Five Maryland 2028 Defenders Who Made Noise This Summer

<a href="https://preplacrosse.com/2026/08/five-maryland-2028-offensive-weapons-breaking-down-defenses/" data-type="link" data-id="https://preplacrosse.com/2026/08/five-maryland-2028-offensive-weapons-breaking-down-defenses/">After looking at some offensive weapons from Maryland yesterday</a>, we are turning the page to defenders today. Let's take a look at five defenders who made noise this summer: three representing the MIAA, one from the IAC, and one from the public-school ranks.    When discussing the top 2028 defenders in Maryland, Bickel is definitely in the conversation. He has great size, strength, and good feet to match up with a variety of attackmen. In one-on-one matchups, he uses quick but hard slaps to stay on dodgers' hands without overextending. He will also get a caused turnover now and then with a well-timed check.   When ball carriers get into more dangerous locations, Bickel dictates matchups with his strong upper body and legs. You can see his strength in the way he clears dodgers out with his crosscheck and V-hold, and even more when it is time to slide or clear the crease. He has really shined off-ball this summer with the way he can cover a ton of space, whether showing and going to cause turnovers or scraping back to his matchup to kill any advantage. His stick has been solid all summer, as he reads riding coverages well and will carry past riding attackmen if needed.     Coming from a lacrosse family—both his parents played in college, and his older brother is headed to Villanova this month—Dash has the lacrosse genes. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aw_-Jeps4tM" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aw_-Jeps4tM">His summer highlights are some of the more exciting to watch</a>, not only because they play to Wu-Tang Clan, but because he is a playmaker. On the ball, his athleticism shows in the way he stays on his matchup's hands and plays physical all over the field. If you are a lazy dodger, he will bully you. His game is more representative of an LSM in the way he handles the ball. When it hits the ground, he scoops it and pushes in transition, not looking to turn back and give it up to the goalie. He is elusive enough to spin and toe-drag away from riding attackmen, fast enough to build a cushion, and confident enough to let it rip if you do not play him.     I really started to appreciate Griffith's game during Team Maryland's championship run at NASG. He is quick all over the field and has a noticeably high IQ. A starter for the Cardinals in the fall, he matched up well against the straight-line speed dodgers in the MIAA.   His foot speed allows him to extend out and run with them. He shadows ball carriers well and does a good job closing out and getting on hands to disrupt passes and shots. Outside of his one-on-one matchups, his quickness shows up when he is the first one to groundballs, covering a ton of space in the 10-man ride, and pushing tempo in transition. If Griffith can add some weight while maintaining his foot speed, he is going to be a scary defender at the next level.     Once I walked up to see the Northstars at the PLC Summer Championship, I knew the 6'6" defenseman from C.M. Wright had to be Dylan's brother, an LSM at Mount St. Mary's. Brayden's size and length are straight-up ridiculous. He is pretty hard to beat one-on-one, considering he can pull an over-the-head check on most dodgers and still come up with a trail check even if they get multiple steps on him.   Passing lanes disappear in an instant when passers telegraph their looks. At 6'6", 215 pounds, he ragdolls a ton of matchups. The most impressive part of his game when I saw him live was his groundball play. He navigates his pole well, knows when to goose balls, scoops them under pressure, and pushes transition. Although I think he could make better decisions with the ball in his stick, Sander is an obvious defender for colleges to take a ticket on.     Catching my eye with multiple caused turnovers over the summer, Kelly made plays both on and off the ball. He is not the biggest defender out there, but he is strong, stocky, and has the feet to play with a shortstick, too. As a lefty, he plays topside well against righties and sends them home with a couple of bruises because of the constant slaps to the hands and arms.   With a lower center of gravity and a hard crosscheck, his strength gives him some extra push to steer dodgers out of the hub. His IQ shows up off the ball in the way he knows when to jump on hands as a slider and when to get his stick up in the passing lanes. At the New Balance Games, I appreciated that he was one of the loudest defenders on the field. If he can keep improving his stick, Kelly has the physicality, feet, and IQ to be a really effective defender.

After looking at some offensive weapons from Maryland yesterday, we are turning the page to defenders today. Let's take a look at five defenders who made noise this summer: three representing the MIAA, one from the IAC, and one from the public-school ranks.