NEPS pairings set, national powers to clash

Although the National Elite Prep Showcase in Fort Worth, Texas, serves as a season kickoff event for Texas public schools, it might play a significant role in determining which team finishes No. 1 in the winter rankings come April. - CLICK HERE for More

HISTORY: Two of the last three FAB 50 national champs earned their ranking with strong showings at NEPS. Three seasons ago, St. Thomas Aquinas went 3-1 and coupled with that season’s surprises in California and Texas, topped what was then know as the POWERADE FAB 50. Last season, Plano West went 4-0 at NEPS and that jumpstarted an undefeated state title run, which earned the Wolves the national No. 1 ranking.

FINAL MATCH-UPs and SCHEDULE POSTED

Here is the FINAL Schedule and Match-Ups for the 2014 National Elite Prep Showcase.

2014 NEPS Update - Paperwork/Fees/Timeline/Hotel

We have the Accepted Team list up and those schools will be receiving their official letter this week through email.  It will include the tournament fee and an event timeline.  We look forward to another tremendous event.  It will be here before we know it.  Good luck to everyone as you prepare for the beginning of your season.

All out of town teams, please got online and book your hotel.  The teams will be staying at the host hotel, the Sheraton Fort Worth Hotel & Spa.  CLICK HERE for Hotel Information.

2014 NATIONAL ELITE PREP SHOWCASE INFORMATION

We will be sending out information to the teams that have been invited to play in the 2014 event.  The 2014 NEPS will be January 9th-11th.  To accommodate the out of town teams, the Sheraton Fort Worth will be the host hotel once again and all the teams will be staying in this location.  The low rates, accommodations, team meeting space, study areas, and perfect location make it a no-brainer.  Booking links will be posted shortly.  CLICK HERE for more Host Hotel Information.

Back to Back for Plano West; The #1 Team in the land

Congrats to Plano West for their Back to Back State Championship and their 41 game unbeaten streak which makes them the #1 team in the country this year. 

Four different players for the Lady Wolves scored goals in their 4-1 win over the 2008 UIL State Champion, Southlake Carroll.

Freshman, Laykn Pope got the Wolves on the board 22 seconds into the second half and then the next 15 minutes saw, Ashley Smith, Taylor Jackson, and Tori Gates all get goals.  Carroll's, McKayla Braun scored the Lady Dragons only goal.

Congratulations to Plano West head coach, Carley Phillips who is 41-3 and 2 for 2 in State Championships in her 2 years at the helm of the Lady Wolves.  Phillips also won a State title as a player for the Wolves.

ALL NEPS Final in UIL 5A State Championship Today

GEORGETOWN — Southlake Carroll advanced to the UIL Class 5A girls soccer state championship for the first time since winning it all in 2008. 

Carroll opened the second half aggressively with a two-on-two break in the opening minute but couldn’t connect on a cross and the ball was cleared by Johnson. Less than two minutes later the Dragons broke through on a goal by freshman forward Grace Cory on a perfect pass from senior midfielder Julia Dyche to take a 1-0 advantage.

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/04/19/4788604/southlake-carroll-girls-edge-san.html#storylink=cpy

The Lady Dragons gets their 30th win on the season after edging San Antonio Johnson 1-0 Friday at Birkelbach Field.  The Dragons will face undefeated defending state champ Plano West (27-0-2) at 4 p.m. Saturday in the state final.
 There’s an air of inevitability surrounding Plano West’s girls soccer team. If the goals haven’t come yet, they are on their way; twins Brooke, Casie Ramsier propel team into 5A girls state finals and look for that back to back crown.  With a stiff wind at their backs, Plano West scored four second-half goals, cruising past Katy Taylor 4-0 in the 5A semifinal.
“We’re just creating our own legacy,” Carroll senior defender Alison Savage said. “We have no fear in tomorrow. We set out a goal at the beginning of the season that we were going to win the state championship and that’s what we are going to try and do tomorrow.”

Both teams have won state titles, but the mission is simple for the Lady Wolves, "Repeat".

 

Once again, the UIL (Texas) high school soccer state playoffs are being streamed live this weekend. All four state championships (4A & 5A boys and girls) will be shown live Saturday. Follow this link to the live stream, starting Friday at noon ET.

