By Sportsforce Lacrosse
Goalies are different. Some say they’re crazy, weird, damaged, unbalanced…you get the idea. It’s not hard to understand why people talk about our net-minders this way, as they volunteer to face a hard rubber ball shot at 100mph, sometimes from inside 10 yards away. They have limited protection and step toward a situation from which most would turn and run. But with a very limited number of spots on each college team, they also have to develop and execute a different, smarter game plan for their recruitment.
The focus of this installment of our Sportsforce Education Series is the special considerations that goalies must take into account when facing the college recruiting landscape.
Goalies are a limiting factor for showcases, prospect days, camps, and club rosters. Each team that takes the field at an event must have at least one goalie, but usually not more than two. While showcase and prospect day organizers can flex some middies to play attack or some defensemen to play LSM, they really have to be more precise and plan around how many goalies they invite. Having too many would leave goaltenders standing on the sidelines for large portions of the event, while not enough will limit the number of teams they can form to evaluate field players during game situations.
What does this all mean for high school goalies looking to be recruited to the next level? It really means that they have acted early to establish their targets, make sure they find the events they want to attend and secure their spots. It also means that they have to ask questions when they get invited to prospect days and showcases: How many goalies are you inviting? How many players and teams will there be? Will I be splitting game time with other prospects? Of the attending schools/coaches, how many are looking for a goalie in my class?
Like everything else, a goalie’s approach to NCAA lacrosse recruiting will need to be a little different from most field players (except FOGOs, but that’s for another article)…they must define their target list of schools, research those rosters, and hone in on the programs and events that get them the best chances of securing a coveted, somewhat scarce roster spot at one of their best-fit schools.
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