IL ID Experience: Top '27 Midfielders

Use code ‘PREP30′ at checkout to receive 30% off your annual or two-year subscription!   In the final positional breakdown from the Inside Lacrosse ID Experience '27 event, here's a closer look at five of the better midfielders in attendance. In case you missed the previous posts: -<a href="https://preplacrosse.com/2024/10/il-id-experience-top-27s-performers-at-attack/?itm_source=parsely-api">Attackmen</a> -<a href="https://preplacrosse.com/2024/10/il-id-experience-top-27-goalies-and-face-off-specialists/">Goalies and face-off specialists</a> -<a href="https://preplacrosse.com/2024/10/il-id-experience-top-27-defenders/">Defenders</a>    Mallory put together an incredibly impressive IDX campaign last Sunday, popping off for two goals and an assist in Game 1. The Ridgefield (Conn.) native's first tally came on a sweet hitch that caused his man to lose his footing before Mallory nailed a jumper on a well-placed high-to-low offering. Shortly after a teammate dropped his pass, he hustled up to the midline and picked up a contested GB to retain possession, then a minute later, he recognized that he had an open net and tossed a 25-yard pass to one of his team's attackmen for a tally. In the second half, Mallory scored on a long dodge from the right alley, finding the top left corner and continuing to show off his shot on the run throughout the day. Overall, Mallory's a heady and highly skilled player who plays with poise and swagger. He's constantly hustling all over the field and looking for the open man just as much as he's looking to get his as a shooter.     An intriguing offensive weapon who moves around really well with his 6'4 frame, Douglas has a lot of history playing attack but looked at home running out of the midfield, where he showed off his dynamic and savvy skill set. I was particularly impressed with him in the day's second game, as Douglas posted a goal and two assists. He had an incredibly unselfish look on a fast break, where he deferred to a teammate for an assist despite having a wide-open look, then had a nice skip pass to the righty wing on EMO from his spot up top. Douglas scored his goal on a long dodge against a shortie from near the midline and went high-to-low from the right alley. He's got really good hands and wrists, and his vision is advanced. I'd be surprised if there isn't a role for him within the Cadets' offense in 2025.      I legitimately couldn't decipher Lynch's dominant hand during his freshman year, which speaks volumes about how formidable he is with both his left and right. At IDX, he posted two goals in each of his first two games and was routinely in the mix for many of his team's scoring plays. In the Tide's opener, he caught a pass with his left hand, rolled back to his right towards the middle of the field, and went offside high. On his next tally on EMO, he took a gorgeous cross-crease skip pass from George Caldroney (who was highlighted last week) and sent an underhand rip to the goalie's offside hip. An energetic and smooth playmaker, Lynch also scored on a diving backhander later in the day.     Part of an influx of recent Lawrenceville transfers from California, Starr stood out last weekend as being superb on both ends of the field and finished his day in style by posting a hat trick in the Tide's finale. The explosive left-hander has an excellent first step and strong footwork that he uses to create separation, proving to be tough to keep up with throughout the event. On the defensive end, he was able to match feet with some of the quicker middies and plays with a high motor and strong instincts. In that third and final game of the day, Starr switched back to his right hand on a re-dodge, cocked his stick head back low to make it difficult for the goalie to get a read on the shot. On his next, he fired another shot to a similar spot, then his third and final goal was his prettiest, being a bit of a hybrid face dodge/toe drag on the wing late in the game. With the Big Red having to replace much of its defensive midfield unit from a year ago, I wouldn't be surprised to see him find his way as a SSDM in the spring.     At least relative to his midfield peers in this piece, last Sunday's stat sheet may not properly indicate how much of an impact Sipress made. Another All-Tournament selection, the athletic 6'2 Manhasset product demonstrated the ability to do many things at an exceptional level and showed a lot of flashes of his promising offensive game. He was great without the ball and was always keeping his feet moving to create scoring chances for others, executing a pick or a slip for a teammate. Sipress was also incredibly opportunistic and took advantage of openings in the opposing defense. His first goal of the day came when he got open high on the crease and hit a jumper. However, his final goal was up there with the best plays I saw all day, when Sipress followed a rebound by leaping high in the air, using his long arms to snag the ball with his left hand. Then, before the defense could even regroup and recognize what just happened, he deposited the ball in the back of the net. He strikes me as someone who will thrive even more within a team environment (as opposed to a showcase setting), so I'm looking forward to seeing more of him between now and the summer circuit.

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