Recruiting

[Kleizaster]

For as often as recruiting is dicussed in other threads, i thought it deserved it's own. I'll start by discussing the Class of 2022. Recruitment is basically over and alot of the commits are preparing to head to campus. Top player in the class is Kori Edmondson, a speedy do it all attacker headed to Maryland. Terps have a strong class, but they'll end up third behind UNC and BC who pretty much had their pick of the litter from all the top high schools in the Northeast. VT, UVA, and Michigan had nice hauls as well. Clemson for being a new program did very well. we'll see how they develop. Stonybrook and JMU were able to have alot of success on the back of strong recruiting classes and even better player development. Who's the next tier 2 team to strike iron and contend for a championship? I really like what Layola is doing. keep an eye on them

[BCLax24]

As a BC fan, I found it interesting that you think that their upcoming recruiting class is stronger than Maryland’s. If you go by Inside Lacrosse’s rankings, Maryland is bringing in the top recruit (Edmondson), as well as numbers 5,6, and 17. For BC, they’re bringing in numbers 4,7,12, and 18.

I love this incoming class for Boston College, (Ava Besson their top recruit has some of the best stick skills I’ve ever seen, and Shea Dolce looks like an absolute stud in net). But at least according to the IL rankings, which are the only ones I’m aware of, Maryland’s class looks slightly stronger. Either way both classes have crazy potential and are definitely among the top ones in the country along with UNC’s.

As far as which tier 2 team could soon breakout, I’m very high on the team that Stanford is building. Ashley Humphrey was probably the best freshman in the country this year, leading the nation in assists (88). They also have a ton of other young talent around her, with 3 of their top 4 scorers this year being freshmen or sophomores. They lost in the opening round of the tournament this year to Jacksonville, but I think they have the potential to make a serious run in the next couple of years.

[Laxfan500]

As a BC fan, I found it interesting that you think that their upcoming recruiting class is stronger than Maryland’s. If you go by Inside Lacrosse’s rankings, Maryland is bringing in the top recruit (Edmondson), as well as numbers 5,6, and 17. For BC, they’re bringing in numbers 4,7,12, and 18.

I love this incoming class for Boston College, (Ava Besson their top recruit has some of the best stick skills I’ve ever seen, and Shea Dolce looks like an absolute stud in net). But at least according to the IL rankings, which are the only ones I’m aware of, Maryland’s class looks slightly stronger. Either way both classes have crazy potential and are definitely among the top ones in the country along with UNC’s.

As far as which tier 2 team could soon breakout, I’m very high on the team that Stanford is building. Ashley Humphrey was probably the best freshman in the country this year, leading the nation in assists (88). They also have a ton of other young talent around her, with 3 of their top 4 scorers this year being freshmen or sophomores. They lost in the opening round of the tournament this year to Jacksonville, but I think they have the potential to make a serious run in the next couple of years.

What happened with BCs top recruit in Summer Agostino…was it just a case of wanting to go with established players ?

[Testudo98]

Do you mean Summer Agostino? Did she enter the portal?

[Laxfan500]

Do you mean Summer Agostino? Did she enter the portal?

Duh yes Agostino! I edited that ^
Is she in the portal. She was their #1 recruit. I guess I expected to see more of her .

[Seacoaster(1)]

Do you mean Summer Agostino? Did she enter the portal?

Duh yes Agostino! I edited that ^
Is she in the portal. She was their #1 recruit. I guess I expected to see more of her .

She played a bit, but not much, which surprised me. I have seen nothing to suggest she is in the portal.

[wlaxphan20]

Do you mean Summer Agostino? Did she enter the portal?

Duh yes Agostino! I edited that ^
Is she in the portal. She was their #1 recruit. I guess I expected to see more of her .

She played a bit, but not much, which surprised me. I have seen nothing to suggest she is in the portal.

We saw less of Annabelle Hasselbeck this year too. Whether or not both Summer and Annabelle were dealing with injuries or something else, IMO BC quietly had a bit of the same problem UNC did - lots of depth in certain areas of the field: Bell & Ryan Smith, Martello, Weeks, Taylor, Annie Walsh, & Reynolds. I know Schleicher and Taylor are listed as defenders on the roster, but I felt they were more d-middies than low defenders.

