Players that Impressed: ECNL Girls Florida Spring 2024 National Event

The ECNL Girls held their sixth National Event of the 2023-24 season over the weekend in Florida. The event featured 69 teams from the league’s U16-U18/U19 age groups. (View Results)

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.

2028

Kate Sullivan | Defender
Ohio Elite Soccer Academy 09 (OH)

Provided consistent defensive work for Ohio throughout Ohio’s undefeated weekend, making multiple key clearances and winning 50-50 challenges. Whether on the ground or in the air, Sullivan marked attackers closely providing them minimal space to work with. She was also integral to setting up possessions from the back, making a crucial assist on a long ball in the 89th minute to help Ohio down the Colorado Rapids.

2027

Graduation: 2027

Elizabeth Rubin

Midfielder

Players Development Academy (PDA)

ECNL Girls

Provided consistency in the midfield for PDA, creating passing lanes on the attack while also closing up gaps and making interceptions to stem the opposition’s advances. Rubin helped PDA maintain possession for long portions during their wins against Tennessee SC (3-1) and VDA (4-0), finding teammates out wide with her passes throughout the pitch. She works seamlessly with her Legacy Blue teammates to form a tight, consistent midfield that can shift into either attack or defensive mode quickly.

Graduation: 2027

Jordan Reigrod

Goalkeeper

Players Development Academy (PDA)

ECNL Girls

Allowed just one goal over the course of the Showcase weekend, continuing Legacy Blue’s undefeated run (6-0-1, 19 points) through all ECNL competitions. Her athletic abilities aside, what makes Reigrod such a strong goalkeeper is her sense of timing. She has a knack for understanding when to slow play down to allow her defenders time to reorganize and can extend plays with a long throw to the outside or a simple pass.

Graduation: 2027

Addyson Dickey

Forward

Washington Premier

ECNL Girls

Despite playing up two years with the 06/05s at the Florida Showcase, Dickey showed that she was more than up for the challenge. The 2008 team captain scored three goals, leading the Northwest Conference team to an undefeated record. Dickey has an excellent first touch and can use it to push her team into an attacking position where she can hit shots at a variety of speeds. She is a two-time USYNT ID Center invitee and has been selected to the USYS ODP West Region Camp from 2021 to 2023.

Graduation: 2027

Londyn Minor

Forward

Pipeline SC

ECNL Girls

Provided three critical goals for Pipeline, who earned two strong victories over the Colorado Rapids (3-0) and GSA (4-1). Minor is dangerous with either foot in front of goal and can hit shots on target with a variety of speeds. In their 4-2 loss against Colorado Athletico, Minor continued to press defenders all throughout the match hitting a brilliant chip shot to keep the game within reach for Pipeline.

Day 2️⃣ – We ended up playing the top team for Colorado Athletico ending 4-2 L. Even though we didn’t win we played hard. I scored a goal⚽️ @ECNLgirls @ImYouthSoccer @TopDrawerSoccer @TheSoccerWire @BaltNGSoccer @pipeline_soccer @PrepSoccer pic.twitter.com/wLmfdYRHML

— Londyn Minor (@LondynMinor14) March 2, 2024

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Emory Pitts | Forward
GSA 09 (GA)

Hit a clinical strike in GSA’s close loss against FSA, breaking past defenders and hammering home a strong right-footed effort. Off of the ball, Pitts can make the small cuts needed to give herself space and break defensive lines. Her diagonal runs are also timed perfectly so that she can connect with balls in open space while not wasting any energy. After a strong club season, Pitts will be heading back to Alexander High School where she has already earned multiple assists in region play.

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Brookelynne Wesley | Forward
Oklahoma Energy FC 09 (OK)

Belted the game-winning goal on matchday two, lifting the Energy past Tennessee SC 1-0. Up top, Wesley is constantly looking for gaps in the defense to exploit and is more than willing to mix it up with defenders to create additional space to work with. She can also operate as a holding forward, using the inside and outside parts of her right foot to deliver highly accurate passes to teammates, a skill that helped Oklahoma earn a 2-2 draw against Florida Premier FC.