Saturday, April 20 – Finals
11:00 a.m. 4A Girls: Denton Guyer (26-1) vs. Highland Park (24-0-5)
1:00 p.m. 4A Boys: Del Valle (23-6) vs. Waco University (32-0)
4:00 p.m. 5A Girls: Plano West (27-0-2) vs. Southlake Carroll (30-2)
6:00 p.m. 5A Boys: Coppell vs. Brownsville Hanna

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/04/19/4788604/southlake-carroll-girls-edge-san.html#storylink=cpy

Good Luck to NEPS Teams in State this Weekend

Plano West (Plano, Texas). The Wolves return to the spot it held in early January with a overall record of 26-0-2 — No. 1 in the nation. Now, the team is two wins shy of adding another national title to the collection.  It’s this simple — a second straight state title this weekend will give top-ranked Plano West an ESR Winter national crown, as well. A Plano West loss will turn the top ranking over to San Ramon Valley (Calif.).

Southlake Carroll (29-2-0), returns to the Top 5, and looks to win it's second state title, the last being in 2008 when they defeated Plano East.  The Lady Dragons will face San Antonio Johnson on Friday at 1pm at Georgetown High School.

NEPS wishes both teams luck and hope to have a All-NEPS UIL 5A Championship Match.

NEPS Alum and Martin Stand-Out, Natasha Anasi gives us the scoop on US U23 WNT in 1v1 interview

Natasha Anasi gives us the scoop on US U23 WNT in 1v1 interview

2013 NEPS VIDEO PREMIER

The 2013 National Elite Prep Showcase Highlight Video is available for viewing.

Thanks to everyone for making this event a success and competing to the best of your ability. Our goal was to present a dramatic highlight video of the 2013 National Elite Prep Showcase. Our crew tried to include as many teams as possible. Some teams made the cut and some teams hit the cutting room floor. We wanted to make sure the video was able to show the intensity of women's soccer at the high school level, the dynamic nature of the game, and the high level of competition at the event.

The 2013 NEPS Highlight Video is presented by JATO Media.

Enjoy the video!! Look forward to seeing everyone next year and best of luck the rest of the season.  SAVE THE DATE for January 9-11, 2014.

CLICK HERE to VIEW the 2013 NEPS Premier

2013 Showcase Video COMING SOON

We have been working over the past couple weeks to bring you a dramatic highlight video of the 2013 National Elite Prep Showcase. The 2013 NEPS Highlight Video is presented by JATO Media. Our crew tried to include as many teams as possible. Some teams made the cut and some teams hit the cutting room floor. We wanted to make sure the video was able to show the intensity of women's soccer at the high school level, the dynamic nature of the game, and the high level of competition at the event. We hope to be able to present the video by the end of the week.

NEPS Co-Host heading south

NEPS co-host, Southlake Carroll in Round Rock to play in the Governors Cup. Always a Lady Dragon Soccer tradition to stop at Jason's Deli in Round Rock.

LDS found a great place to get a post-game recovery in after a 3-0 shutout over Cibolo Steele in their first match of the Cup. Who needs ice when the water tempurature is 55 degrees.

Carroll meets up with another NEPS participant, Round Rock, in their second match at 12:00pm tomorrow.

St. Thomas Aquinas, Douglas set for Showdown

Elite Soccer Report
Sheldon Shealer

ESR No. 9 St. Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) and No. 10 Douglas (Parkland, Fla.) comfortably won regional quarterfinal matches Wednesday to set up a girls’ soccer regional semifinal clash between the teams ranked 1-2 in the state.

Douglas (22-0) powered past Western 5-0 with Brianna Raff and Alexis Wilson each scored two goals. Meanwhile, Aquinas (21-1-1) handled Taravella 4-0. 

Aquinas has not lost to a Florida team since the 2010 playoffs. 

The Douglas-Aquinas match will take place Saturday at Aquinas. The winner advances to the regional final, which serves as the state quarterfinals. The loser will be finished for the 2012-13 season.

Top 5 Teams make noise; NEPS a Success

Plano West are looking defend their 5A State Championship with very high expectations.  They are the #1 team in the country and proved that is were they belong, at least for now... impressive wins over Nolan Catholic, Flower Mound, St. Thomas Aquinas, and San Angelo Central move them to 4-0-0 to start the season.  They outlasted Florida's St. Thomas Aquinas (#2) in game 3 by a score of 2-1 less than 5 hours after beating #9 Flower Mound. 

St. Thomas Aquinas is a regular at the NEPS.  They came in with a 16-0-0 record and will start playoffs when they return to Florida.  They clashed with California's Liberty High School in game 1 defeating them 1-0 and then shutout #13 Kingwood before falling for the first time, 2-1 to #1 Plano West.  On Day 3 they battled to a scoreless draw to #3 Marcus.  Aquinas has outscored opponents 89-2 in their first 16 games giving up their first couple goals in the Timberwolf Classic in Tallahassee before heading West to Texas.