Regardless, I have always felt the "recruiting accolades", while nice, are awards given for play at the high school level and that is the context within which they should be looked. The slate gets wiped clean when they step on campus. Each program plays a different style, has different coaches, and has different needs based on graduation & injuries. The game itself is different. For the most part, a decent amount of kids that are highly touted will make an immediate or early impact, but there are no guarantees. That's also without even acknowledging that both recruits and coaches can be wrong about a player being a good fit for the program or school.

[tothedraw]

Lacrosse IQ and decision making becomes exponentially more important at the college level as everyone was the bigger, faster, stronger more skilled player on their HS team. I believe AWW said this about the freshman who played the most this season.

Did Hall at MD have an injury ? They needed more help in the midfield imo.

[Laxfan500]

Lacrosse IQ and decision making becomes exponentially more important at the college level as everyone was the bigger, faster, stronger more skilled player on their HS team. I believe AWW said this about the freshman who played the most this season.

Did Hall at MD have an injury ? They needed more help in the midfield imo.

100% agree. Lax IQ and decision making huge. A lot of these great players who come in as freshmen dont have it. They are just great offensively. It takes a great freshmen player to know when to shoot, when to pass, when to defer, head on a swivel, etc.

[wlaxphan20]

Lacrosse IQ and decision making becomes exponentially more important at the college level as everyone was the bigger, faster, stronger more skilled player on their HS team. I believe AWW said this about the freshman who played the most this season.

Yes! I definitely agree with this

[user1020]

All of the top 10 commits in the class of 2022 are going to the final 4 teams. Is that a sign that these players recruit the best or that recruits to these schools get rated higher?

[Kleizaster]

As a BC fan, I found it interesting that you think that their upcoming recruiting class is stronger than Maryland’s. If you go by Inside Lacrosse’s rankings, Maryland is bringing in the top recruit (Edmondson), as well as numbers 5,6, and 17. For BC, they’re bringing in numbers 4,7,12, and 18.

I love this incoming class for Boston College, (Ava Besson their top recruit has some of the best stick skills I’ve ever seen, and Shea Dolce looks like an absolute stud in net). But at least according to the IL rankings, which are the only ones I’m aware of, Maryland’s class looks slightly stronger. Either way both classes have crazy potential and are definitely among the top ones in the country along with UNC’s.

As far as which tier 2 team could soon breakout, I’m very high on the team that Stanford is building. Ashley Humphrey was probably the best freshman in the country this year, leading the nation in assists (88). They also have a ton of other young talent around her, with 3 of their top 4 scorers this year being freshmen or sophomores. They lost in the opening round of the tournament this year to Jacksonville, but I think they have the potential to make a serious run in the next couple of years.f

IL rankings while great, don't really take into account recent form. I watched a couple of the Mcdonogh games and they struggled at times for all the insane talent they had on the field. Edmondson is not really a QB type. that role fell more to Caroline Godine who's also really good. Edmonson reminds me of a better and faster Kerrigan Miller when she was coming out of high school. i'm a big fan of this class as well for BC. IL will prob rank Maryland ahead but i like some of the lower ranked BC players. Shea Dolce and Ava Besson among my favs. The top 20 is always a crapshoot anyways.

[BCLax24]

Do you mean Summer Agostino? Did she enter the portal?

Duh yes Agostino! I edited that ^
Is she in the portal. She was their #1 recruit. I guess I expected to see more of her .

She played a bit, but not much, which surprised me. I have seen nothing to suggest she is in the portal.

We saw less of Annabelle Hasselbeck this year too. Whether or not both Summer and Annabelle were dealing with injuries or something else, IMO BC quietly had a bit of the same problem UNC did - lots of depth in certain areas of the field: Bell & Ryan Smith, Martello, Weeks, Taylor, Annie Walsh, & Reynolds. I know Schleicher and Taylor are listed as defenders on the roster, but I felt they were more d-middies than low defenders.

