Jefferson Cup U17 girls standouts

HENRICO, Va. - Rain, cold, and a bit of home-field advantage came into play during the Jefferson Cup girls showcase, which concluded March 27. Richmond United, playing on its home fields at West Creek, delivered a solid weekend performance to repeat as bracket champions. Richmond United and Match Fit Academy both went 3-0 to finish tied for first in the flight, but Richmond United had a better goal differential. North Carolina Courage finished 2-0-1 to place third overall, ahead of World Class FC, which went 1-0-2. The following are players who stood out in the U17 Championship bracket. All are 2023 prospects unless noted: <strong>M [player_tooltip player_id="24794" first="Isabella" last="Ayscue"], NC Courage</strong> - Ayscue is assigned to the U16 squad, but played up at Jefferson Cup and ended up being one of the team’s top performers. She has some experience with the U17s, but this past weekend she proved to be a key linking playing. She runs the tempo and never gives the ball away. <strong>F/M [player_tooltip player_id="24743" first="Ella" last="Bjorklund"], NC Courage</strong> - Throughout the weekend, <span id="rptPlayers_lblLastname_3" class="playernameorg">Bjorklund played consistently well and was among the team’s best performers.</span> <strong>F [player_tooltip player_id="41584" first="Caitlin" last="Forshay"], Match Fit Academy</strong> - A Class of 2024 prospect, Forshay was the leading goal scorer for Match Fit during a 3-0 run at Jeff Cup. <strong>M [player_tooltip player_id="25000" first="Phoebe" last="Goldthwaite"], NC Courage</strong> - The Duke commit played with loads of energy. She also displayed amazing versatility for a team that was missed players due to injuries and COVID. Goldthwaite played attacking mid, defensive mid and also saw time at wing back. She was playing on the wing when she assisted the team’s game-winning goal on Sunday. <strong>M [player_tooltip player_id="27641" first="Ava" last="Jung"], Richmond United</strong> - The Cornell commit controlled midfield space and kept the tempo for Richmond United. <strong>D [player_tooltip player_id="24098" first="Kendall" last="Moraller"], Match Fit Academy</strong> - Match Fit shut out its last two opponents, and Moraller was a major reason for the success. <strong>D [player_tooltip player_id="23946" first="Elizabeth" last="Morgan"], Match Fit Academy</strong> - Morgan was solid on defense and she was able to play balls out of the back. <strong>M [player_tooltip player_id="27971" first="Sarah" last="Rosenbaum"], Richmond United</strong> - On a field loaded with high-end talent, Rosenbaum, a Wisconsin commit, clearly stood out among the crowd. Her athleticism and ability to create chances for herself and her teammates were unmatched. She impacted the game in several ways. <strong>F [player_tooltip player_id="27933" first="Olivia" last="Woodson"], Richmond United</strong> - The speedy forward was able to get behind defenses and get shots -- and goals. She netted the first goal during Sunday’s 4-0 win over Cleveland Force to secure a 3-0 team showing. <strong>M [player_tooltip player_id="33228" first="Madison" last="Woodward"], Match Fit Academy</strong> - One of the nation’s best midfielders in the Class of 2023, Woodward was created with keeping the control of the play throughout the weekend.