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The 2025 NLF Fall Invitational is in the books.
Coupled with the My Lacrosse Tournaments Fall Classic at Farmingdale State College on Long Island, the weekend brought out more than 300 college coaches for the umpteenth straight year. There’s no better place to be every fall for unparalleled exposure to coaches of all levels of college lacrosse.
The NLF is back on Martin Luther King weekend with the famed NLF Futures at IMG event in Bradenton, Fla. The top uncommitted 2027s in the country will be in attendance. Joining will be plenty of the best 2028s, 2029s and 2030s who are looking to get better and learn from some of the best coaching minds in the college, club and high school games. CLICK HERE to register.
Here’s a breakdown of some of the top 2028s in attendance on Sunday.
Chase Aquino, midfield, Hill School (Pa.) / Team 91 Long Island
The younger brother of 91 alum and Big Ten Freshman of the Year Hunter Aquino might be even better than his brother at the same age. He’s a little smaller, but probably still checks in around 6-1, 185 pounds. He has a tremendous skill set and is a very two-handed scoring threat. Aquino shined bright with a hat trick in a narrow win over Laxachusetts to close out the day. That included a picturesque high lefty jumper, but he’s an ambidextrous threat to score from anywhere. He might have also had the goal of the day against the West Coast Starz. Aquino weaved his way through traffic and hammered home a rip while falling to his knees. He had 32 goals and 15 assists as a freshman for Hill, numbers that figure to skyrocket this spring.
Noah Brown, defense, Scotch Plains-Fanwood (N.J.) / Leading Edge
It’s hard to imagine that there will be many public schools with better defenses in 2026 than SPF. Nick Miceli‘s group features Brown, senior five-star Caleb McDowell (Leading Edge / Yale), an excellent uncommitted junior in Connor Scarpa (Leading Edge) and some elite young talent coming up, too. Brown continues to assert himself as one of the premier cover men in the class. At about 6-2, 180, he’s got an excellent frame to go with terrific footwork and a tenacity that makes him unpleasant to go up against. He was tasked with covering one of the elite attackmen in the class in a win over Long Island Express and decisively won that matchup. Brown is very physical and has a good stick, and he can bounce around to cover big, small, quick, powerful and anything in between.
Aidan Dale, midfield, St. Anthony’s (N.Y.) / Long Island Express
Time for me to use one of my favorite videos to describe a player.
Dale’s one of the – the? – fastest players in the class of 2028. He looks like he’s shot out of a cannon every time he puts his foot in the ground and decides it’s time to go. His clears are comical to watch as he blows by everyone and leaves people flailing at air trying to slow him down. Dale was the offensive bellcow in a win over Prime Time. In settled 6v6 sets, he got the defense out of position by sweeping to his right and throwing a handful of deft feeds inside. Sag off of him, and he’ll keep it himself and let it rip. Dale also showed off the power on his shot by canning a rip from the wing off off of a Harrison Tyler (Lawrenceville, N.J.) feed. St. Anthony’s is loaded offensively again this year – just like pretty much every year – but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Dale get significant time. He’s too athletic to be on the bench.
Jake Gashi, attack, Taft (Conn.) / Eclipse
Gashi was a virtually unguardable presence at X against Express North. He looks so comfortable behind the cage and knows that his first step gives him an advantage against nearly any defender. He helped Eclipse blow the game open against their neighborhood rivals with nearly mirror-image goals, one as a righty and as a lefty. Gashi drove up the hash, created enough separation to get his hands free and hammered overhand blasts. He’s a slick, athletic attackman who also has good vision. He showed some of that on a nice feed to set up a Chase Hummel (Brunswick, Conn.) tally. Gashi’s intriguing because his athleticism and skill level make him a versatile chess piece that can play multiple roles in an offense. A recent transfer to Taft where he just made the basketball team, Gashi figures to play a prominent role in the Rhinos’ offense this year.
Casey Gilchrist, LSM, Massapequa (N.Y.) / Team 91 Long Island
Incredibly impactful between the lines, Gilchrist was one of the most enjoyable defensive players to watch at Farmingdale. The lefty does everything that you’d want an LSM to do. He takes the ball away, vacuums up ground balls and pushes transition well. Bouncy and springy, he can get up the field in a hurry. He’s also very dependable in coverage. You always feel Gilchrist when he’s on the field.
David Giuriceo, midfield/attack, Brunswick (Conn.) / Eclipse
Normally considered one of the top midfielders in the class, the speedy lefty bumped up to attack to make up for fellow Brunswick standout Hunter Hanford‘s absence. Giuriceo made sure that the offense didn’t skip a beat. In a marquee showdown with Express North, the slick sniper racked up a hat trick, including an ankle-breaker that perfectly encapsulated his skill set. He doesn’t have prototypical size, but Giuriceo’s agility and change-of-direction ability give defenses fits. It’s so tough for defenders to get their hands on him. When he’s running out of the midfield, it’s almost impossible for them to make contact. He has a deceptively hard shot that he showed off on a stepdown, too. Giuriceo is one of the top scoring threats in the class.
Max Melchionni, LSM, Delbarton (N.J.) / Leading Edge
I’m not sure that I’ve seen a better defensive player this fall. Scratch that. Melchionni was the best defensive player I saw all fall. He is an absolute force. He’s the best player on a team that’s arguably the most talented in the class. Melchionni’s brother, Jake, was a four-star prospect who earned All-America honors at Villanova last season. The younger Melchionni is bigger and better in coverage than his brother was at the same age. He is a disruptive presence between the lines, excels when pushing the pace and has Jake’s elite stickwork. You’d better make sure you can get a pass through him because the odds are good that he’ll steal it or at least knock it down. Don’t dodge hm, either. That’s a bad idea. Delbarton lost a ton on defense, which means that there’s an opportunity for Melchionni to be a rare sophomore defensive contributor for the Green Wave.