Regardless, I have always felt the "recruiting accolades", while nice, are awards given for play at the high school level and that is the context within which they should be looked. The slate gets wiped clean when they step on campus. Each program plays a different style, has different coaches, and has different needs based on graduation & injuries. The game itself is different. For the most part, a decent amount of kids that are highly touted will make an immediate or early impact, but there are no guarantees. That's also without even acknowledging that both recruits and coaches can be wrong about a player being a good fit for the program or school.

Do you mean Summer Agostino? Did she enter the portal?

Duh yes Agostino! I edited that ^
Is she in the portal. She was their #1 recruit. I guess I expected to see more of her .

She played a bit, but not much, which surprised me. I have seen nothing to suggest she is in the portal.

We saw less of Annabelle Hasselbeck this year too. Whether or not both Summer and Annabelle were dealing with injuries or something else, IMO BC quietly had a bit of the same problem UNC did - lots of depth in certain areas of the field: Bell & Ryan Smith, Martello, Weeks, Taylor, Annie Walsh, & Reynolds. I know Schleicher and Taylor are listed as defenders on the roster, but I felt they were more d-middies than low defenders.

Regardless, I have always felt the "recruiting accolades", while nice, are awards given for play at the high school level and that is the context within which they should be looked. The slate gets wiped clean when they step on campus. Each program plays a different style, has different coaches, and has different needs based on graduation & injuries. The game itself is different. For the most part, a decent amount of kids that are highly touted will make an immediate or early impact, but there are no guarantees. That's also without even acknowledging that both recruits and coaches can be wrong about a player being a good fit for the program or school.

I definitely agree it was disappointing that we didn’t see more from Agostino this year. She showed a lot of promise from the little that we did see from her. I also thought we’d see more from Mallory Hasselbeck, but she was stuck behind North and Medjid on the depth chart.

As far as Agostino goes, our midfield depth chart is a complete logjam, with Smith, Martello, and Cassidy Weeks demanding the bulk of the minutes. Where I thought we could’ve seen more Agostino was on the second line, however. Andrea Reynolds and Ryan Smith saw the bulk of those minutes, but neither of them proved particularly impressive in my opinion. Hopefully Summer and other younger options like Annabelle can work their way into the rotation next season.

[LarryGamLax]

Do you mean Summer Agostino? Did she enter the portal?

Duh yes Agostino! I edited that ^
Is she in the portal. She was their #1 recruit. I guess I expected to see more of her .

She played a bit, but not much, which surprised me. I have seen nothing to suggest she is in the portal.

We saw less of Annabelle Hasselbeck this year too. Whether or not both Summer and Annabelle were dealing with injuries or something else, IMO BC quietly had a bit of the same problem UNC did - lots of depth in certain areas of the field: Bell & Ryan Smith, Martello, Weeks, Taylor, Annie Walsh, & Reynolds. I know Schleicher and Taylor are listed as defenders on the roster, but I felt they were more d-middies than low defenders.

Regardless, I have always felt the "recruiting accolades", while nice, are awards given for play at the high school level and that is the context within which they should be looked. The slate gets wiped clean when they step on campus. Each program plays a different style, has different coaches, and has different needs based on graduation & injuries. The game itself is different. For the most part, a decent amount of kids that are highly touted will make an immediate or early impact, but there are no guarantees. That's also without even acknowledging that both recruits and coaches can be wrong about a player being a good fit for the program or school.

I'll tell you what is sad about recruiting now and has been for the last ten years or so, the lack of development of players at the D1 level. If you disagree, then you haven't been paying attention.

Name a player(on any team), who did not play much, or at all, in her first or second year, but then emerged to be a key contributor to her team? Take your time and make sure you have the facts, not speculation.