Marcus, Carroll, and Coppell were relentless on the weekend outscoring opponents 33-1, with over half those goals coming from Marcus.  All 3 teams will remain in the Top 5.

Hebron and The Colony were both 4-0 on the weekend and posses dynamic attacking styles of play that with help them move forward during the first half of the season as they prepare for district play.

Allen came on strong after losing to Hebron in the opening match of the showcase getting a pair of 2-0 wins vs #26 Ursuline and Amarillo, and taking down St. Stephen's 3-0. 

Keller, with 16 seniors, will be a team to look out for, as they just had one blemish this weekend to #40 McKinney Boyd, going 3-1-1.

Last years pre-season #1 team, Boyd, started #50 this year.  They have something to prove and they showed signs of why they deserve to be talked about as one of the top teams in the country starting 3-1-0 with their only defeat coming to #13 Flower Mound.

Teams with high expectations in #9 Kingwood, #13 Flower Mound, and #41 Grapevine were a bit  inconsistent on the weekend in terms of results but they are strong teams with tons of talent that will  make waves during the year, through the district season, and into the post-season.

Strong private schools such as host Nolan Catholic (TAPPS), Ursuline (TAPPS), Bishop Lynch (TAPPS), and Hockaday (SPC), all underachieved a bit on the weekend going 4-10-2.

Texas UIL 4A Finalist from last year, Byron Nelson, only played 3 matches in the event but were 2-0-1 with wins over SA Central and Round Rock.

New to the NEPS this year was Liberty High School from Brentwood, CA.  They came into the showcase at 5-4-2 and finished the weekend at 6-6-3 with a 1-0 win against Nolan Catholic, a pair of 1-0 setbacks to St. Thomas Aquinas and Carroll, while going scoreless against Coppell.  Not a bad showing against the powerhouses of Texas and Florida.

Tons of quality this weekend from all the teams, coaches, and players.  There will be a highlight video that will premier within the next couple weeks.  Please check back as it will document the competition of one of the top high school girls showcases in the country.  "Where the Best come to Play.".

Next year's event is tentatively slated for January 9-11, 2014.  The NEPS always falls on the first weekend that Texas UIL competition can begin playing games.

DAY THREE AT NEPS; #1 Plano West rolls on

After beating former Top 50, Nolan Catholic on Day 1, Plano West went on to beat #9 Flower Mound 3-1 and they didn't stop there, as they move to 3-0-0 defeating #2 St. Thomas Aquinas from Florida 2-1, handing them their first loss of the season.

Marcus who is #3 in the country has rattled off 17 goals in 3 games with wins over Midland, San Angelo Central, and a 3-0 win over 22-time TAPPS State Champion, #26 Ursuline Academy.

NEPS co-host, Southlake Carroll also moves to 3-0-0 with a win over #13 Kingwood, while #5 Coppell was scoreless with Liberty High School from Brentwood, CA.

Liberty enjoyed some good old Texas hospitality as they ate dinner at Cafe Bella across from the TCU campus with co-host Nolan Catholic.

Hebron, The Colony, Keller, and Georgetown are all unbeaten in their first 3 games of the season.  Hebron and The Colony are both 3-0-0.

Matches played... 48
Goals scored... 130
Games left... 17

Let's hope for good weather to finish the 11th Annual National Elite Prep Showcase in style.

Day 2 Underway

Morning games have kicked off at all locations.

DAY 1 at the NEPS

Exciting soccer played today on DAY ONE of the 11th Annual National Elite Prep Showcase. Of the 16 games played there were 54 goals scored. All of the Top 5 teams in the country won today as #1 Plano West defeated former #49 Nolan Catholic, #2 St.Thomas Aquinas moves to 17-0 with their 1-0 win over Liberty High School from Brentwood,CA, while #3 Marcus exploded for 7 against Midland, #4 Carroll handled Bishop Lynch 3-0 and #5 Coppell netting 5 with their 5-1 win over South Texas' Clear Lake. 

Other Top 25 action included #13 Kingwood getting a nice 3-1 win over Martin after trailing early.

Grapevine and McKinney Boyd look to move up in the polls after beating higher ranked teams #9 Flower Mound and #26 Ursuline, respectively.  Hebron, The Colony, Keller, and Byron Nelson all get multi-goal decisions while St.Stephen's and Odessa Permian both win by a goal.

