I am hearing good reports about frosh VanDyck who scored in the opener yesterday--I've heard that she could turn out to be a special player.

Brooke was the first. She is quick and plays very hard. She scored after a move to spin around a defender near midfield. She then delivered an on time pass to Karin Muya on her right side and then filled a spot in front of the goal for a quick strike on a return pass from Muya.

Van Dyke didn't sign her letter of intent until last month. She was able to graduate from Penn in Granger after her junior year and start college a year early. She captained the Penn squad her sophomore and junior seasons. Penn only lost one game in her three seasons.

The other freshman catching my eye was Brianna Martinez from New Mexico. Very athletic with solid ball skills. She's been a member of the USA U18 team.

Both started and played at least 70 minutes. Four other freshmen played last night. Of the 20 players that saw playing time last night, 12 were freshmen or sophomores. Jennifer Westendorf didn't play last night. She doesn't have an obvious injury, i.e. no boot or brace, so hopefully whatever kept her out is minor.

Sabrina Flores. Is she (a) captain? She is so composed, talented and experienced. She must be a steadying influence for the team as well as someone with outstanding ball skills.

Bailey Cartwright might as well be considered another freshman as she was injured all last year. It was interesting to see the starting lineup, as mentioned in an earlier post. It changed to start the second half and expect it to change some more. Bailey showed some skill but also made mistakes.

Agree with everything said so far. Brooke VanDyck is only 5'3" (and that may be generous), but I'm not sure how she got measured as she is never still—a bundle of energy and enthusiasm.