in the second half and a low shot past the goalkeeper. She is just coming off of an injury but looks to be rounding into form at the perfect time. Martinez has earned a U.S. Youth National team call-up at the U15 level.
Through her first two games, Vann showed her shot-stopping abilities making 33 saves and having a 92% save percentage against Bethesda SC (a 2-1 win) and San Juan SC (a 2-2 draw). She also registered an assist in one of the matches when her punt connected with one of her teammates in the attacking third.
A player that can create a perfect connection with defense and midfield, this true center midfielder was able to play the role of a six to help her team throughout the ECNL North American Cup. Defensively she was on point throughout the week, yet was still able to contribute on the attack, including the effort leading to a goal in Prime’s first match against Mustangs SC. In her final match, she added a goal of her own against Challenge SC.
Scored three goals and added an assist against Portland Thorns to lead Solar in scoring during a 8-1 victory. McLanahan has participated in multiple US Youth National Team Camps and last season was named to the ECNL Texas All-Conference First Team.
Recorded one decisive goal off a corner and had two clean sheet games against Loudoun and Tennessee. With brave and confident stops by goalie Kai Beary, the Blues appear ready for the next test deep in the playoffs.
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Kolby Moss | Defender
Concorde Fire Premier 08 (GA)
Held a potent Bethesda SC attack to just a goal in Concorde’s 2-1 win to open up the National Playoffs. On balls in open space, Moss always seems to make the perfect run that can beat out an attacker and give her ample to make a timely clear. She is also unafraid to mix it up with attackers both on set pieces and inside of the eighteen yard box.
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Camila Berrios | Goalkeeper
Florida Premier Premier 06 (FL)
Blanked a a strong attacking Match Fit Academy side 3-0 to help earn Florida Premier’s first win Showcase Cup B action. Berrios has great instincts in goal and makes highly accurate reads on shots from distance. She is also a true leader and maintains a highly organized backline.
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Marlee Raymond | Defender
United Futbol Academy 05/04 (GA)
Playing up three age groups with UFA’s 04/05s, this 2008 impressed in the back. Her poise and composure on the ball helped the side organize and begin possession. In the last game, she took an impressive run down the field, blowing by a few defenders to take a beautiful shot that just barely missed the back of net, hitting the crossbar. Although she is playing as an outside back this week, she also plays as a center-back on her 08 team. Has represented the USYNT at the U15 level.
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Zamora Malinoski | Midfielder
Slammers HB Koge 08 (CA)
Notched four goals in the final game of group play leading the way to a 9-0 victory over Concorde Fire Platinum, the group’s top-seeded team. Slammers HB Køge G08 finished the first round if playoffs with a +14 goal differential (best in the 2008 division). They were helped out by a stout defense led by Centerback Laina Harder(2027) and GK Avarie Gonzales (2026).
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Presley Williams | Forward
San Diego Surf 08 (CA)
Presley Williams really impressed in the first three days of the ECNL Playoffs, scoring several goals and assists for San Diego Surf. Her first touch combined with her technical skills and using both feet to beat multiple defenders on the outside was especially impressive. Presley’s skill along with her speed and strength, caused panic for the opposing team.
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Ava Garvin | Defender
FC Dallas 08 (TX)
A tough competitor that uses her body & footwork to cut off attacking players, Garvin has the ability to expose teams with her strong left foot on the counter attack. Her set piece delivery has been one of most precise in the 08 division at Nationals. She can pick a player out and drop it at their feet at a variety of speeds.
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Maci Tew | Midfielder
Ohio Premier 07 (OH)
Possesses unmatched endurance on the field as an attacking or holding midfielder. Has a knack for getting out of tight spaces with multiple defenders on her. Took one for the team and played goalie for one half against a strong Slammers team in a tight 1-0 loss (after losing their keeper to injury).
