Players That Impressed: ECNL Girls 2024 National Finals

The 2023-2024 ECNL Girls season finished up play over the weekend with the ECNL National Finals in Richmond, VA.

Forty teams competed across the league’s U13-U17 age groups for top honors at the West Creek Complex in Henrico, Virginia (College Coaches | 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.

(RECAP: ECNL Girls National Champions crowned as 2023-24 season ends in Richmond)

2029

Hayley Geruntino | Midfielder-Defender
San Diego Surf 11 (CA)

Applied consistent pressure on attackers inside of Surf’s defensive third, forcing opponents to make errant passes and high-risk dribbles into traffic. Serving as the team’s captain, Geruntino played a key role in maintaining possession through the midfield and holding on in victories over Eclipse Select (4-1), Slammers HB Koge (2-1) and So Cal Blues (2-1) in the final.

2028

Gigi Nacelli | Forward
Slammers HB Koge 10 (CA)

Finished off a superb corner kick taken in the match against GSA to help Slammers earn the 2-1 win in the Quarterfinals and continue their run towards a second consecutive National Championship. Nacelli places the right amount of speed and pace behind each ball strike and knows exactly where to place her shots to give her the best chance at goal.

2027

Noelle Clabaugh | Forward
Penn Fusion Soccer Academy ECNL 08 (PA)

Hammered home a bicycle kick goal in PFSA’s 4-1 victory over the De Anza Force to lift her team into the National Championship match. Clabaugh has excellent field awareness and knows where exactly to strike to the strike the ball and at what level of force to get the desired result.

2008s Bicycle Kick their way into the National Championship Game! ❤️🤍💪 #ECNLFinals #UsVsTheRest pic.twitter.com/5Hcsja0LwR

— Penn Fusion SA (@PennFusion_SA) July 11, 2024

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Jacy Hackler | Forward
Kansas City Athletics 09 (KS)

Buried a hat trick in the semifinals to help KCA hold on against Eclipse Select SC (3-2) and earn their spot in the finals. In addition to being a prodigious goal-scorer, Hackler can also create chances for her teammates as evidenced by her cracking cross for Ava Brown to help unseat the defending champions PDA in the Quarterfinals (3-1).

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Ava Brown | Forward
Kansas City Athletics 09 (KS)

Worked seamlessly alongside Hackler to form a dynamic 1-2 attacking combination up top for KCA. In addition to her brilliant goal against PDA, she helped set up Hackler for her first against Eclipse. Brown participated in the USYNT ID Center event earlier this year and has previously won a USYS National Championship in 2022.

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Vienna Whipple | Defender
Crossfire Premier 09 (WA)

Stifled the attacking ambitions of two strong attacking teams in Slammers HB Koge (3-3, 6-5 in penalties) and FC Stars Blue (3-2) to push Crossfire into a position where they could advance. Her tight, consistent marking and timely clearances gave her defensive line mates needed time to regroup and reorganize for what were two hard fought results. Although they came up short in the National Championship match, Whipple and Crossfire put an exemplary effort and will look to build upon their strong showing next season.

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Ava Pascarella | Forward
Penn Fusion SA 08 (PA)

Buried Penn Fusion’s second goal in the Championship  final, finishing off a brilliant pass in open space by Daniela Vogel to put her team ahead 2-1. Pascarella’s diagonal runs at goal have been on point all season and the precision of her cuts and her footwork when doing so make her highly difficult to defend.

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Brenna Gregorski | Midfielder-Forward
FC Stars 08 (MA)

Operating as an attacking midfielder, Gregorski was made defender’s lives difficult with her pacey passes towards her teammates. Her situational awareness was also on point able to pull back when holding a lead or when Stars needed more attacking options up top to move forward.

2026

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Hannah Werdel |Midfielder- Defender
Slammers HB Koge 07 (CA)

Sealed the Slammers’ 5-3 victory in penalties against the So Cal Blues with a low, right-footed effort. In both National Final matches, Werdel maintained her composure under a high level of pressure calmly clearing away any dangerous balls and stemming counter-attacking efforts by matching opponents stride for stride.

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Ella Bach | Forward-Midfielder
Crossfire Premier 08 (WA)

Fired the game-winning goal in the semifinals against FC Stars Blue (3-2), a high curling effort that went towards the far post and just beyond the reach of the goalkeeper. Serving as Crossfire’s captain, Bach was instrumental in getting the team out of jams in the midfield and providing a spark throughout their playoff run when they needed it the most.

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Kaitlyn Lee | Defender
So Cal Blues 08 (CA)

Playing against both Slammers HB Koge and FC Stars Blue Lee more than held her own, limiting their shots in front of goal and making key tackles throughout the weekend. She forces teams to make major adjustments to their plans, a testament to her marking and defensive prowess. The two-time USYNT ID Center invitee has grown into a strong center back and will undoubtedly use the experience playing in Richmond to grow for next season.

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Dylan Steinberg | Forward
Penn Fusion Soccer Academy ECNL 08 (PA)

As she has done all season, Steinberg came through for PFSA when they needed her the most. The 08 striker scored in the Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and against CrossFire in the National Championship match adding to her already prodigious goal-scoring total for the season. She is not afraid to take chances and has confidence in her shot, as evidenced by her screamer to clinch the title.

https://x.com/MattRalph_/status/1812157416064070099

2025

Morgan Farnham | Goalkeeper
Beach FC 07 (CA)

Collected back-to-back 1-0 shutouts over FC Dallas and Indy Eleven Pro Academy, making multiple key saves in each match to preserve the close result. The Rutgers verbal commit continued her dominant form in the Championship match, limiting a potent Legends attack to a single goal in their 5-1 win. Farnham has excellent footwork and positions herself perfectly to sprawl out and deny goal-scoring opportunities.

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