NXT LVL: Day 1 Standouts, Best XI

The NXT LVL Invitational is bringing together 39 top boys programs from 10 states for a weekend of competition in Colonie, N.Y. Each day a new set of teams join the event. Therefore, each day is an opportunity to learn more about how teams stack up and the players who make the difference. Each day PrepSoccer.net will list the top performers capped with a Best XI for the day. <strong>DAY 1</strong> <strong>WHAT WE LEARNED: </strong> <ul> <li>Archbishop Moeller (Ohio) and Erie Cathedral Prep (Pa.) are both legit teams with big playoff possibilities. Moeller’s size and speed were no match for New Hartford (N.Y.), which entered the contest undefeated, yet found itself on the losing end of a 5-0 result. By extension, we learned St. Ignatius (Ohio) is legit considering it beat Moeller 8-0. ... Cathedral Prep historically has mixed it up with out-of-state teams, but Friday’s meeting with Immaculate Heart Central showed Prep is bound for another deep run in the PIAA playoffs. Prep won 2-0. The best match of the night featured Woodstock Academy (Conn.) and Hoosac (N.Y.), which battled to a 1-1 draw as nearly a dozen college coaches were on hand to watch these residential programs filled with internationals battle it out.</li> </ul> <strong>Friday’s Top Performers</strong> F Federico Adilardi, Hoosac School (N.Y.), Sr.: Made quality runs and created chances to help Hoosac tie Woodstock. Adilardi is from Italy. M Jonah Arszman, Archbishop Moeller (Ohio), Jr.: Had an outstanding performance. He kept the play simple. He plays the No. 8. M Tiago Assis, Woodstock Academy (Conn.), Sr.: Very active and kept Woodstock in an attacking mode. The native of Portugal was probably Woodstock’s best field player Friday night. D [player_tooltip player_id="14572" first="Dom" last="Breidenbach"], Archbishop Moeller (Ohio), Sr.: Played with intensity all night. He’s a good distributor and even delivered a clinical finish in a one-sided result. M Ashton Giambrone, New Hartford (N.Y.), Fr.: The freshman played the center attacking mid position and was a hard worker all night long, even after the outcome was put to rest. GK Mikel Gonzalez, Woodstock Academy (Conn.), Jr.: A bit on the smaller side, but he came up big for Woodstock, turning away a couple shots including snuffing out a breakaway chance in the second half that kept Woodstock in the match. F Noah Handezl, Cathedral Prep (Pa.), So.: Played on the right wing and created a lot of havoc for Immaculate Heart’s defense. He’s certainly be a player to watch the next few years at Cathedral. D Noah Lauria, Cathedral Prep (Pa.), Jr.: He cleared a lot of balls and cleaned up play in the back as Cathedral Prep kept a clean sheet. M: Owen Lebron, Immaculate Heart (N.Y.), Sr.: He’s a box-to-box midfielder and worked both sides of the field. M Jose Manuael Corporan Navea, Hoosac School (N.Y.), Jr.: The midfielder from the Dominican Republic has a great understanding of the game. He was constalty moving Hoosac into attacking positions. F Marco Mazzarelli, Pathfinder Academy (N.Y.), Sr.: Plays a false 9. He was very good in the attack, but more importantly pressures the defense. M: Niall O’Brien, Woodstock Academy (Conn.), Sr.: He was a ball winner all night long. O’Brien plays a defensive mid position and made it difficult on Hoosac. D Ben Ofori, Pathfinder Academy (N.Y.), Sr.: A leader as a center back. When he was on the field, he brought about a level of confidence and calmness to the back line. D Jeremy Ogango, Hoosac School (N.Y.), Sr.: A native of Kenya, Ogango was a team leader and organizer in the back. He was among the best performers of the day. D Leonardo Rodriguez, Immaculate Heart (N.Y.), Jr.: A native of Brazil, Rodriguez did a great job switching the play. M Lapo Romien, Hoosac School (N.Y.), Sr.: Another Italian on Hoosac’s roster, Romien netted Hoosac’s goal and showed his quality throughout the match. F [player_tooltip player_id="14544" first="Casey" last="Welage"], Archbishop Moeller (Ohio), Sr.: Made a lot of good runs and also finished one when he needed to. <strong>FRIDAY’S BEST XI</strong> GK: Mikel Gonzalez, Woodstock Academy (Conn.), Jr. D: [player_tooltip player_id="14572" first="Dom" last="Breidenbach"], Archbishop Moeller (Ohio), Sr. D Noah Lauria, Cathedral Prep (Pa.), Jr. D: Ben Ofori, Pathfinder Academy (N.Y.), Sr. D: Jeremy Ogango, Hoosac School (N.Y.), Sr. M Jonah Arszman, Archbishop Moeller (Ohio), Jr. M Tiago Assis, Woodstock Academy (Conn.), Sr. M: Owen Lebron, Immaculate Heart (N.Y.), Sr. M: Niall O’Brien, Woodstock Academy (Conn.), Sr. F Federico Adilardi, Hoosac School (N.Y.), Sr. F [player_tooltip player_id="14544" first="Casey" last="Welage"], Archbishop Moeller (Ohio), Sr.