The point is that all of these highly touted HS players are recruited, but not a lot become what they are expected to be. Why? Because some are not ready right away and need to be taught things. However, that's not how things are done for the most part anymore. If a recruit is not getting decent to good playing time as a Freshman, then the handwriting is on the wall. Coaches recruit in such a way now that they simply look to the next recruits to make up for the last recruits. I have said for years that the best coaching and teaching of this sport is at the D2 and especially the D3 level. Why? Because they have to be. They get some, but not many of the better or best HS players. Therefore, teaching and developing are the keys to building strong programs. The number of Programs in D1 keeps growing, but the best players always seem to go to a few programs. Some may think that's fine, but I do not. If you really want to see parity in this sport, then the talent is going to have to spread itself around. And by the way, there are good to great academics at a lot of schools outside of the ACC, Big Ten and the Ivies. It is my experience that many athletes will pick a school based on their sport first, academics second. I think for most male athletes that is mostly true, especially with Football and Basketball. Many of you will say that's because there are Professional opportunities. Keep in mind that only one half of 1 percent of all the college athletes ever make it into the NBA, NFL and MLB. Not great odds. Women are different in that there are very few Pro opportunities out there, thus school choice takes a varied path. Athletics are important(that's why they are recruited) and so is the education that it allows them to have. Knowing this is why I have never been hung up on the D1 spiel. I respect it, but I also have a little more respect for players and coaches in D2 and D3.

[Kleizaster]

Do you mean Summer Agostino? Did she enter the portal?

Duh yes Agostino! I edited that ^
Is she in the portal. She was their #1 recruit. I guess I expected to see more of her .

She played a bit, but not much, which surprised me. I have seen nothing to suggest she is in the portal.

We saw less of Annabelle Hasselbeck this year too. Whether or not both Summer and Annabelle were dealing with injuries or something else, IMO BC quietly had a bit of the same problem UNC did - lots of depth in certain areas of the field: Bell & Ryan Smith, Martello, Weeks, Taylor, Annie Walsh, & Reynolds. I know Schleicher and Taylor are listed as defenders on the roster, but I felt they were more d-middies than low defenders.

Regardless, I have always felt the "recruiting accolades", while nice, are awards given for play at the high school level and that is the context within which they should be looked. The slate gets wiped clean when they step on campus. Each program plays a different style, has different coaches, and has different needs based on graduation & injuries. The game itself is different. For the most part, a decent amount of kids that are highly touted will make an immediate or early impact, but there are no guarantees. That's also without even acknowledging that both recruits and coaches can be wrong about a player being a good fit for the program or school.

I'll tell you what is sad about recruiting now and has been for the last ten years or so, the lack of development of players at the D1 level. If you disagree, then you haven't been paying attention.

Name a player(on any team), who did not play much, or at all, in her first or second year, but then emerged to be a key contributor to her team? Take your time and make sure you have the facts, not speculation.

The point is that all of these highly touted HS players are recruited, but not a lot become what they are expected to be. Why? Because some are not ready right away and need to be taught things. However, that's not how things are done for the most part anymore. If a recruit is not getting decent to good playing time as a Freshman, then the handwriting is on the wall. Coaches recruit in such a way now that they simply look to the next recruits to make up for the last recruits. I have said for years that the best coaching and teaching of this sport is at the D2 and especially the D3 level. Why? Because they have to be. They get some, but not many of the better or best HS players. Therefore, teaching and developing are the keys to building strong programs. The number of Programs in D1 keeps growing, but the best players always seem to go to a few programs. Some may think that's fine, but I do not. If you really want to see parity in this sport, then the talent is going to have to spread itself around. And by the way, there are good to great academics at a lot of schools outside of the ACC, Big Ten and the Ivies. It is my experience that many athletes will pick a school based on their sport first, academics second. I think for most male athletes that is mostly true, especially with Football and Basketball. Many of you will say that's because there are Professional opportunities. Keep in mind that only one half of 1 percent of all the college athletes ever make it into the NBA, NFL and MLB. Not great odds. Women are different in that there are very few Pro opportunities out there, thus school choice takes a varied path. Athletics are important(that's why they are recruited) and so is the education that it allows them to have. Knowing this is why I have never been hung up on the D1 spiel. I respect it, but I also have a little more respect for players and coaches in D2 and D3.