Colton O’Connell, goalie, St. Anthony’s (N.Y.) / Team 91 Long Island
O’Connell is a game changer in the cage. Poised and experienced – he’s the lone goalie for 91 – O’Connell finds a way to come up with a handful of improbable saves every game. He was outstanding in the finale against Laxachusetts, only yielding four goals and coming up with what must have been close to a dozen saves. O’Connell makes up for his lack of size with plus athleticism for the position and excellent communication skills. He’s seemingly always in the right position and rarely cedes a bad goal. O’Connell has quick hands and good patience, and he’s a fiery competitor that serves as the Energizer bunny for 91.
Hudson O’Hanlon, attack, Westminster (Conn.) / Prime Time
O’Hanlon had an excellent fall where he consistently produced and put defenses in a bind on every possession. He missed much of the summer with an injury, but has taken a major leap in his game this fall. Very smooth, sudden and explosive, O’Hanlon has zero qualms about getting to the rack. He loves to get inside on the low wing and try to jam one in from just outside the crease. A recent transfer to Westminster from Daniel Hand, where he put up a balanced 59-goal, 50-assist stat line, O’Hanlon is a handful to handle in space. He dodges with his head up and will throw passes to anyone, anywhere. He’s another one that could thrive in multiple roles in an offense, be it as a lefty attackman or midfielder that can pull defenses out of position in a number of ways.
Steve Panagopoulos, defense, Lawrenceville (N.J.) / Long Island Express
Panagopoulos’ ability to stay patient and stay the course at all times is so impressive. He usually goes for a heavy check early in the game as a tone-setter, but he primarily relies on his excellent footwork and patience to blanket attackmen. He even showed good recovery ability on a rare occasion where he got beat, getting back in position to dramatically decrease the attackman’s shooting angle on a dodge. A legitimate shutdown defender, Panagopoulos understands angles well and uses his strength to steer guys where he wants them. He communicates well, moves effectively off the ball and also showed smooth stickwork on ground balls.
Ramsey Peterson, midfield, Marin Catholic (Calif.) / West Coast Starz
With heralded lefty OJ Ika (Loomis Chaffee, Conn.) out for the weekend with an injury, Peterson was the guy who stepped up offensively for the Starz. He was exceptional against Team 91, showing great rapport with Austin Tuttle (see below). Peterson’s quickness, passing ability and shot gave defenses fits. I had him down for three assists against 91 and it felt like more with how he constantly found open teammates. He also showed that he can let it fly when he canned the game-tying goal from the wing off of a Tuttle dime.
Liam Sullivan, defense, St. Sebastian’s (Mass.) / Laxachusetts
There’s a true No. 1 cover man from Laxachusetts in just about every class. Sullivan is that guy in the ’28s, and he’s straight out of central casting from Boston’s best. He’s 6-3 and close to 200 pounds and plays like it. Sullivan moves well laterally and keeps his stick in front of him seemingly at all times. He does a good job of getting his stick on his matchup’s stick and making life difficult without throwing huge hacks and getting himself out of position. Part of an absolutely loaded St. Seb’s defense, Sullivan has all the tools to be an elite shutdown defender at the next level.
Austin Tuttle, attack, Brunswick (Conn.) / West Coast Starz
Tuttle started as a freshman for Brunswick. Is that good?
He’s also one of the premier goal scorers in the class. At about 6-2 and close to 200 pounds, he’s a physical presence that is deadly with the ball in his stick. He dodges well enough to be a threat to move defenses around, but he makes his money as a bucket getter. Give him time and space and it’s good night. He had four goals and an assist in the best game of the day, a 9-9 tie against Team 91. Tuttle worked well off of Ramsey Peterson (Marin Catholic, Calif.) in the two man game from the wings. Two of Tuttle’s tallies looked pretty similar, with Peterson drawing attention on a sweep and hitting Tuttle on the back side for step down bombs. Tuttle repaid the favor on the game-tying goal, casually throwing what must have been a 25-yard rope through the defense into Peterson’s stick. Peterson did the rest with a tremendous shot.
Moral of the story: know where 57 is and don’t let him get his hands free for a second.
Danny Varone, midfield, Christian Brothers (N.J.) / Leading Edge
One of the best midfield shooters in the class, Varone has really popped this fall for Leading Edge and capped it off with a strong weekend at Farmingdale. He is automatic if you leave him open on the wing, but there’s more to it than that. He uses his 6-3 frame and long arms to hide the ball well from goalies before it’s already past them. He’s nowhere near a finished product physically, either. It’s not hard to start wondering what he’ll be like with three more high school seasons to go and some time in a college weight room after that. Varone shoots with both velocity and accuracy. He also changes his shooting angles well. Varone also showed that he’s able to dodge by guys and get to the rack.
NLF Fall Invitational 2028 Honorable Mention
Jake Colclasure, goalie, Loomis Chaffee (Conn.) / West Coast Starz
Luke DePietro, SSDM, Manhasset (N.Y.) / Team 91 Long Island Venom
Sawyer Fasano, attack, Benjamin (Fla.) / West Coast Starz
Jack Peno, attack, Nauset (Mass.) / Laxachusetts
AJ Rodriguez, goalie, St. Anthony’s (N.Y.) / Long Island Express
Donovan Shaughnessy, attack, Thayer (Mass.) / Laxachusetts
Max Weigold, defense, Brunswick (Conn.) / Express North
Teddy Whitehouse, attack, Rumson-Fair Haven (N.J.) / Leading Edge
Grey Wildman, attack, New Canaan (Conn.) / Eclipse