The stars seemed to align for Matia in this one. Deerfield spent the game in a zone, and Lawrenceville spent their preparation getting ready for it. Part of the zone was that the Deerfield shorties were positioned down low, on the pipes. With this alignment, when Matia had the ball behind the goal, it meant a shorty would be stepping out to guard him. Without a pole there to disrupt his hands and harass him, Matia would survey the field, and find shooters through skip lanes or open cutters inside. With his vision and feeding ability, it was a surgical day for him, and he was distributing all over the field. He found Ted Rawson Ted Rawson M | Left Hand Lawrenceville | 2025 #76 Nation NJ on the inside for goals, he found Hansen Peck on the wings and Mikey Rooney Mikey Rooney 6'1" | M Lawrenceville | 2024 NJ in the midfield for time and room shots, and he was distributing all over the field. Even as Deerfield sluffed back in the zone more to protect the interior and try to cut the skip lanes, Matia would attack GLE and force the issue, becoming a shooter himself or creating space for teammates via defensive rotations.

Paired with Connor Gately Connor Gately 5'10" | 175 lbs | A/M | Right Hand Lawrenceville | 2024 NJ at Lawrenceville, Chris Matia Chris Matia 5'10" | A Lawrenceville | 2024 NJ hails from Northern Virginia and is another standout set to wrap up his prep career this spring. A Providence signee and 4-star prospect, Matia is exactly the kind of player you want playing X. He has the speed and quickness to dodge past defenders behind the net and the skill to either score himself in unique ways or use his vision to serve one up on a silver platter for a teammate. He also thrives when shooting on the run and places the ball in great spots with his hard shots. He also does not shy away from contact on clears which earns extra possessions for his squad.