2028 Late Summer Standouts: New Balance All-America, Pt. 2

COLUMBIA, Md. — One of the final and most prestigious events on the summer lacrosse calendar, the New Balance All-American Tournament offers a unique late look at the class of 2028 before recruiting officially opens at noon on September 1. Rather than playing with their club teams, players are hand selected to represent their region: Baltimore, CONNY, Long Island, Midwest, New England, New Jersey, Philadelphia, South, Southwest, Upstate, Washington DC, and West. And while the Baltimore girls dominated the 2028 Burn division with a 7-0 record and claimed the division's hardware, the talent on display across the board was head-turning.   Here is the second batch of 2028 standouts from New Balance All America, players who saw their stock rise at the summer's final recruiting event.    A plug-and-play type of player, Brinn Castrechini can be put anywhere on the field and excel. She takes the draw and plays attack, and does both exceptionally well. A strong draw taker who can win it forward or backward, her specialty is the self draw. She uses her height to get above other players and secure possession at will. She is among the best in her class from the self-draw standpoint, and dominated on Sunday against Baltimore doing just that. As an attacker, she is dynamic, capable of finishing from different angles and release points. She draws a lot of contact with her size and regularly ends up at the eight-meter mark as a result. She had a step-down top-shelf rip on the free-position attempt that was as clean a finish as seen this weekend. She sets the tone with a physical effort on the ride as well, using her height to put immediate pressure on goalies and force errant passes and bad decisions on the clear. Castrechini will be a highly prized recruit come September.     A shutdown defender from Rochester, New York, representing Upstate this weekend, Bella Rosicka is a tall, intimidating presence with great footwork and fluidity on the defensive end. She showed the ability to match up with smaller, shiftier attackers as well as bigger midfielders all weekend. Does a great job of keeping her top foot protected and uses her height and reach to keep her stick active in the passing lanes, regularly forcing knockdowns as a result. Some of her best work this weekend came on ground balls. Rosicka is a scrapper who can clean them up the second they hit the ground in settled play, and she is often the one starting the clear or flipping it to a teammate who does. Constantly communicating on the defensive end and in transition, letting her teammates know what she sees. You do not have to be far away to hear Rosicka.     Ella Parker has been one of the most dominant draw specialists in a deep class of talented circle players all summer, and that was no exception this weekend against some of the nation's top talent. One of the best in her class, Parker has single-handedly won games late with clutch draw controls. She did exactly that against West, getting it to herself on the draw and weaving through an attempted double team to run out the final seconds of a 10-9 win. She is a player with an exceptionally high lacrosse IQ who coaches regularly call on to have the ball in the clutch moments of games. Handles pressure with poise and shows up when it matters most.     There is no denying the speed of Bryn Sundstrom. By far the fastest player on the field this weekend, she is a burner. She works around the draw circle well, using her explosive first step and anticipation to beat her matchup to ground balls, another area where she excels. She does a great job of running through ground balls. She is a twitchy dodger who can go both ways and use both hands with equal effectiveness. She was weaving through and carving up defenses while absorbing contact all weekend long, and her speed made her a problem for any defender she faced.     Dylan Lambert, representing Long Island at New Balance All-America, is a high-motor two-way midfielder who makes plays all over the field. She stood out for her ability to create additional offensive opportunities, crashing the crease hard to get herself in position for second-chance looks off deflections. She switches hands cleanly and has a well-developed split dodge at the top of her arsenal. On top of it all, she is a strong draw taker who can win it and immediately push the pace in transition or slow it down when she needs to. A sponge from an IQ standpoint, Lambert was able to adapt and get better all weekend.     From Las Vegas, Nevada, the Southwest goalkeeper was one of the best netminders at New Balance All-America this weekend. She already has a tall frame but plays even bigger, cutting down angles with quick hands and sharp reactions that allow her to go cross-body and make difficult saves. Her IQ on the clear is exceptional. She gets it across quickly when she needs to and is plenty comfortable coming out of the cage to get the clear started on her own, consistently making smart decisions under pressure. Retke wears her confidence well and does not lack in that department. You will never have trouble finding her on the field, either; the dual braid out of the helmet is one of the most signature looks of the summer.

COLUMBIA, Md. — One of the final and most prestigious events on the summer lacrosse calendar, the New Balance All-American Tournament offers a unique late look at the class of 2028 before recruiting officially opens at noon on September 1. Rather than playing with their club teams, players are hand selected to represent their region: Baltimore, CONNY, Long Island, Midwest, New England, New Jersey, Philadelphia, South, Southwest, Upstate, Washington DC, and West. And while the Baltimore girls dominated the 2028 Burn division with a 7-0 record and claimed the division's hardware, the talent on display across the board was head-turning.