MIAA Semifinals: Standouts from McDonogh’s 10-9 Win over Spalding

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McDonogh is heading back to the MIAA finals after outscoring Archbishop Spalding 4-2 in the second half to win 10-9 — the opposite outcome of the two teams' regular-season meeting. The No. 3 seed Eagles will fight for their third consecutive MIAA Championship on Friday at 7:30 p.m. against No. 1 seed Boys' Latin. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["14823"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"u003cspan style=u0022font-weight: 400;u0022u003eFirlie showed why he's one of the top midfielders in the class on Tuesday. He led McDonogh alongside [player_tooltip player_id='14510' first='Brendan' last='Millon'] with three points off two unassisted goals and a remarkable skip pass assist despite being guarded by five-star LSM [player_tooltip player_id='14553' first='Robby' last='Hopper']. Outside of prototypical size, Firlie possesses everything college coaches want in a midfielder. His bread and butter is when he dodges laterally and can show off his elite shooting on-the-run ability, which he's a threat at with his left and strong hand.  u003c/spanu003ernrnu003cspan style=u0022font-weight: 400;u0022u003eHe's also not scared to dodge straight to the goal, which he did against the 6'5” Hopper yesterday, while effectively protecting his stick against his over-the-head checks. Firlie has the skill set to be a reliable scorer for the Hoyas for the next four years and coach Kevin Warne and crew should be ecstatic about landing this blue-chip recruit. u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["28095"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"u003cspan style=u0022font-weight: 400;u0022u003eOutside of Firlie, Wilbur was the most dynamic player on the field on Tuesday. He led the game with five points and was the only player to score for Spalding in the second half. He ate up every short stick matchup he faced, often seeing Fairfield commit [player_tooltip player_id='15119' first='Andrew' last='Kasten'] and Navy commit [player_tooltip player_id='20019' first='Chase' last='Green']. His versatility is second to none, as he scored three of his goals in different ways, and also lines up on the wings for the Cavaliers. u003c/spanu003ernrnu003cspan style=u0022font-weight: 400;u0022u003eWilbur can be an initiator from up top and invert from behind the cage, plus he has the craftiness and off-ball presence to play in the slot. His lacrosse IQ was evident when he scored a goal with 4:07 left to pull Spalding within one despite the Eagles' attempts to lock him off. Wilbur might've been overlooked due to his lack of size but will go down as a steal for St. John Fisher, which is currently riding an NCAA Tournament run.u003c/spanu003ernrn[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/C6_SpOcs1nB/[/embed]","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["14549"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"u003cspan style=u0022font-weight: 400;u0022u003eYeah, [player_tooltip player_id='14549' first='Aidan' last='Seibel'] is the best goalie in the '25 class for a reason. Statistically, he didn't have his best day and there might've been one or two he wants back (for his standards), but he was a showstopper on Tuesday. He finished with nine saves, with two of those coming in the last four minutes of the game when the game was just a goal in reach of the Cavaliers. u003c/spanu003ernrn[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/C6-LzsntGTq/[/embed]rnrnu003cspan style=u0022font-weight: 400;u0022u003eHe also made back-to-back highlight-reel doorstep saves on Bucknell commit [player_tooltip player_id='22649' first='Joey' last='Matassa'] when he had to flash high and then collapse to the ground to save his rebound. He has rare reaction speed and the ability to flash his gloves from post-to-post that will give Big 10 shooters fits for the next four years. At this rate, Seibel won't be giving up his No. 1 positional ranking and could project as a day-one starter for John Tillman at Maryland.u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["28097"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"u003cspan style=u0022font-weight: 400;u0022u003eOn Tuesday, Bennett drew McDonogh's top LSMs, including Ohio State commit [player_tooltip player_id='20159' first='Michael' last='Tan'], u003c/spanu003ebut that didn't stop him from putting up a hat trick in the first half. He's a prototypical outside shooter with a quick release and works hard to generate topside leverage against his defender. One thing I would've liked to see in Tuesday's game was for him to use his off-hand more. There were a few occasions where if he had switched hands it would have given him more room to shoot and could have had an even bigger outing. However, his outside shooting presence along with his ability to bully his way to the goal will make him a go-to downhill dodger for Hobart.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["14510"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"u003cspan style=u0022font-weight: 400;u0022u003eThe No. 1 overall recruit didn't dominate the game completely but he was the spark plug to a slow start for the Eagles, contributing to their first three points. He kicked off the scoring with a remarkable BTB goal around defender [player_tooltip player_id='28099' first='Greyson' last='Dunn'] as his angle was decreasing around GLE and added two silky assists in the first half. u003c/spanu003ernrn[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/C6_ZeHKsMAD/[/embed]rnrnu003cspan style=u0022font-weight: 400;u0022u003eHis performance is noteworthy because if it wasn't for his initiative in the first half the Cavaliers would have jumped out to a dangerous lead. However, Dunn deserves his props for how he put Millon in check later on. u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["28099"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"u003cspan style=u0022font-weight: 400;u0022u003eWhat a versatile player Dunn is. Just a year ago he was playing d-middie and now he's checking the No. 1 recruit in the country from behind the cage. He's a beast in transition and his flexibility will pay dividends at the next level for Delaware. His bouncing around positions might be holding back his development in one area but you can't coach his type of adaptability and willingness to go wherever the team needs him to play. u003c/spanu003ernrnu003cspan style=u0022font-weight: 400;u0022u003eHowever, I think his skill set is best suited as an LSM despite his encouraging performance at close defense on Tuesday. True gamer.u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":6,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66454f2864dbb"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->