NXT LVL: Day 2 Standouts, Best XI

The NXT LVL Invitational is bringing together 42 top boys programs from 13 states and one from Canada 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 2</strong> <strong>WHAT WE LEARNED: </strong> <ul> <li>There's a lot of parity among the top prep programs. Of the 11 matches played Saturday, nine ended in a draw or in a one-goal contest. One of the two mismatches, a 4-0 contest, largely was the result of a team taking three red cards in one incident and playing a large part of the game in a 10-on-8 situation.</li> </ul> <strong>Saturday's Top Performers</strong> <strong>GK Mario Alvarez Calvo, Woodstock Academy (Conn.), Post-Grad:</strong> A native of Spain, Alvarez Calvo was among the most impressive goalkeepers during the weekend. He was able to take the ball out of the air and his distributions were clean. <strong>D Sebastian Arbogast, High Mowing (N.H.), Sr.:</strong> He's a good leader and organizes well in the back. He steps up in the gaps and helped slow Darlington's attack. He also keeps the team very composed. <strong>W Jaylen Bennett, Phillips Exeter (N.H.), So.:</strong> The wing player has great speed and was very dangerous throughout the team's 1-1 draw with Hill School (Pa.). <strong>D Jonathan Buxton, Fountain Valley (Colo.), So.:</strong> One of the sophomore standouts at the event, Buxton scored a goal Friday and was the team's best player each day. At center back, he keeps the defense organized, and at defensive center mid he has a great understanding of the game. He is one of the few U.S. citizens on the Fountain Valley team. <strong>D Jackson Dresens, Bridgton Academy (Maine), Sr.:</strong> Originally recruited as a forward, Dresens has been a solid performer at center back this season. <strong>GK Kevin Flynn, Lawrenceville School (N.J.), Sr.:</strong> A Division I prospect who is receiving Ivy League interest, Flynn kept Lawrenceville in the match during what turned out to be a 1-0 loss to Choate Rosemary Hall (Conn.). The 6-foot-4 keeper made five great saves. <strong>M Nico Gallegos, Combine Academy (N.C.), Post-Grad:</strong> Simply dynamic and a sure-bet major Division I prospect. Gallegos was crafty on the ball and his goal was a thing of beauty – a 25-yard free kick in the upper 90. A native of Ecuador, he was in Barcelona's youth academy but wants to attend and aply in college in the U.S. <strong>D Robbie Gresham, Good Counsel (Md.), Jr.:</strong> Gresham had the tough task of shadowing Hotchkiss standout Mohammed Nuhu and did a good job keeping him quiet. Nuhu scored late in the match on a penalty kick, but not from the field of play as Good Counsel won 2-1. <strong>F [player_tooltip player_id='58859' first='Noah' last='Handzel'], Erie Cathedral Prep (Pa.), Jr.:</strong> Handzel is back on the list for the second straight day. He causes a lot of havoc in front of the goal. <strong>M Zander Haskell, Bridgton Academy (Maine), Sr.:</strong> Haskell was a high school standout who has upped his recruiting profile with an extra year at Bridgton. He scored a goal and assisted on one in a win over St. Andrew's. <strong>F Tremaine Henry, High Mowing (N.H.), Sr.</strong>: Henry is so explosive, and his pace is relentless. He scored the match-winning goal against Darlington Academy (Ga.). He is attracting Division I interest because he's so dangerous and is always running toward goal. <strong>D Kelly Janssen, Western Reserve Academy (Ohio), Sr.:</strong> Janssen can play center back or forward, depending on WRA's need. As a defender, Janssen handled the KUA center forward. He's a 6-foot-4 defender and he broke up a lot of KUA's attacks. <strong>M Reece Johnson, Erie Cathedral Prep (Pa.), Sr.:</strong> Johnson converted a penalty kick and assisted the game winner as Cathedral Prep defeated a nationally ranked opponent in Shenendehowa (N.Y.). The senior feed the attack and stepped up to take a meaningful PK in a clutch contest. During Cathedral Prep's two matches, Johnson had three assists. <strong>GK Dell Kohkeaw, High Mowing (N.H.), Sr.:</strong> A native of Thailand, Kohkeaw had a strong showing and made a couple of key saves to keep High Mowing