Nailed it. Very few players become impact freshmen at the D1 Level. Talent is a little more spread out now than years prior but most of the elite talent is still concentrated among 4-5 programs. but i'd argue some D1 schools like stonybrook, JMU and a few of the Ivies do a great job developing talent. compare them to stanford who routinely gets stellar players and can't develop them.

[Laxfan500]

Do you mean Summer Agostino? Did she enter the portal?

Duh yes Agostino! I edited that ^
Is she in the portal. She was their #1 recruit. I guess I expected to see more of her .

She played a bit, but not much, which surprised me. I have seen nothing to suggest she is in the portal.

We saw less of Annabelle Hasselbeck this year too. Whether or not both Summer and Annabelle were dealing with injuries or something else, IMO BC quietly had a bit of the same problem UNC did - lots of depth in certain areas of the field: Bell & Ryan Smith, Martello, Weeks, Taylor, Annie Walsh, & Reynolds. I know Schleicher and Taylor are listed as defenders on the roster, but I felt they were more d-middies than low defenders.

Regardless, I have always felt the "recruiting accolades", while nice, are awards given for play at the high school level and that is the context within which they should be looked. The slate gets wiped clean when they step on campus. Each program plays a different style, has different coaches, and has different needs based on graduation & injuries. The game itself is different. For the most part, a decent amount of kids that are highly touted will make an immediate or early impact, but there are no guarantees. That's also without even acknowledging that both recruits and coaches can be wrong about a player being a good fit for the program or school.

I'll tell you what is sad about recruiting now and has been for the last ten years or so, the lack of development of players at the D1 level. If you disagree, then you haven't been paying attention.

Name a player(on any team), who did not play much, or at all, in her first or second year, but then emerged to be a key contributor to her team? Take your time and make sure you have the facts, not speculation.

The point is that all of these highly touted HS players are recruited, but not a lot become what they are expected to be. Why? Because some are not ready right away and need to be taught things. However, that's not how things are done for the most part anymore. If a recruit is not getting decent to good playing time as a Freshman, then the handwriting is on the wall. Coaches recruit in such a way now that they simply look to the next recruits to make up for the last recruits. I have said for years that the best coaching and teaching of this sport is at the D2 and especially the D3 level. Why? Because they have to be. They get some, but not many of the better or best HS players. Therefore, teaching and developing are the keys to building strong programs. The number of Programs in D1 keeps growing, but the best players always seem to go to a few programs. Some may think that's fine, but I do not. If you really want to see parity in this sport, then the talent is going to have to spread itself around. And by the way, there are good to great academics at a lot of schools outside of the ACC, Big Ten and the Ivies. It is my experience that many athletes will pick a school based on their sport first, academics second. I think for most male athletes that is mostly true, especially with Football and Basketball. Many of you will say that's because there are Professional opportunities. Keep in mind that only one half of 1 percent of all the college athletes ever make it into the NBA, NFL and MLB. Not great odds. Women are different in that there are very few Pro opportunities out there, thus school choice takes a varied path. Athletics are important(that's why they are recruited) and so is the education that it allows them to have. Knowing this is why I have never been hung up on the D1 spiel. I respect it, but I also have a little more respect for players and coaches in D2 and D3.

Nailed it. Very few players become impact freshmen at the D1 Level. Talent is a little more spread out now than years prior but most of the elite talent is still concentrated among 4-5 programs. but i'd argue some D1 schools like stonybrook, JMU and a few of the Ivies do a great job developing talent. compare them to stanford who routinely gets stellar players and can't develop them.

True. A few def do. SB coaches like no other. Spallina gets a lot out of his players but he also works them long and hard. Some kids can’t or won’t but I to that philosophy. That’s why kids need to do their research before they commit and truly find the best fit for them.

[@inthe8m]

All of the top 10 commits in the class of 2022 are going to the final 4 teams. Is that a sign that these team recruit the best or that recruits to these schools get rated higher?

Yes, to both.

[wlaxphan20]

All of the top 10 commits in the class of 2022 are going to the final 4 teams. Is that a sign that these team recruit the best or that recruits to these schools get rated higher?

Yes, to both.

