It’s Texas high school soccer season, and Fort Worth-area teams have embarked on their quests to bring home a state championship.
Which players should Fort Worth-area high school sports followers keep tabs on? Here is a list of players to watch that were nominated by Fort Worth-area soccer coaches.
Have a question, comment or concern? Have a story idea or another player to watch? Email High School Sports Editor Charles Baggarly at cbaggarly@star-telegram.com.
Girls soccer players to watch
Haslet Eaton (Ella Bushko)
Ella Bushko is a senior center back committed to play at North Texas. Head coach Aaron Chevalier said she is one of the best defenders in the area.
Bushko is one of the most dynamic players Chevalier has ever coached and has been a first team All-District player since her sophomore year.
Birdville (Celine Diaz, Trinity Doom, Laine Riddle)
Celine Dian is a senior forward signed to continue her college career with UNT. She was a first team all-district member in 2023, scoring 17 goals and five assists.
Senior defender Trinity Doom is signed to play for Lubbock Christian. In 2023 she secured her second consecutive first team all district appearance. She had six goals and three assists.
Junior defender Laine Riddle was named the Defensive Newcomer of the Year in 2022 and followed it up in 2023 by being named to the all-district first team. She had two goals and eight assists last season.
Keller (Holly Storer)
Keller girls soccer’s player to watch is junior Holly Storer, who is committed to play at Texas A&M. She currently leads the team with 16 goals this season.
Colleyville Heritage (Olivia Belcher, Addison Schimmick)
Olivia Belcher is a junior midfielder who had a stellar 2023 season for the Colleyville Heritage Panthers, scoring 21 goals and six assists en route to being named the Co-Midfielder of the Year for district 7-5A.
A young up and coming player to watch is freshman Addison Shimmick, who has nine goals already this season.
Lake Worth (Juliana Martinez, Jacksiry Perez, Alexandra Andrade)
Sophomore Juliana Martinez is in her first year as a starting center back for the Bullfrogs, and she’s looking to make an impact. Sophomore Jacksiry Perez is also in her first year as a starter, and she’s coming off a six goal 2023 season.
Sophomore Alexandra Andrade is another newcomer to watch. She had a 90% save rate facing her first 62 shots this season. The young trio is the foundation of Lake Worth’s young and growing core.
Arlington Heights (Brooke Bowman, Aiden Bailey, Karina Chavez)
Sophomore midfielder Aiden Bailey had a stellar start to a career, scoring 28 goals in 2023 and being named the district 6-5A Newcomer of the Year. Another sophomore, Karina Chavez, was named the Utility Player of the Year last season.
An experienced player to watch is senior Brooke Bowman, who scored seven goals last season en route to being named to first team all-district.
Paschal (Alexei Solis, Devon Kilkenny, Keris Neuweiler, Annie Parsons)
Senior forward and midfielder Alexei Solid has scored two goals and recorded six assists so far this season. Her teammate, forward and midfielder Keris Neuweiler, has six goals and is a team captain. Neuweiler had the game winning assist against Euless Trinity on Tuesday.
Another team captain is Devon Kilkenny, a senior center back. In 2023, she was named the District 3-6A Defensive Player of the Year.
Junior forward Annie Parsons received Newcomer of the Year as a sophomore and is off to a good start as a junior. In the win against Trinity, she scored the game winning goal.
Aledo (Emery Thompson, Ally Weimer)
Junior Emery Thompson has four goals and two assists this season, and she’s looking to continue her player career at the collegiate level. She’s looking at four prestigious schools: Brown, MIT, Harvard and Yale.
Freshman Ally Weimer has six goals and six assists. Aledo head coach Bryan Johnson said she has “tremendous potential.”
Burleson Centennial (Journey Curs, Kamryn Taylor, Hazel Curs)
Journey Curs is a senior attacking midfielder, and she is committed to Lubbock Christian University. In six games, she has five goals and seven assists. Last season, she was named the offensive player of the year in District 8-5A.
Another senior to watch is Kamryn Taylor, a forward committed to the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. Last season she was named second team all region.
An up and coming player to watch is sophomore Hazel Curs, a defensive midfielder. As a freshman, she was named the District 8-5A Defensive Newcomer of the Year.
Carter Riverside (Jaine Esparza, Ivette Yanes, Lilia Munoz)
Head coach Omar Hernandez said the team is dealing with injuries, but three players keeping the team afloat include cornerbacks Jaine Esparza and Lilia Munoz as well as goalkeeper Ivette Yanes.
Cleburne (Giselle Aguilar, Zyri Ellison)
Giselle Aguilar is a freshman forward who has five goals in three district games, 12 overall goals and nine assists. Another young member of Cleburne girls soccer is Zyri Ellison, who was named the Newcomer of the Year for District 8-5A after the 2023 season.
Burleson (Katie Wong, Tatum Winn, Peyton Roberts)
Senior forward Katie Wong, who is committed to UT Tyler, was efficient in 2023, scoring 14 goals and tallying six assists. So far in 2024, Wong has seven goals and six assists.
Senior forward Tatum Winn currently has five goals and four assists in the 2024 season, and she’ll continue her athletic career at Concordia University.
