Recap and Standouts: Iona Prep (N.Y.) Stuns Don Bosco (N.J.) 10-4

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hitting the road for its first of several matchups with nationally ranked squads, Iona Prep (N.Y.) traveled to Don Bosco Prep (N.J.) on Thursday night for what ultimately became one of the HS landscape's most head-turning upsets of the season, a 10-4 win in favor of the Gaels. <br><br>Iona Prep came out firing, building a 4-0 halftime lead on two goals each from senior captains [player_tooltip player_id='16438' first='Timmy' last='Plunkett'] and [player_tooltip player_id='60213' first='Billy' last='Haggerty'], with the Ironmen feeling the effects of playing without Rutgers-bound senior goalie [player_tooltip player_id='82243' first='Brody' last='Corey']. From there, Iona Prep continued to clamp down defensively against a roster jam-packed with Division I commits, while adding to its lead. Holding a commanding 9-1 advantage with seven minutes left, the Ironmen put in a trio of late goals before Plunkett's empty-netter in the waning seconds gave the Gaels a big program win. <br><br>Here's a look at five standouts from Iona Prep on Thursday night: </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["166522"],"_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"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69d956916d985"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Helping make up Iona Prep's bash brothers on defense with his twin brother Jake, Austin was constantly putting himself in the mix, hunting ball-carriers with a high motor and preventing Don Bosco from gaining offensive rhythm. He came out of nowhere to cause a turnover with viciousness early in the game and showed elusiveness and strong stick protection when moving the ball upfield. His slides were well-timed, his approaches were sound, and he did a good job adjusting his style of play depending on the defensive package. He's just incredibly active, though there are times he tends to swing his stick around and get himself in trouble. Time will tell, but I'll be curious to see if he winds up at close D or LSM at the next level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["176128"],"_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"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69d956916d9f7"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Often playing with a high arc at the top of the crease, Elliott's style is unique and borderline intimidating for opposing shooters. While his numbers may not have been eye-popping, he finished somewhere around 60 percent on the day and was at his best in the fourth quarter, during which he recorded four saves. He plays with a swagger, communicates with authority, and moves deftly from pipe to pipe. Elliott sits low in his stance, then explodes high to make stops, gobbling up a bevy of Bosco's shots from the outside. He's got super soft hands - what I love the most is just how consistently he catches the ball cleanly and prevents rebounds. I was already a big fan of Bowdoin's incoming class before becoming more familiar with Elliott's game, and I'm looking forward to seeing him make noise in the NESCAC for Bill Mason's Polar Bears. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["176119"],"_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"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69d956916da42"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Genova fits the mold of an unsung hero at SSDM, but his standout performance against a Don Bosco team rich in offensive talent warrants recognition. On Thursday, the Ironmen's midfielders had an incredibly difficult time cracking Iona Prep's D, and Genova and his fellow shorties served as the first line of defense up top. A steal for Hartford, Genova did yeoman's work in 1v1 situations and was successful in guiding Bosco's dodgers away from high-percentage areas. He's got great feet and plays a physical and active brand of lacrosse, jamming midfielders and playing angles exceptionally. My favorite play of his came after Don Bosco won a face-off early in the third quarter: Genova stuck with the play, hunted down DBP's face-off specialist, and pushed him out of bounds to win possession back. The type of player that every team needs, he's a grinder who is fun to watch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["60213"],"_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"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69d956916da88"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Ranked as a Top 75 recruit within the Northeast, Haggerty caught fire early, netting a pair of goals and adding a filthy back-handed cross-crease assist later on. Midway through the first quarter, he dodged hard down the right alley and stuck one far-side. He found the back of the net again with a minute left in the opening quarter on an absolutely nasty high bouncer. A hard-charging righty goal-scorer, Haggerty is opportunistic and aggressive, using his 6'2, 200-pound frame and hockey-bred toughness to his advantage. He'll put his shoulder down with regularity, showcase creative release points (letting one go with his release near his ankles on one miss), and generally keep opposing defenses and goalies on their toes. Plus, he's impactful in getting the ball off the ground, too. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["16438"],"_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"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69d956916dacd"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Due to some adventurous camera work on the live stream, I'm not sure whether the UNC commit finished with five or six goals. Either way, he outscored Don Bosco by himself and was pretty much unstoppable on Thursday night. Plunkett recorded a natural hat trick between the second quarter and the nine-minute mark of the third stanza, and did so in style. Early on, he dodged against a Top 100 recruit and netted a jumper from the hash after coming off a pick, placing it perfectly between the goalie and the nearside pipe. Then, he made it appear as if he was going to sweep to his left before going to his right and netting a far-side shot from a low angle. He completed the hat trick on a backside cut and finished the aforementioned cross crease shovel pass in Haggerty. Later on, he tallied off the ride, on a 15-yard stepdown, and an empty-netter. In the past, I've viewed Plunkett as a volume shooter who needs the ball in his stick a lot to produce. On Thursday, I was rather impressed with his efficiency, which will serve him well in Chapel Hill once he joins an absolutely loaded offensive group. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->