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Chloe Layfield | Forward
Racing Louisville Academy 09 (KY)

Buried a brace in Racing’s opener against Florida Krush, a 3-1 to start the strong scoring weekend for the team. In close spaces with her back to the goal, Layfield can make the quick turns necessary to not only catch the defense off guard but also give her the best chance at creating a goal-scoring chance. Her tight ball control spelled trouble for defenders all weekend and should give Racing the spark that they need heading back into Ohio Valley Conference play.

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Poppy Wakefield | Forward-Midfielder
Ohio Elite Soccer Academy 09 (OH)

Knocked home two game-winning goals against Colorado Rapids (2-1) and Oklahoma Energy FC (1-0) to cement Ohio Elite’s undefeated weekend in Florida. She also provided a key goal in their opener against FSA, scoring Ohio their second and giving them some breathing room against a tough attacking team. Wakefield likes to drive directly at defenders and uses her speed to create gaps in the defense. In 2022-2023 she was selected for the USYS ODP Midwest Region roster.

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Addyson Russo | Winger-Midfielder
Liverpool FC IA 09 (MI)

Led a high-scoring attack that scored twelve goals over the course of the weekend, pulling in an undefeated record (3-0-0, 9 points). Russo’s speed on the wing helped open up play for Liverpool all weekend, forcing defenders out of position and giving her teammates space on the inside. Her long crosses and quick, diagonal passes helped set up her teammates perfectly.

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Reagan Alexander | Goalkeeper
Ohio Premier 09 (OH)

Booked three major victories for Ohio against Charlotte Independence (2-0), East Meadow SC (3-0), and Florida Elite (2-1), earning an undefeated record during their time down in the Sunshine State. In one-on-one situations with attackers Alexander displays excellent footwork and can force them to take difficult shots from tough angles. She also works well with her teammates to shore up gaps in the defense and make small adjustments based off of what she is seeing.

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Anne-Marie Wambugu | Forward
Ohio Elite 09 (OH)

Operating at the forward and winger positions, Wambugu was a constant threat up top for Ohio Elite scoring two goals down in Florida. Her drive and willingness to take on multiple defenders allows for her teammates to get space and find gaps in the defense. She has been selected to multiple USYNT ID Center Events in 2022 and in 2023.

2026

Graduation: 2026

Alexis Smith

Defender

Ohio Premier

ECNL Girls

Provided lockdown defensive work, leading Ohio Premier to victories over PDA White (4-0) and Orlando City (3-1). Whether playing at right or left back, Smith is highly effective at timing her track backs so that she can cut attackers off from goal. She can also help build possession from the back, supplying her teammates with pacey, leading balls in open space to capitalize on.

Hattie Yugovitch | Midfielder-Forward
Internationals SC 08 (OH)

Set the tone for ISC on the weekend, hammering home a free kick in their 2-0 win over Florida Elite. Whether slotting in at the midfielder or at forward, Yugovitch plays a key role in building the attack for ISC. Using her right foot, she can hit shots from distance or slide in a crisp pass for teammates to capitalize on. ISC have had a strong start to their Ohio Valley Conference Campaign (3-1-1, 10 points) with the two-time All-Conference Player of the Year playing a key role in their success.

2025

Jordan DeVoid | Forward-Defender
Wilmington Hammerheads 07 (NC)

After sustaining an ACL injury last season, DeVoid made her first Showcase appearance back for the Hammerheads. She the tone early, burying their lone goal in a draw against Challenge SC (1-1). She looked more than comfortable with her cuts on and off of the ball and made multiple key interceptions throughout the weekend. Having a healthy DeVoid certainly helped Wilmington down in the Sunshine state, which included a 2-1 over Orlando City and a 1-1 draw against Washington Premier.

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Charlie Balderrama | Goalkeeper
Virginia Union FC 05/06 (VA)

Earned back-to-back shutouts against Florida Elite (4-0) and Orlando City (1-0) to start the Union’s time down in Florida. Her shot-stopping ability saved Virginia on multiple occasions throughout the weekend, giving the Union defense help in holding back three high-powered attacks. Her right-footed punts and long throws also helped jump start the counter-attack and open up play.