True 2-Way Midfielders: 2028 Upstate N.Y. Edition

A midfielder who can dominate both sides of the ball can be mesmerizing to watch. We think these 2028 2-way middies will make quite a name for themselves this spring.    When you think of true 2-way midfielders, [player_tooltip player_id='70449' first='Harper' last='Jacob'] is one of the first to come to mind. She excels in the circle and transitional game due to her explosive speed and confidence with the ball under pressure. Jacob knows where the checks could be coming from and protects her stick, shifting her body accordingly. Her offensive IQ speaks for itself when you watch her play. She has an incredibly high understanding of how to read the defense and exploit them, both for herself and her teammates. She is a twitchy style dodger, and paired with her speed, makes her quite the offensive threat. Jacob's defense is just as impactful. She uses her body positioning to her advantage. Jacob is extremely agile, and paired with her explosiveness, no one gets by her. She truly takes pride in causing turnovers, which becomes infectious.     [player_tooltip player_id='70468' first='Lexi' last='Corcoran'] is a player who is captivating to watch. Her first step in her dodge sells so hard that defenders have to bite, opening up driving lane after driving lane. She finishes with any type of shot. She can be seen shooting jumpers and risers with the same confidence and fluidity. Corcoran understands how to use her body positioning to her advantage when threading between defenders. She is lethal on the draw circle and able to win any 50/50, whether it is in the air or on the ground. Her speed shines transitionally, as she's able to blow by the majority of the ride independently. Defensively, Corcoran can lock down a 1v1 situation, even when she's left on an island.     [player_tooltip player_id='47652' first='Ryann' last='Murphy'] is a player whose presence is noticeable immediately. Transitionally, there are very few defenders who can keep up with Murphy's athleticism and speed. She can be seen leaving everyone on the ride in the dust off a caused turnover or a goalie clear. She excels on the circle, especially when the ball is on the ground, because no one is beating her to it. Her 1v1 defense is solid, and one could argue, a bit intimidating. Offensively, she dodges with intention based on what the defender is giving to exploit the opportunity and is comfortable shooting anywhere on the field.     [player_tooltip player_id='71493' first='Calla' last='Crowley'] is a midfielder who does it all, but not in a flashy way. To a novice lacrosse observer, she just looks like any other midfielder. But for Crowley, it's the little and incredibly intelligent things that make her stand out. Crowley can be seen instructing and shifting her teammates into spaces when she knows a hedge is needed. She defensively forces offensive players to the worst possible angle or shuts them down completely. On the circle, you can see her pull back at the last minute to switch sides, boxing out the opponent so her teammate can easily run onto her own draw. Offensively, Crowley is calculated in her decisions. She can be seen making incredibly high-IQ off-ball decisions to set up teammates, as well as confidently putting the ball in the back of the net herself when it's the right choice.     The best word to describe [player_tooltip player_id='71494' first='Callie' last='Ryan'] is gritty. Ryan is truly all over the field. Her tenacity shows on both sides of the ball. She is never anything less than full speed to any 50/50 ball and will battle at all costs to win it. If the ball is on the ground, you know Ryan is going to come up with it. Her high defensive IQ can be noticed by her making one-handed interceptions and knocking down passes by anticipating what's coming. You can see the same grit in her offensive play. She doesn't turn away from pressure. She is a very shifty dodger with a great shot on the run. On top of all of this, she also takes the draw and is highly effective at it.

A midfielder who can dominate both sides of the ball can be mesmerizing to watch. We think these 2028 2-way middies will make quite a name for themselves this spring.