Keep your eyes out for those Ohio Elite SA U18 girls this season. Already packed with talent, the team has reloaded this time around with the hopes of playing deeper into the season.

It starts, of course, with a couple of stalwarts rejoining the team in Elizabeth Burchenal and Lisa Nouanesengsy – both ranked in our 2010 Girls Top 100 list.

Headed to North Carolina in 2010, Burchenal is one of the best strikers in the country. She is good at getting behind the defense and has above average control. She’s a good fit in coach Doug Bracken’s exciting attack-oriented style of play.

Nouanesengsy forms a great duo up top with Burchenal as a small but dangerous player. Nouanesengsy will be joining the Indiana program where her creativity and ability to combine well with her team will be on display.

“She’s the most technically gifted player I’ve ever coached and we’ve had some very good players,” Bracken said. “She rarely loses the ball and has the ability to strike dead balls well.”

Nouanesengsy played up an age group and helped Ohio Elite’s U18 team make the national final, an experience that Bracken says helped her in dealing with the physicality of the game and the understanding of defensive responsibilities.

The team will have a lot to learn in terms of roles this year as Ohio Elite has added 11 new players. Among them are Kacie Kumar and Samantha Whitmore who both came over from Cincinnati United Premier.

Kumar, who has committed to Kentucky, is a strong midfielder who should be able to set up things well for Nouanesengsy and Burchenal. Whitmore is another talented midfielder who has committed to Miami (OH).

Defender Megan Berberich, bound for Louisville, is another newcomer who will strengthen the team’s backline. With high school season now out of the way the group is beginning its journey; they have a couple matches this weekend before heading south to the Raleigh Showcase next weekend.

“We’ve looked pretty good in training so far,” Bracken said. “In the past we’ve always had a team that played attractive soccer but we didn’t have the athleticism to deal with constant pressure from other teams. Now we have the athletic players who can maintain it for a whole match.”  

Ohio Elite SA will hardly be without competition. The Great Lakes region is full of teams and star players ready to leave their mark on a new season.

Vardar goalkeeper Anna Sieloff is always a player to be reckoned with. She has great athleticism and experience having been a part of U.S. National squads and all-star teams alike.

Sieloff’s teammates Victoria Bailey and Kayla Mannino are two of the top offensive players in the region who both have the ability to change a game.

And don’t forget about Annie Steinlage, a Michigan Hawks defender who has the skill and desire to turn back any attacker.

It should be a fun year for Ohio Elite not to mention the rest of the vaunted Great Lakes region.