For all today's action see below…

Game 1
Hebron defeated Allen 5-1
Hebron 1-0-0
Goals:
Amanda Doyle (Reid Sibley), Sibley (Doyle), Chelsee Washington (Doyle), Ellen Starnes (Rachel Jones), Washington (Doyle)

Allen 0-1-0
Goals:
NA

Game 2
St. Stephens Austin defeated Northwest
St. Stephens 1-0-0
Goals:
Maria Duarte (Amari Bethel)

Northwest 0-1-0

Game 3
Kingwood defeated Martin 3-1
Kingwood 1-0-0
Goals:
Sabrina Wittenbrink (Hannah Childs) Kara Marshall (Kennedy Brown), Sabrina Wittenbrink (Monica Voorhes)

Martin 0-1-0
Goals:
Kelsey Hale (Shannon Graham)

Game 4
Colleyville Heritage tied Lubbock Monterey 0-0
Heritage 0-0-1
Monterey 0-0-1

Game 5
Byron Nelson defeated San Angelo Central 5-0
Byron Nelson 1-0-0
Goals:
Marchelle Davis (Lynnsey Brem), Madison Hall (Davis), Davis (unassisted), Nicole Coetzer (Darla Hyde), Davis

SA Central 0-1-0
Goals:
None

Game 5
Carroll defeated Bishop Lynch 3-0
Carroll 1-0-0
Goals:
Sophie Groff (Grace Cory), Groff (Jules Dyche), Cory (Dyche)

Lynch 5-2-0

Game 6
Marcus beat Midland 7-0
Marcus 1-0-0
Goals:
Katelyn Mountjoy (Courtney Forte) , Dani Murphy (Morgan Griffis), Forte (Murphy), Jamie Pugh (Forte), MJ Eckart (Forte), Mountjoy (unassisted) and Bailey Clayton (unassisted)

Midland 0-1-0

Game 7
St. Thomas Aquinas (FL) beat Liberty High School (CA) 1-0
Aquinas 17-0-0
Goals:
Ashley Cardounel (unassisted)

Liberty 5-5-2

Game 8
Coppell beat Clear Lake 5-1
Coppell 1-0-0
Goals:
Paige Jacobs (Sarah King), McKenna DeLong (Paige Jacobs), Sarah King (Jacobs)(2), King (Reagan Meyer), and Liat Even (Cami Studebaker)

Clear Lake 0-1-0
Goals:
Rachel Smith (Savanah Frohling)

Game 9
Odessa Permian beat Tyler Lee 2-1
Odessa Permian 1-0-0
Goals:
Keely Wilkerson (Audrey Adkins) and Sam Vestal (unassisted)

Tyler Lee 0-1-0
Goals:
Adai Urieta (unassisted)

Game 10
The Colony beat Amarillo 3-0
The Colony 1-0-0
Goals:
Kailand Thompson (Taylor Erwin), Taylor de Leon (Thompson), Thomson 

(Ashley Mayhew)

Amarillo 0-1-0

Game 11
McKinney Boyd beat Ursuline 3-1
Boyd 1-0-0
Goals:
Sydney Dolzine (Ali Coleman), Taylor Cobb (Aia D'Emidio), Dolzine (unassisted)

Ursuline 6-2-0
Goals:
Kate Hajdu (unassisted)

Game 12
Plano West beat Nolan 4-1
Plano West 1-0-0
Goals:
Ashley Smith (Casie Ramsier), Casie Ramsier (Ashley Smith), Taylor Jackson (Taylor Barg), Jalynn Barron (Barg)

Nolan 7-4-0
Goals:
Emma Chandlee (unassisted)

Game 13
Keller beat Round Rock 2-0
Keller 1-0-0
Goal:
Ferguson (Butler) and Stickney (Ferguson)

Round Rock 0-1-0

Game 14
San Antonio Antonian tied Georgetown 1-1
Antonian 11-4-2
Goal:
Emily Leonard (Sophia Perez)

Georgetown 0-0-1
Goal:
Logan Conicenne (Margo McEntire)

Game 15
Grapevine beat Flower Mound 2-0
Grapevine 1-0-0
Goals:
Tori Bowman (unassisted) and Hayley Bargery (Brooke Ramsey)

Flower Mound 0-1-0

NEPS Day One Updates

The opening match of the National Elite Prep Showcase saw 6 goals scored between the 2 teams.  Hebron got the best of Allen in a 5-1 defeat over their former district rival.  Goals were scored by Amanda Doyle, Reid Sibley, and Chelsea Washington while Ellen Starnes scored 2.  Doyle also had 2 assists and Sibley and Jones each had 1 assist a piece.

SHOWCASE STARTS TODAY

11 Years Running bringing the best high school girls soccer to Fort Worth all starts TODAY.  CLICK HERE for schedule.  So far there are no changes to the schedule.  The fields are being set-up and evaluated this morning due to all the rain over the past 2 days but the next 3 days are going to be beautiful. 