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Olivia Rubinich | Defender
Penn Fusion Soccer Academy 08 (PA)
Captained the Penn Fusion Soccer Academy 08 team to four undefeated matches during the ECNL National Playoffs and are now headed to the ECNL National Quarterfinals. Rubinich has a tremendous steady presence on the field at center back. She can defend, win tackles on the ground, win balls in the air and connect passes out of the back to her midfielders and forwards.
2025
Served as the catalyst in the midfield for LAFC SoCal in their 2-0 win over Arlington Soccer in their North Cup opener. Aghassi possesses superb field vision and can pick out teammates for passes on the attack or make timely tackles while playing defense. She has verbally committed to playing college soccer in 2024 at Utah.
Anderson, through 80 minutes in net, faced a physical and aggressive SoCal Blues 07 side intent on pressuring the final third throughout the game. Anderson turned away 16 shots and two would-be own goals in the first 40 minutes and got her group to half, down 1-0. In the second half Elite was able to counter and to draw even. In the end, she stopped 22 SoCal shots on net while conceding 2.
During group play, Sellers did not allow a goal for UFA. Against a difficult PDA Blue side in the knockout stage, she allowed just one goal while making several key stops throughout the match. The 2026 goalkeeper communicates well with her teammates, has a strong leg, plays focused and can be physical, when needed.
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Sophia Sindelar | Forward
Internationals SC 07 (OH)
Opened up ECNL Champions League play with a brilliant strike from distance to lift Internationals to a 6-1 win. She followed it up with an equally impressive effort, pushing the Ohio side past Virginia Union 4-3. Part of what makes Sindelar such a special player is that she is comfortable with her shot-taking both on the ground and in the air.
Hard fought battle for game 2 of #ECNLplayoffs in San Diego ?. Proud of my @ISCgirls team for coming away with a 4-3 win.
❤️??Here is one of my goals from the game! #ECNL #ECNLGIRLS #nationals @ImCollegeSoccer @JREskilson @PrepSoccer @ImYouthSoccer @TheSoccerWire pic.twitter.com/AE1EUuKMcQ
— Sophia Sindelar (@SindelarSophia) June 27, 2023
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Simone Sharpless | Forward
Pittsburgh Riverhounds Academy 07 (PA)
Kickstarted the Riverhounds North American Cup run with a brace in their 4-3 Quarterfinal win over Gretna Elite Academy to book their spot in the semifinals in the North American Cup. Overall, she has scored three goals and tallied one assist during the competition. Sharpless makes smart, precise runs off of the ball that always to catch opponents off guard. She can also whip crosses into the box for her teammates to capitalize on.
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Mia Cairone | Forward
PDA Blue 07 (NJ)
Scored two critical goals for PDA Blue in their wins over Nationals (4-0) and Beach FC (6-0). Cairone makes smart, dedicated runs off of the ball and can hit shots with both pace and accuracy. Alongside her teammate Daisy Duda, PDA have found a difficult 1-2 combination for defenders to break down.
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Sevilla Anderson | Goalkeeper
Internationals SC 07 (OH)
Sevilla was in command, organizing her back line and defense and keeping scoring opportunities to a minimum when between the posts. She made a number of big saves in group play, including an athletic effort on a high ball and a penalty kick denial in game 2 to keep Internationals from going down 0-2. That momentum changer proved pivotal, as Internationals went on win 4-3, helping the side move on to the Round of 16.
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Hannah Harms | Midfielder
Virginia Union FC 07 (VA)
Buried a hat trick against Internationals SC during Day 2 of the ECNL National Playoff with assists from Tamia Nelson, Grace Shank and Lexi Arnott. All three goals came off passes with her back to the goal that she was able to create space from the defender, turn and strike from distance.
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Anna Chau | Midfielder
Virginia Development Academy 06 (VA)
Coming back from a knee sprain injury that occurred during high school soccer competition, Anna was just cleared a week ago and hasn’t played for eight weeks. She worked hard to quickly rehab her knee and contributed with two goals and two assists at the National event, including scoring the winning header goal against So Cal Blues in the group play to win 1-0 which helped the team come out undefeated and top of their group. The team won their game in the Round of 16 and are headed to the ECNL National Quarterfinals.