I agree I think it's a mix of both and probably other things as well. Realistically, I don't think the media publications that create recruiting and club team rankings (seriously...club team rankings?!) have the personnel, time, or payroll to diligently get good, comprehensive looks and/or multiple looks at an entire recruiting class. I wouldn't expect them to either. It's never going to be 100%. Combine that with what was discussed a little bit earlier on the thread - that what makes some recruits highly touted in high school does not necessarily always translate to the college game, and you're guaranteed to have a few discrepancies. Even in professional sports, where millions of dollars are at stake, the same mistakes are made. Draft picks flop or don't progress as expected. When you're dealing with humans you're going to have human error.

[wlaxphan20]

Do you mean Summer Agostino? Did she enter the portal?

Duh yes Agostino! I edited that ^
Is she in the portal. She was their #1 recruit. I guess I expected to see more of her .

She played a bit, but not much, which surprised me. I have seen nothing to suggest she is in the portal.

We saw less of Annabelle Hasselbeck this year too. Whether or not both Summer and Annabelle were dealing with injuries or something else, IMO BC quietly had a bit of the same problem UNC did - lots of depth in certain areas of the field: Bell & Ryan Smith, Martello, Weeks, Taylor, Annie Walsh, & Reynolds. I know Schleicher and Taylor are listed as defenders on the roster, but I felt they were more d-middies than low defenders.

Regardless, I have always felt the "recruiting accolades", while nice, are awards given for play at the high school level and that is the context within which they should be looked. The slate gets wiped clean when they step on campus. Each program plays a different style, has different coaches, and has different needs based on graduation & injuries. The game itself is different. For the most part, a decent amount of kids that are highly touted will make an immediate or early impact, but there are no guarantees. That's also without even acknowledging that both recruits and coaches can be wrong about a player being a good fit for the program or school.

I'll tell you what is sad about recruiting now and has been for the last ten years or so, the lack of development of players at the D1 level. If you disagree, then you haven't been paying attention.

Name a player(on any team), who did not play much, or at all, in her first or second year, but then emerged to be a key contributor to her team? Take your time and make sure you have the facts, not speculation.

The point is that all of these highly touted HS players are recruited, but not a lot become what they are expected to be. Why? Because some are not ready right away and need to be taught things. However, that's not how things are done for the most part anymore. If a recruit is not getting decent to good playing time as a Freshman, then the handwriting is on the wall. Coaches recruit in such a way now that they simply look to the next recruits to make up for the last recruits. I have said for years that the best coaching and teaching of this sport is at the D2 and especially the D3 level. Why? Because they have to be. They get some, but not many of the better or best HS players. Therefore, teaching and developing are the keys to building strong programs. The number of Programs in D1 keeps growing, but the best players always seem to go to a few programs. Some may think that's fine, but I do not. If you really want to see parity in this sport, then the talent is going to have to spread itself around. And by the way, there are good to great academics at a lot of schools outside of the ACC, Big Ten and the Ivies. It is my experience that many athletes will pick a school based on their sport first, academics second. I think for most male athletes that is mostly true, especially with Football and Basketball. Many of you will say that's because there are Professional opportunities. Keep in mind that only one half of 1 percent of all the college athletes ever make it into the NBA, NFL and MLB. Not great odds. Women are different in that there are very few Pro opportunities out there, thus school choice takes a varied path. Athletics are important(that's why they are recruited) and so is the education that it allows them to have. Knowing this is why I have never been hung up on the D1 spiel. I respect it, but I also have a little more respect for players and coaches in D2 and D3.

I may be wrong, but I think this coming season, for at least for a few teams, we will get to see a decent amount of juniors finally get significant playing time after being behind 5th years and transfers. The 5th years and transfers are still there, but I think this coming season there is more opportunity than the past two. So I think we will get a chance to see some of your theory play out.

I do genuinely think there is some truth to male athletes in basketball, football, and baseball selecting schools for athletics first because of professional opportunities. Sometimes, it is not just that the program has the best chances at winning a national championship, but that a coach (whether it's the head coach, associate HC, assistant, or specific position coach) at that program has a track record of developing players to play at a professional level. These two things often both exist within a program, but not always. Yes, only 1% of those athletes make it, but a lot more of them likely think they are going to be a part of that 1% when they are being recruited.