Behind the goal is senior Peyton Roberts, who is committed to Lubbock Christian. She had 204 saves in 2023 and was named the District 8-5A Co-Goalkeeper of the Year. She currently has 129 saves.
Hurst L.D. Bell (Skylar Henley, Aurora Creevey)
Senior Skylar Henley mainly plays center back for the Blue Raiders. She has scored eight goals and has tallied four assists this season.
Sophomore Aurora Creevey is a young player to keep an eye on. She plays forward and midfielder and already has nine goals and eight assists this season.
Benbrook (Campbell Cox)
Senior Campbell Cox plays center back, but head coach Luz Castillo said she can play anywhere on the field. In 2023, she scored 34 goals and racked up 15 assists.
In 2024, she has six goals and four assists. Cox, the 2023 District 7-4A MVP, is committed to Harding University.
Keller Timber Creek (Natalie Singleton, Tyller Grimes, Bella Turner)
Junior midfielder Natalie Singleton is coming off a three goal, 10 assist season and currently has three goals and two assists for Timber Creek girls soccer.
The Falcons have two talented, young players: Tyller Grimes and Bella Turner. Grimes is a sophomore defender, but she has two goals this season. Turner is a freshman defender and midfielder and has two assists.
Fort Worth Southwest (Monica Jimenez, Vivian Plummer, Angelia Cervantes)
Center midfielder Monica Jimenez was first team all-district last season and is looking to build on a strong season. Head coach Ember Wright also mentioned to keep an eye on freshman forward Vivian Plummer and sweeper Angelia Cervantes.
Boys soccer players to watch
Western Hills (Guadalupe Roman, Anthony Juanes, Anthony Perez, Alexis Bautista)
Western Hills junior Guadalupe Roman scored 10 goals and notched 13 assists in his sophomore season. Senior Anthony Juanes will also be a force; he scored 16 goals and recorded 8 assists last season.
Seniors Anthony Perez and Alexis Bautista, three year starters and first team all-district members, will have prominent roles.
Arlington Martin (Harry Davidson, Gael Ibanez, JJ Ortega)
Senior attacking midfielder Harry Davidson has six goals and seven assists so far in 2024 and has quickly surpassed his total in the 2023 season. According to head coach Joey Lockhart, he plans to move to Scotland to continue playing.
Another senior is Gael Ibanez, the team’s goalkeeper. He was named the 2023 Defensive Newcomer of the Year and is currently uncommitted and looking to find a college.
Junior JJ Ortega was named the 2023 Most Valuable Midfielder. He’s also uncommitted.
Southlake Carroll (Chris Parsons, John Skiermont, Graham Byrne)
Junior midfielder Chris Parsons was a 2023 first team all district member and has scored three goals this season. His recruitment is currently open.
An up and coming force is freshman forward John Skiermont, who has tallied six goals and an assist this season. Sophomore goalkeeper Graham Byrne has also been stellar, leading the Dragons to five wins and two shutouts.
Boswell (Santiago Caceres)
Junior forward Santiago Caceres has been leading Boswell this season with eight goals and four assists. During Friday’s win over Fort Worth Paschal, he had two assists and a goal.
Justin Northwest (Grayson Bowler, Bayden Pitts, Caris Sela, Ryan Schellenberg, Greyson Steele)
Justin Northwest has gotten off to a 4-2 start this season. Head coach Aaron Monaghen discussed junior attacking midfielder Grayson Bowler, junior defensive midfielder Ryan Schellenberg and senior goal keeper Greyson Steele as upperclassmen to watch.
Two younger players to keep an eye on include sophomore attacking midfielder Brayden Pitts and freshman forward Caris Sela.
Keller (Ryan D’Urso)
Junior center back and forward Ryan D’Urso played academy in 2023, but he’s back with the Indians for his junior season. In 2022, he led the team to the regional championship.
D’Urso has one goal this season, and he’s committed to playing at Xavier University.
Fort Worth North Side (Saul Rios, Sebastian Razo)
Fort Worth North Side soccer has struggled out of the gates with a record of 1-6-3 thus far. Two players to watch on the developing Steers include junior center midfielder and forward Saul Rios as well as junior defensive midfielder Sebastian Razo.
Fort Worth Diamond Hill-Jarvis (Alejandro Ibarra)
Junior forward Alejandro Ibarra had a monster season in 2023, tallying 38 goals and 13 assists. In the 2024 season thus far, Ibarra has six goals and two assists.
Arlington (Kaleb Arredondo, Royce Hart, Giovanni Hernandez)
Two senior defenders are the foundation of Arlington’s defense: Kaleb Arredondo and Giovanni Hernandez. Arredondo is a team captain and a three year letterman while Giovanni is a two year letterman.
Junior midfielder Royce Hart is a three year letterman and also serves as a team captain.
Eastern Hills (Yandel Valles, Carlos Romero, Arcel Zambrano)
Senior Carlos Romero made an impact last season and was named to the first team all-district as a defender. His teammate, central defensive midfielder Yandel Valles, was named to the second team.
Center attacking midfielder Arcel Zambrano was named a captain of the Highlanders as a sophomore. Head coach Kel Jackson said he expects big things from Zambrano this season.
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