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Riley Crooks | Defender
Slammers FC 06 (CA)
The Slammers defense, led by Crooks and Ally Thomas at the center back positions, came away with a shutout in their final two group games, including a shutout against a potent FC Dallas attack to win their group. They followed up that performance by holding SoCal Blues to one goal in their 3-1 win to advance to the ECNL Finals in Virginia. Crooks also had a beautiful assist on a set piece in that Round of 16 game. Crooks, Thomas and outside back Taryn Raibon played the full 90 minutes in all four games for the Slammers.
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Kyla Brakefield | Defender
Slammers FC 07 (CA)
Led an impressive Slammers backline that earned three shutouts over the weekend. From her Center Back position, Kyla made several key clears and was helped kickstart the counter-attack for Slammers, who earned a spot in the final eight of the ECNL Champions League Playoffs.
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Addison Halpern | Midfielder
Players Development Academy Blue 07 (NJ)
Scored the tying goal against WNY Flash to advance PDA Blue to the sweet 16. Halpern continues to work hard in the midfield connecting passes and finding space for herself. She is a player other teams always have to watch on the field.
2024
Recently named the 2022-2023 Gatorade Texas Girls Soccer Player of the Year, Fuller celebrated with a cracking strike to help lift Solar SC to the 5-0 win over Bethesda SC. The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill 2024 commit made superb run off of the ball and perfectly placed her shot to avoid the incoming goalkeeper. Fuller is a regular with the USYNT and was recently called into the U-16 camp back in March.
Game 1 ~ Goal 1 #ecnlplayoffs @ECNLgirls @PrepSoccer @TopDrawerSoccer @TheSoccerWire pic.twitter.com/KeCw7LPEej
— Kennedy Fuller (@KennedyFuller07) June 27, 2023
The Rutgers commit and U17 USYNT player scored three goals over the event and her dynamic play was instrumental in her team’s advancement to the final 16.
The University of Oregon commit scored two critical goals to help lead her team to the final 16. The midfielder was dominant in the air and covered an incredible amount of ground in each game.
Paley and the Solar defense earned two shutouts during the group play. She made several clutch saves when games were close to keep the momentum in Solar’s favor. Her ability to read the field, organize the defense and her command of the box made if difficult for opponents to score all week.
Kalia Kau | Forward
Pateadores 06 (CA)
Leads Pateadores in scoring at this year’s Showcase Finals, scoring three goals and notching 2 assists. She earned a brace in a tight, hard fought 2-1 win over Racing Louisville with 80 coaches in attendance. Kau just joined from SoCal Blues but has settled in nicely with head coach Randy Dodge who is building a solid side with great players from across California.
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Madison Lambert | Midfielder
Albion Hurricanes 06 (TX)
Scored two goals and added an assist for Albion in their 5-1 win over Arlington. She continued to be a factor in the game 2 win over FC Pride. Her touches and overall presence on the field proved to be a factor for the week.
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Brooklyn Miller | Midfielder
Solar Soccer Club 06 (TX)
Recorded seven goals over the ECNL Playoffs and notched a brace in each of her first three matches. In the Round of 16, she hit a critical goal in Solar’s 4-0 win over Connecticut FC.
Related Resources
Players That Impressed: ECNL Girls 2023 Regional League Championships
Top performances from the ECNL RL postseason.
Which youth clubs have the most U.S. Women’s Youth National Team players? (2022-2023)
Youth clubs ranked by USWYNT call-ups.
NCAA Women’s Soccer Commitment Announcements: June 2023
The latest commitments reported to SoccerWire.
Class of 2025 SoccerWire Featured Players set to enter active recruiting window on June 15
Players entering their active college recruiting windows.
Players That Impressed: ECNL Girls 2023 New Jersey National Event
Top performances from ECNL New Jersey.
Players That Impressed: ECNL Girls Spring 2023 Phoenix National Event
Top performances from ECNL Phoenix Spring 2023.
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