First Impressions: Jasmine Aikey

Denver Summit's recruitment drive continued apace this week with - among others - the signings of Lindsey Heaps, Emma Regan and Melissa Kossler. For now, though, I want to concentrate on a rookie who was officially announced as a Denver player last week: Jasmine Aikey.

It's difficult for me to access NCAA games, but I was able to catch the 2025 Championship clash between Aikey's Stanford and Florida State. This article is informed by notes taken from that one game. It's not much, but it gave me an idea of the player. Here's a short review of my first impressions.

Back to goal play

Aikey played up front as a lone striker for Stanford in this game. She didn't run behind or hit the channels, but occasionally drifted wide or came short, acting as a target for teammates to play to and run off as they got upfield.

With her back to goal, Aikey would lay off to a supporting runner or turn and go herself. Her strength was evident in one-to-one physical tussles, where several defenders tried and failed to nudge and unbalance her.

This is really good play to anticipate the ball drop, get her body in the way of the defender and back in using the arms and backside Mario Mandzukic style.

Then, using her arms to wrestle the defender and take control of the duel, pushing her marker off and opening up so she can play a nice forward pass into space for her teammate.

This time the ball is fired into Aikey outside the penalty box. She spreads out her arms, wrapping a blanket around her marker. No picking her pocket here, the defender is staying put.

Aikey plants her feet and again uses her arms and bends into a sort-of squat position to create distance between ball and opponent. Controlling the ball with the outside of her front foot (the one nearest the ball, furthest from the defender) which is good hold-up technique.

In the next picture we see Aikey drift out towards the left flank. Again she's tightly marked but this time the ball is fired at her in mid-air.

Notice a slight difference in body shape here, as she leans back to hold off her marker while remaining light on her feet. She sets herself up for a one-touch layoff, which would be much harder to pull off backing in with her feet planted as before.

Then there is the matter of the layoff itself, which is beautifully cushioned into the path of her teammate's run. Lovely touch play that requires confidence and technique.

Speaking of cushioning the ball with your first touch, how about some chest control?

Like with the foot or the thigh, this requires good judgement and timing of the ball flight, confidence, composure, and a last-moment withdrawal of the controlling surface. (Do nothing and the ball deflects off you like an inanimate object; keep moving the surface, foot thigh chest, towards and through the ball and you welly it back where it came from.)

The great Bunny Shaw would be proud of that first touch.

Evidently, Aikey can play on a defender. But there were also times in this game where she peeled off the defender and went short for the ball into feet, to lay off or turn and go herself.

She comes short here, checks her shoulder to see where the defender is at.

Pass is to her preferred right foot, which is her back foot here, so she's a bit more open receiving and the marker senses an opportunity to come around and swipe the ball away. Aikey prepares in advance, gets her lead arm out to hold the defender at bay.

This is a show of core strength, as the defender runs into Aikey and loses her footing. Aikey, meanwhile, bounces off her and keeps going, eventually drawing a foul.

This young striker can withstand a collision and maintain control, making her a strong runner. Other examples are players like Bunny Shaw and Lucy Bronze, players with an ability to "ride" challenges.

Shooting skill

Aikey got a few looks at goal in this game, showing good technique with her right foot, left foot and head. Outside the penalty box she was a threat, able to generate good power on her shots whilst maintaining some accuracy.

This one is on her left foot. It's awkward because the ball is running away from her at a good speed, but she does her best to plant her supporting foot level with the ball.

Gets over it well and strikes through the bottom-left part of the ball with the instep of the left foot to get around the ball, redirect it and lift it.

It's a tough angle but she finds the gap between defenders. If anything she does too good a job redirecting with the curl she generates only taking the ball further away from goal, but it's a decent attempt on her weaker foot from a tricky position.

The next one is on her right foot, a direct free kick from way out, where most would loft the ball in for someone else to head.

Again, good posture as she begins her strike, head over the ball and no danger of ballooning it way over the bar.

Striking with the instep again, wrapping her foot around the ball to generate some bend. It's a well co-ordinated strike, and ultimately she tests the goalkeeper from a long distance.

Aikey can find the target from long range, though one thing to work on is getting more "easy" looks at goal.

Inside the penalty box, her movement was a little too obvious, with no sudden changes of pace or direction, no confusion or deception of her markers.

She's in front of the defender too early here, well before the cross comes in. That means her marker can see both Aikey and the ball. Even if that ball comes Aikey's way, it's easier for the defender to mark her, intercept the ball or get in the way of her shot.

A reminder that this is an observation in one game, and Aikey at 20 years old has lots of time ahead to refine the details in her game.

I also must point out that the wide players in her team here often tried to beat their opponent on the dribble, feinting and faking rather than putting the ball in, and it's difficult for strikers to time their runs in these moments. (Ruud van Nistelrooy reportedly once fell out with Cristiano Ronaldo in Manchester United training because of it.)

Overall thoughts

In this match, Aikey showed great strength, excellent hold-up play, good shooting technique, and finishing potential with weaker foot and head.

Denver have a good variety of striking options, with Ally Watt, Nahikari Garcia and Melissa Kossler also signed up to their inaugural squad, but it's nonetheless easy to see Aikey getting regular minutes.

It's not yet clear what system head coach Nick Cushing will choose, but he often utilised a 4-4-1-1 or 4-4-2 at Manchester City. If that were the case, Aikey would appear best suited to the leading striker role, with someone else playing off of her.