Tabor Academy Starts Season Strong, Tops Spalding 12–9

In a rare ISL vs. MIAA showdown, Tabor Academy (Mass.) made its way down to Anne Arundel County for a tilt with Spalding (Md.) on Thursday afternoon, and left with a big 12-9 victory in its season opener. The Seawolves were led by a phenomenal six-point campaign by stud sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='168588' first='Landen' last='O'Neil'], as well as impressive showings by a pair of UMass-bound '27s up the middle in face-off specialist [player_tooltip player_id='173657' first='Justin' last='Guyette'] and [player_tooltip player_id='122424' first='Grady' last='Alger'], who finished with 15 stops. Let's break down five of the best players on the field on Thursday:    Already making a case for the No. 1 spot in the Class of 2028, O'Neil had a stellar five-goal, one-assist performance, but it felt like more than that given how much he was taking over the game. Shooting 5-of-10, the hulking lefty's stature looks more like that of a college freshman, and he's got legit 15-yard range that he showed on multiple occasions to change the way Spalding defended him. He used his size so effectively and was rather unfazed by contact, even when slides came early and even after he suffered an upper-body injury from a teammate's shot. Against the Cavaliers' zone, O'Neil pulled up from deep and threw brilliant skip passes, always staying shot-ready throughout the game. He's a special player and a special athlete, having already brought in three Division I football offers as a standout linebacker.     As good as O'Neil was on the offensive end, Alger impacted the game's outcome just as much, making 15 saves while allowing just eight goals. The UMass commit's eight-save second quarter showing was particularly outrageous, as he made multiple saves on the same possession and was routinely committing robberies on the doorstep to frustrate Spalding's shooters. With the score tied at 5-5, he made a massive stop as time expired to give Tabor the momentum heading into the half. Always in position to make stops, he did a great job hugging the pipes, preventing five-hole looks, and not biting too much on fakes. However, even when he did, Alger made himself big to come up with ridiculous saves inside. Up 11-8 heading into the fourth quarter, he made four saves with zero goals allowed in the final stanza to close out one of the better goalie performances I've seen this spring.     I was incredibly impressed with what I saw from Tardie, who has no business being uncommitted. A high-motor pole who has excellent hands and stick skills, he was all over the field making an impact in a variety of ways. He scored a third quarter goal on a 2v1 to make it 7-5, caused turnovers as the sliding defender, saved a possession on the sideline thanks to an awesome handle, and made what was arguably the play of the game. Catching a midfielder's stick hanging, Tardie went over-the-head early in the fourth quarter, and got the GB even after his momentum took him to the ground. Multiple defenders caught my eye on Thursday — junior shortstick Myles Greene and sophomore defender Nolan DeVito balled out, too — but it was Tardie that stole the show.     In a five-star vs. five-star matchup, it was Mollot who got the better of Tabor's [player_tooltip player_id='143303' first='Jack' last='Czepiel'] (Princeton) on Thursday afternoon. Not shying away from the matchup at all, Mollot finished with four goals and two assists, repeatedly going at his man from X and finishing topside. Utilizing his elite change-of-direction and aggressive dodging style, Mollot was outstanding and did it all while taking an absolute beating. He picked up tough groundballs, made things happen in the riding game, set up his teammates, and worked for his scoring opportunities by keeping his feet moving without the ball. Every time he's on the field, he's making his teammates better and showing his through-the-roof lacrosse IQ. Spalding's been taking some blows in its non-conference schedule, but as long as the Cavaliers have Mollot running the show, they'll be in every MIAA game this spring.     A ridiculously talented outside shooter, Moss has been filling up the stat sheet so far this spring, and he did so again with a four-goal outing on Thursday. Taking an assist from sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='170720' first='Gavin' last='Carpenter'], Moss got the scoring started on a low-to-low blast from the wing with the shot clock winding down, then finished a Mollot feed when he hitched, then went high-to-low. He got on the board on the extra man on a 15-yard bomb after Spalding's fake flip EMO play, assisted by Mollot yet again. The Navy commit got his fourth tally during the third quarter when he went to his knees and somehow handled a cross crease skip pass at his ankles before burying it low-to-low. I've been struck by just how much he's developed his game each season, as he's far more than just a shooter. He dodges with intent and is just continually getting to high-percentage areas. Plus, he helps in other areas too, picking up groundballs and intercepting passes.

In a rare ISL vs. MIAA showdown, Tabor Academy (Mass.) made its way down to Anne Arundel County for a tilt with Spalding (Md.) on Thursday afternoon, and left with a big 12-9 victory in its season opener.

The Seawolves were led by a phenomenal six-point campaign by stud sophomore Landen O’Neil Landen O’Neil 6'3" | A | Left Hand Tabor Academy | 2028 MA , as well as impressive showings by a pair of UMass-bound '27s up the middle in face-off specialist Justin Guyette Justin Guyette 6'1" | 170 lbs | FO | Right Hand Tabor Academy | 2027 MA and Grady Alger Grady Alger 6'2" | 205 lbs | G | Left Hand Tabor Academy | 2027 MA , who finished with 15 stops.

Let's break down five of the best players on the field on Thursday: