Recap, Standouts: Don Bosco (N.J.) Tops New Canaan (Conn.), 12-8

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This matchup featured a litter of Division 1 commits, a high-powered Don Bosco Prep offense led by Duke-bound [player_tooltip player_id='14548' first='Brady' last='Scioletti'], and a loaded New Canaan (Conn.) defense, which was highlighted by Dan Arestia in his article titled <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/2024/05/immovable-objects-new-canaans-poles-are-the-toughest-in-ct/">"Immovable Objects: New Canaan's Pole are the Toughest in CT"</a> earlier this week. <br><br>With both teams having terrific seasons so far and only six losses between them, they collided in a rainstorm, flew around the field, put pressure on their opponents, and pinged corners against high-level defensive talent.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>New Canaan drew first blood when senior [player_tooltip player_id='28075' first='Luke' last='Reed'] beat his man down the alley with his quick first step and aggressive dodging tendencies. From there, the Rams had all the momentum in the first quarter, creating turnovers on clears and making the smart plays. With goals also coming from [player_tooltip player_id='15203' first='Doster' last='Crowell'] (Michigan) and Maxwell Lowe, the Rams had a solid 3-1 lead until [player_tooltip player_id='14548' first='Brady' last='Scioletti'] scored his second goal off a nice pass from Bucknell commit [player_tooltip player_id='15281' first='Crispin' last='Kaye'] with under 10 seconds left in the quarter to cut it to 4-2 Rams after one. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the second quarter, Don Bosco was able to work its way back into the game by holding the Rams to only one goal, which was a low-to-high top left stinger for Michigan signee [player_tooltip player_id='15203' first='Doster' last='Crowell']. New Canaan's defense switched to a zone at times to keep Don Bosco on its toes offensively, but the Ironmen were able to edge their way back into this game by adjusting well to what the Rams threw at them. <br><br>When asked afterward about the Rams' zone, Don Bosco Prep head coach Matt Lane said, "[the players] were able to make some subtle tweaks and we were able to get good shots off." That helped them tie the game at five goals going into the half, with a goal coming from [player_tooltip player_id='15658' first='Ej' last='Garvey'] (Sacred Heart) and two goals from [player_tooltip player_id='17484' first='John' last='Devir'], both coming with under two minutes left in the half.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Heading into the third, weather had started to play a bit of a factor, with a lot of errant passes and shots due to steady rainfall, but that didn't stop Crowell from finding senior midfielder Colin Finnigan (Rhodes) for a goal less than a minute in. Unfortunately for New Canaan, that would be their only goal of the quarter, as [player_tooltip player_id='15091' first='Colton' last='Carfello'] (St. Joe's) and the Ironmen defense were able to come up with big stops. [player_tooltip player_id='15281' first='Crispin' last='Kaye'] finished a man-up goal from inside off a nice pass from Brady Kushner, one of four goals scored by DBP in the third quarter to make it 9-6.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='121315' first='Luke' last='St. Pierre'], Kellen McInerney (Scranton), and the rest of the defensive unit brought the energy late in the game, which only fueled Don Bosco's offense. One of its three goals in the fourth quarter came on a great hustle play by Garvey as the ball was about to go out of bounds. He saved it, scooped it in traffic, and found Scioletti (Duke) for the goal, then Cole Campisi would score on an unsettled opportunity for the Rams. Finnigan scored again with just about a minute left, going behind-the-back to cut the deficit to four goals. Still, the final opportunity for New Canaan ended with Carfello making a stop on Crowell. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both coaches knew going into this game that the face-off X was going to be a matchup to focus on. DBP junior [player_tooltip player_id='28069' first='Scott' last='Conte'] battled Army recruit [player_tooltip player_id='27332' first='JT' last='O'Neil'], who has been dominant from the X for New Canaan. These two stars were sure to put on a show and they delivered, O'Neil had a few clean draws and shots on goal as did Conte, who went 15-for--24 against the Rams, but it seemed like a much tighter margin than what the numbers suggest, with a lot of the face-offs resulting in groundball scrums.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["14548"],"_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":"Scioletti finished with four goals while working against a loaded defense that consisted of a who's who of college commits in [player_tooltip player_id='27334' first='Brayden' last='Robie'], [player_tooltip player_id='14533' first='Bryce' last='Lyden'], and [player_tooltip player_id='14855' first='Dillon' last='Stephens'], who served as the primary close defenseman. He was able to find favorable matchups and exploit their flaws with his quick change of direction on dodges and ability to let it fly from any angle, putting great placement on his shots. The junior lefty attackman leads his team in scoring with 42 goals and 16 assists.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["17484"],"_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='17484' first='John' last='Devir'] has racked up 40 points on the season with a decent mix of passing and scoring, and as a sophomore, he's only getting started. He finished with four goals and one assist while demonstrating some crafty dodging. He is very shifty and uses his speed when dodging, which helps him free up his hands for a shot or pass. He scored inside while working off-ball on a good cut and a nice pass from Matthew Dyszkiewicz (Iona) when New Canaan switched to its zone D.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["28069"],"_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":"The uncommitted junior faced a tough challenge in [player_tooltip player_id='27332' first='JT' last='O'Neil'], and he brought his A-game, going 15-for-24 (63%) and doing it with clean wins and scrappy ground ball wins. He is very athletic and isn't a liability with the ball in his stick like some FOGOs, plus he has good stick skills and will shoot it when the opportunity presents itself.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["15091"],"_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":"Carfello has been great in cage this season for the Ironmen with 3.5 GAA and 96 saves on the season so far. He finished this game with 12 saves, putting on a show in the process. He tracks the ball well and doesn't get flustered when opponents are in tight, making multiple athletic doorstep saves against high-percentage shooters. Most of all, he's a smart player and makes the right plays.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["15203"],"_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":"The senior captain is a straight-up gunslinger for the Rams. The Michigan-bound attackman has a great balance of speed and strength that makes him a tough assignment for any defender. He finished with three goals and an assist and did most of his work from the outside, whether it was passing or shooting. What's so challenging about guarding Crowell is that he doesn't need much space to affect the game. He has a quick release on his shot, so he doesn't need as much time to load up. It's a quick catch-and-shoot with some power on it as well.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["28075"],"_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":"Senior midfielder [player_tooltip player_id='28075' first='Luke' last='Reed'] has a presence when he steps on to the field, and the mindset that he won't be stopped. He finished with 1 goal and 1 assist, but he stood out to me because of how physical he plays. At 6'2u0022 195 lbs he likes to play bully-ball, when he dodges he drops his shoulder into his defender to get them off-balance and then will shoot or swing it to X. He dodges hard, but also keeps his head up to find open teammates.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["27332"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"O'Neil has had a dominant junior season for the Rams, crushing opponents with a face-off win percentage right around 85 percent. He is a strong, athletic, and scrappy player with the ability to win the draw forward or through the legs. The Army commit can also shoot the rock. He is confident with the ball in his stick and makes smart plays, whether that's shooting the ball or passing it off.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":7,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-664560243ea11"} /-->