2029 and Uncommitted 2028 Standouts Who Shut It Down in Illinois

In my final installment of coverage from last weekend's Team Illinois event, we turn to five standouts who shut it down with their club teams. From takeaway defenders to goalies stonewalling shooters, these three uncommitted 2028s and two 2029s made life tough for opposing offenses in Illinois.    I took an informal poll of college coaches at the tournament about the best defender in the '28 division, and "No. 4 on East Ave" was the most popular response. Stiernagle plays good old-fashioned defense, shutting down opposing teams' No. 1 attackmen. He has the size and strength to match up with bigger attackmen and the foot speed to run with most. Behind the cage, he took sharp approach angles and closed out well when his matchups worked up the hashes. With heavy checks that could chop wood, Stiernagle made ball carriers feel his presence, both on the ball and when he snuck in for a backside double. He was rock solid off the ground and in the clear, too, coming away with groundballs out of scrums, making the right reads, and showing the steady stick to execute them.     O'Meara put on an absolute show against the Loons and had the college coaches on the sideline talking. He scored twice: once from range in transition and another from even farther out. Try 50 yards against the Loons' 10-man ride. In his one-on-one matchups, I'd put him in the takeaway defender category. He jarred the ball loose on multiple occasions with slaps, pokes, and over-the-head checks. He could use a little more muscle for those in-tight situations, but overall, his athleticism held up against most matchups. In the clear, he was the most vocal player I saw, guiding his teammates toward the right reads and showing the stick to deliver long passes when it mattered.     Taking up a ton of net, Frutchey is guaranteed to get some college interest. He was probably the best 2028 goalie I saw all weekend. At 6-foot-4 and playing with a wide base, he doesn't leave shooters many open windows. He was phenomenal on low and stick-side-high shots all weekend. Unless teams moved the ball quickly before shooting to those spots, they weren't getting much past him. With his frame, shots from up the hashes and at low angles were a no-go. His stick could use a little work in the clear, but for the most part, he threw dots. He stayed calm with the ball and took what the riding team gave him.     Huth was the best '29 defender I saw during club play over the weekend. At times, it was hard to get an extended look at his on-ball defense because he smothered opposing dodgers so thoroughly that they seemed ready to wave the white flag the next time it was their turn. His footwork let him run with dodgers, and he bullied them with cross-checks. He was such a man among boys that he had to find other ways to impact the game. He picked his spots to jump ball carriers and mixed in over-the-head checks when his matchups were clearly overwhelmed by his presence. He even got involved in settled six-on-six offense with his pole, getting his body into his defender and working his way to the middle of the field.     I couldn't resist evaluating Workes. One of the most unconventional goalies I've seen in a while, he reminded me of one of the best: Blaze Riordan. He's nowhere near Blaze's size, but he isn't afraid to use his body. Like Riordan, Workes will sometimes drop his stick low, puff up his chest and shoulders, then jump to take up space in the cage and take a shot to the body. He'll bait shooters in tight with that low stick before exploding upward to steal a save when he looks dead to rights.   I'm not sure how many college coaches would jump at that unconventional approach, but it was fun to watch. His athleticism pops inside the crease, from his explosive jumps to his pipe-to-pipe movement as the ball moves around him. Outside the crease, he's active with and without the ball. His decision-making in the clear needs some work, but he throws a pretty ball.

In my final installment of coverage from last weekend's Team Illinois event, we turn to five standouts who shut it down with their club teams. From takeaway defenders to goalies stonewalling shooters, these three uncommitted 2028s and two 2029s made life tough for opposing offenses in Illinois.