in the lead. <strong>F Harmza Kromah, Western Reserve Academy (Ohio), Jr.:</strong> The native of Liberia was the reason a lot of recruiting attention was given to WRA. Kromah was the best player on the field, creating chances and keeping the ball in the final third. <strong>M Jordy Lopez, Good Counsel (Md.), Sr.: </strong>Lopez started the attack and was very good with the ball at his feet. He was key for Good Counsel in its transition from defense to offense. <strong>M Mark Makhatadze, Shenendehowa (N.Y.), Jr.: </strong> The No. 10 in Shen's lineup might be the best high school player in the Albany area. He's all over the field, demonstrates great distribution skills and initiates the Shen attack. <strong>M Nico Mangiafico, Choate Rosemary Hall (Conn.), Sr.:</strong> Mangiafico created a lot of chances. He took on players and was very aggressive. His work rate was rewarded by scoring Choate's lone goal in a 1-0 victory. <strong>M Kameron Mohammed, Choate Rosemary Hall (Conn.), So.:</strong> Only a sophomore, he was solid in the middle of the field. He won tackles and played at a high tempo. <strong>F [player_tooltip player_id='15158' first='Gavin' last='Mpiana'], Hill School (Pa.), Sr.:</strong> Played the No. 9 and moved between wing and midfield. He's big, strong and tough to handle. The native of South Africa also is a good leader. <strong>M Eduardo Murillo de Souza, RMPUS (Canada), Jr.:</strong> He was a smart player who controlled the middle. <strong>D Thomas Navab, Hotchkiss School (Conn.), Jr.:</strong> He was strong on the ball and in defending 1v1 situations. <strong>D Jose Noriega, Combine Academy (N.C.), Sr.:</strong> A native of Venezuela, Noriego kept everything calm in the back. <strong>F Mohammed Nuhu, Hotchkiss School (Conn.), Sr.:</strong> Nuhu was clearly the best player on the field in Hotchkiss' 2-1 loss to Good Counsel (Md.). The native of Accra, Ghana, scored the team's lone goal on a penalty kick. He's great on the ball and high energy. He has committed to Amherst. <strong>F Jordy Profeta, Good Counsel (Md.), Jr.:</strong> Profeta set the pace and was rewarded by scoring a goal in Good Counsel's victory as the team remained undefeated on the season. <strong>D Anish Reid, Hotchkiss School (Conn.), Sr.:</strong> Delivered a strong defensive performance for Hotchkiss. <strong>W Collin Rego, Darlington Academy (Ga.), Sr.:</strong> A wide player, Rego was Darlington's top performer Saturday. <strong>D Atticus Ross, Phillips Exeter (N.H.), Sr.:</strong> He was a very steady presence in the back and he was strong under pressure. <strong>D VynceKarl Saintilus, RMPUS (Canada), Jr.:</strong> Saintilus was a hard worker and gave RMPUS width when it needed it. <strong>D Goncalo Salazar, Combine Academy (N.C.), Post-Grad:</strong> Another PG from Ecuador, Salazar did well to clean up the limited IHC attacks. IHC was playing three men down for large stretches of the match due to red cards. <strong>CM Ian Spiro, Bridgton Academy (Maine), Sr.:</strong> Spiro is receiving Division I interest, and he was Bridgton's standout in the match. He was able to settle and control the attack. He's very calm on the ball. <strong>W/F Mamadou Tall, Woodstock Academy (Conn.), So.:</strong> One of the rising stars in the prep school scene, Tall was able to hold up the ball and get Woodstock into the attack. He was able to take down every ball, control it and make the simple pass. He is a native of Senegal. <strong>F Salvatore Zani, Trinity Pawling (N.Y.), Fr.:</strong> Zani had good ball movement and showed well given his age. He has a lot of hustle. <strong>BEST XI</strong> GK: Kevin Flynn, Lawrenceville School (N.J.), Sr. D: Robbie Gresham, Good Counsel (Md.), Jr. D Kelly Janssen, Western Reserve Academy (Ohio), Sr. D: Jose Noriega, Combine Academy (N.C.), Sr. M: Nico Gallegos, Combine Academy (N.C.), Post-Grad M: Mark Makhatadze, Shenendehowa (N.Y.), Jr. M: Nico Mangiafico, Choate Rosemary Hall (Conn.), Sr. W/F: Mamadou Tall, Woodstock Academy (Conn.), So. F: Harmza Kromah, Western Reserve Academy (Ohio), Jr. F: Tremaine Henry, High Mowing (N.H.), Sr. F: Mohammed Nuhu, Hotchkiss School (Conn.), Sr., Amherst