Uncommitted ’28s: New England Specialists to Know

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Commitments in the '28 class might be slowing down as collegiate staffs turn their attention to fall ball. However, many talented specialists are still looking for landing spots. In New England, in particular, there is no shortage of goalies, face-off men, and short-stick defensive midfielders available. Here are five specialists in the region that you need to know more about.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["143734"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ace76e2344b9"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">One of the more powerful face-off guys in the MIAA, Ryan stands out for what he does after the draw as well as at the X. He is the definition of a change-of-pace face-off man. He's got great size, heavy-duty hands, and a willingness to do things after the draw - like smash into a pile of middies and poles - that some draw men shy away from. Ryan can play one-on-one defense, change down a ground ball, and run the channels on a break. I think he's going to need a strong fall club season to get more looks, but Ryan has a ton of potential.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["141591"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ace76e234528"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I did think that Boney would come off the board to a Patriot League school by now, but one league's loss may be another league's keeper. Boney is set to start for Belmont Hill this coming season after the departure of longtime netminder Will Butler to Yale. Boney is an excellent all-around goalie with the advantage of being a lefty to shut down that top corner look that wing shooters love to target. He's not just a stay-at-home keeper who makes stops, either. Boney will come out of the goal to facilitate a clear and, if given space, will take the ball all the way up himself. Definitely one of the most intriguing goalie prospects in this class and the ISL.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["179137"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ad0e52aa9505"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Sometimes you see players get after the ball when they win a draw and you think, "Oh, that's aggressive." And then you see a player like Cooper, and you realize your adjective was not strong enough. Low to the ground and compact like a sprinter van that got hit with a shrink ray, Cooper moves to the ball with real purpose. Although he can win the ball to his wings, Cooper is also very comfortable slinging the ball out to open field in front of himself to turn any draw into a contest of who wants the ball more. He's going to be one of the tougher draw men in the ISL this spring, and he has all the tools to stay on and be a very disruptive SSDM if needed as well. You can't teach hustle; hustle is a skill. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["200989"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ad0e52aa955e"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">I've been following Mango since he was at Winchester. He is a '28 reclass at Middlesex, but I don't think that detracts from the fact that he's a Leatherman multi-tool of a player. No, not a Swiss Army knife, because a Swiss Army knife is just a knife with a bunch of other tools shoved into a handle. Mango's game is all of those tools deployed at the same time. That makes his position a little difficult to pin down, but he's still got two more years to find his best fit, and at a program like Middlesex, he's going to have the opportunity to develop all of his skills as a midfielder. If I were to prognosticate, I'd say that his best role is that of a true transition midfielder, who battles on the wing and stays on for defense and early offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["171343"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ad0e52aa95ae"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Good luck slipping the ball past Tunney with a low shot. A lot of modern goaltenders make their bones by dropping to stop five-hole shots instead of actually getting their stick down to make a proper save. Tunney is great at getting down without losing his feet, something that I wish more modern goalkeepers were more consistent with. Tunney is, at his core, a shot stopper in the purest sense. Like, he is the guy you want facing a mid-range rocket to tie the game and staying stick-to-stick on the crease to block that last gasp of offense at the end of a quarter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->