ELITE SOCCER REPORT NEPS EVENT PREVIEW

NEPS: Event showcases top winter girls teams

By Sheldon Shealer • January 9, 2013

 

Every year, like clockwork, late-starting Texas teams inch higher and higher in the Top 50 as the California and Florida powers take their losses and get relegated in the rankings. Now it’s time for the Texas powers to put up – or move down. Thirty-three teams, with 31 from Texas – including nine of the 11 appearing in the recent ESR Top 50 – will be participating in the 2013 National Elite Prep Showcase (formerly Nolan Showcase) this weekend in the Greater Fort Worth, Texas, area.
National Elite Prep Showcase Pairings
Jan. 8 ESR Top 50

Every year, like clockwork, late-starting Texas teams inch higher and higher in the Top 50 as the California and Florida powers take their losses and get relegated in the rankings. Now it’s time for the Texas powers to put up – or move down.

Thirty-three teams, with 31 from Texas – including nine of the 11 appearing in the recent ESR Top 50 – will be participating in the 2013 National Elite Prep Showcase (formerly Nolan Showcase) this weekend in the Greater Fort Worth, Texas, area.

The showcase teams are ESR Top 50 No. 1 Plano West, No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.), No. 3 Marcus (Flower Mound, Texas), No. 4 Carroll (Southlake, Texas), No. 5 Coppell (Coppell, Texas), No. 9 Flower Mound (Flower Mound, Texas) and No. 13 Kingwood (Humble, Texas).

Aquinas is at the end of its regular season, while all of the Texas public schools have yet to play.
The key match this weekend is Friday’s 4 p.m. contest between No. 1 Plano West and No. 2 Aquinas, which will be both teams’ third match in 24 hours.
Most of the participants will play four matches during the Thursday-Friday-Saturday event.
While no overall team is crowned champion of the event, the pairings were established pitting a number of nationally ranked teams in head-to-head matches.

What is likely to come out of the weekend is a number of Texas teams with losses, bumping those squads lower – or even out – of next week’s ESR Top 50.
Starting Thursday, ESR will post final scores and match updates on the key contests, the ones that could influence future national rankings.

The following is a list of top Texas players to watch who are competing in this week’s NEPS.
Name, High School, Club, College Commitment (if applicable)
Sophie Groff, Southlake Carroll, Texans, South Carolina
Juila Dyche, Southlake Carroll, Texans, Texas
Claire Wheatly, Plano West, Solar, Illinois
Brooke Ramsier, Plano West, Solar, Auburn
Victoria Bowman, Grapevine, Sting, Oklahoma
Alexis Urch, Round Rock, Lonestar, LSU
Alya Shams, Southlake Carroll, D’Feeters
Whitney Brown, Plano West, Texans
Gwennie Puente, Nolan Catholic, Sting, Texas Tech
Reilly Ott, Grapevine, D’Feeters
Paige Harm, The Colony, D’Feeters, Texas-El Paso
Taylor Cobb, McKinney Boyd, Sting, Air Force
Mimi Asom, Hockaday, Sting
Ravyn Hoelscher, The Colony, FC Dallas
Chelsea Washington, Hebron, Texans
Paige Jacobs, Coppell, Oklahoma
Kayla Peterson, Coppell, Sting, Arkansas
Taylor Braun, Grapevine, Texans, Kentucky
Bridgett Hamway, Grapevine, Texans, Baylor
Ariel Leach, Flower Mound, Sting
Emma Heckendorn, Flower Mound, Sting
Sarah Shaw, Keller, Sting, Texas A&M
Danielle Rice, Keller, Sting, Creighton
Rachel Riggs, Northwest, Solar, Arkansas
Courtney Forte, Marcus, Texans, Oklahoma
Katelyn Mountjoy, Marcus, Texans, North Carolina-Greensboro
Taylor Barg, Plano West, Texans, SMU
Taylor Jackson, Plano West, Texans, SMU
Hailey Hunt, McKinney Boyd, Solar, Stephen F. Austin
Kate Hajdu, Ursuline, Sting
Kelsey Gorney, Hebron, Texans, SMU

SHOWCASE STARTS TOMORROW

The weather is clearing out and the sun will be shinning for one of nation's best high school girls showcases.  All games are on as scheduled.  Hebron and Allen kick off the event at 1pm at TCU's Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium and games continue at 3pm, 5pm, amd 7pm.  Games will also be played at Nolan Catholic, Southlake's Dragon Stadium, and Gateway Park Turf Complex. 

The NEPS, formerly the Nolan Showcase, is in its 11th year and is hosted by Nolan Catholic and Southlake Carroll.

Follow us on twitter @jatoathletics for updates throughout the 3-day event.