[tothedraw]

Do you mean Summer Agostino? Did she enter the portal?

Duh yes Agostino! I edited that ^
Is she in the portal. She was their #1 recruit. I guess I expected to see more of her .

She played a bit, but not much, which surprised me. I have seen nothing to suggest she is in the portal.

We saw less of Annabelle Hasselbeck this year too. Whether or not both Summer and Annabelle were dealing with injuries or something else, IMO BC quietly had a bit of the same problem UNC did - lots of depth in certain areas of the field: Bell & Ryan Smith, Martello, Weeks, Taylor, Annie Walsh, & Reynolds. I know Schleicher and Taylor are listed as defenders on the roster, but I felt they were more d-middies than low defenders.

Regardless, I have always felt the "recruiting accolades", while nice, are awards given for play at the high school level and that is the context within which they should be looked. The slate gets wiped clean when they step on campus. Each program plays a different style, has different coaches, and has different needs based on graduation & injuries. The game itself is different. For the most part, a decent amount of kids that are highly touted will make an immediate or early impact, but there are no guarantees. That's also without even acknowledging that both recruits and coaches can be wrong about a player being a good fit for the program or school.

Do you mean Summer Agostino? Did she enter the portal?

Duh yes Agostino! I edited that ^
Is she in the portal. She was their #1 recruit. I guess I expected to see more of her .

She played a bit, but not much, which surprised me. I have seen nothing to suggest she is in the portal.

We saw less of Annabelle Hasselbeck this year too. Whether or not both Summer and Annabelle were dealing with injuries or something else, IMO BC quietly had a bit of the same problem UNC did - lots of depth in certain areas of the field: Bell & Ryan Smith, Martello, Weeks, Taylor, Annie Walsh, & Reynolds. I know Schleicher and Taylor are listed as defenders on the roster, but I felt they were more d-middies than low defenders.

Regardless, I have always felt the "recruiting accolades", while nice, are awards given for play at the high school level and that is the context within which they should be looked. The slate gets wiped clean when they step on campus. Each program plays a different style, has different coaches, and has different needs based on graduation & injuries. The game itself is different. For the most part, a decent amount of kids that are highly touted will make an immediate or early impact, but there are no guarantees. That's also without even acknowledging that both recruits and coaches can be wrong about a player being a good fit for the program or school.

I definitely agree it was disappointing that we didn’t see more from Agostino this year. She showed a lot of promise from the little that we did see from her. I also thought we’d see more from Mallory Hasselbeck, but she was stuck behind North and Medjid on the depth chart.

As far as Agostino goes, our midfield depth chart is a complete logjam, with Smith, Martello, and Cassidy Weeks demanding the bulk of the minutes. Where I thought we could’ve seen more Agostino was on the second line, however. Andrea Reynolds and Ryan Smith saw the bulk of those minutes, but neither of them proved particularly impressive in my opinion. Hopefully Summer and other younger options like Annabelle can work their way into the rotation next season.

Martello is really an attacker(listed as a middie) and started there with Medjid, North and Mossman. Davis came out of the box ro play O with B Smith/Weeks or Reynolds/Smith/Walsh combos- M Hasselbeck got the nod occasionally, less so as season went on. Welch, Taylor, Schleicher, Scales and Roman were the 5 defenders - with one of them coming out of the box as Davis ran off- but all 5 started. AWW looked to only play 2 2 way middies at a time.

I assume Davis will fill Mossman's spot and M Hasselbeck North's - O middie spot now open. Courtney Weeks will be back from injury. So you've got ;B Smith, Weeks,Weeks, R Smith, Reynolds, Walsh, Hasselbeck,Agostino, and Besson fighting for 5-6 spots. D middie and D spot open- Welch, Taylor gone. Incoming Baker and Herod both play midfield but I think one is going to play D and the other focus on draws.

Lots of things can change but it's going to be very tough for some girls to get on that field in the next couple years.