Spring 2019 1
Visit our new homepage at www.keeperscircle.com
for the latest updates, stories, & photos. Article References
Image References
Publisher
The Herald
Boston University
Circle Publishing
Bret McCormick
Boston College
Lax Goalie Rat
NCAA
Editor
Coach Damon
Towson University
US Lacrosse
University of North Carolina
Brian Logue
US Lacrosse
US Lacrosse Magazine
US Lacrosse Magazine
Megan Miller
Winthrop University
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Kailyn Lapham Front Cover Image Kailyn Lapham; Colby-Sawyer College
Circle Contents SPRING 2019 Editors Note
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Get The Facts
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Toughest Position in Team Sports? 6 An outlook on the position of the lacrosse goalie.
Reaching New Heights
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Where is international play going?
Q&A
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Discussing tactics with a Division 1 coach.
The Mental Game
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The importance behind developing a strong mental checklist.
How to Hold Your Ground
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Check out our collectible Keeper's Circle stickers! Page 9
Tips on patience and holding out on the shot with Team USA's Gussie Johns.
Find a Wall Become a Wall
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Specific drills to try out at practice or on your own.
Toughest Position in Team Sports? The perspective of being a goalie and the connection between goalies is crucial to the position. Read more on page 6
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Editor's Note Welcome to our spring 2019 edition of Keeper’s Circle, a women’s lacrosse magazine featuring tips, stories and the invigorating culture of being a women’s lacrosse goalkeeper. Being a goalie is all about fundamentals; having the right angles, stepping to the ball, and commitment to the position. It takes a special type of athlete to take on the role of being the final line of defense for the team. With the weight of the world on their shoulders, goalies need constant repetition in practice and a solid support system to perform at the best of their abilities. In this edition you will find various articles about the importance of angles, mental health, and drills to try out. Women’s lacrosse in general is one of the fastest growing sports in the world, with an increase in the number of teams comes a larger number of girls becoming goalies. As a lacrosse community, it is crucial that we encourage, support, and train these girls to be confident on-and-off the field in order to love the position and game.
Play on,
Kailyn Lapham Editor
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Taylor Moreno, North Carolina, steps to the ball in a 10 save game which led her team to a 18-7 victory against James Madison, the defending national champion in 2018.
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GET THE FACTS
HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT LACROSSE? 6 Keeper's Circle 4 Keeper's Circle
8 The women’s field is set up with the 8-meter arc, fanned around the crease. A great tool to use are the hash marks, equally placed around the 8, and the diagonals of the 8 which are perpendicular to the post.
12 There are 12 players including a goalkeeper on the field at once. This includes four defense, four attack, and three mid-fielders.
18 The crease, which sits at the bottom of the eight - meter, is 18 feet in diameter.
45 The women’s game is all about angles, stepping to the ball at a 45 degree angle is crucial to cutting down the opponent’s shot. Teaching a goalie to use the field to her benefit is important to her fundamentals.
36,000 In the United States an estimated 750,000 children played youth lacrosse in 2015, while 36,000 play at the college level.
6x6 A lacrosse goal is six feet tall by six feet wide, creating a square frame supported by a triangular base. Spring 2019 7 Spring 2019 5
TOUGHEST POSITION in Team Sports? By: Bret McCormick, The Herald
Lacrosse Goalie Chloe Wormsley felt obligated to step up for her Winthrop teammates. The soft inner parts of her biceps, thighs and legs wished they had been consulted first. Wormsley, a freshman lacrosse player from Rochester, N.Y., left behind her defensive position and stepped into goal for the Eagles in January after a spate of injuries decimated their goalie ranks. And thus began a litany of purple, blue and yellow/green bruises. “I was pretty scared, I was nervous,” said Wormsley. “Playing in goal at Division I so obviously it’s gonna be really scary. It’s not like playing a little fall ball scrimmage back in sophomore year (of high school). This is, like, the real deal.” Credit Wormsley for stepping forward because lacrosse goalie may be the toughest position in team sports. Certainly playing quarterback or catcher, or pitching, are difficult pursuits where the athlete is front and center, and in the quarterback’s case, receiving the undivided attention of 6-foot-4, 290-pound angry people. But very few positions require the combined mental and physical toughness that a lacrosse goalie needs in great surplus. “If you look at it logically, why would anyone get in there?” asked Nation Ford boys’ lacrosse coach Brian Holland. “You give the guy with the least amount of equipment and tell them to stop these shots of a hard rubber ball that’s being shot at you 80, 90 miles an hour from 10 to 12 yards away. They’ve got to be slightly off, to put it nicely.” Holland’s son is a goalie at the middle school level “And he’s definitely slightly off,” Holland said, laughing.
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Winthrop University's Alaina Girani steps to the ball during early season game.
Getting Hit... Somewhere Have you ever felt a lacrosse ball? If you have, you know the damage the dense and bouncy rubber pill can do to any part of a body that’s not extensively padded. Winthrop standout goalie Alaina Girani compared it to being punched. The punches aren’t always above the belt. Winthrop was expecting to lean on defending Big South Conference defensive player of the year Girani this spring, but she broke her foot during a teambuilding exercise in preseason. She began playing goalie in fourth grade, against the wishes of her parents. “When you’re a goalie I feel like you’re just kind of meant for it,” she said while watching her team practice Friday. You just kind of build up a pain tolerance. When I’m in season, all of my legs are covered with bruises. You have to get used to it.
It’s easy to find out if you’re not meant for it. ESPN devoted an episode of its Sports Science show to the lacrosse shot and made some startling findings. Most lacrosse shots on goal come from within 30 feet, giving goalies an average of 0.19 seconds to react. Add in the bounciness of the lacrosse ball and goalies have to make those split-second saves at a number of different angles, often with their body. Shin guards are required in high school girls’ lacrosse but Fort Mill goalie Callie Ruddy still has a permanent bump on her shin from accumulated scarring.
“When you’re a goalie I feel like you’re just kind of meant for it” ~ Alaina Girani, Winthrop University
“There is plenty of space on her that is not covered and you can kind of see it on her face when she gets hit by a shot,” said Fort Mill girls’ lacrosse coach Kellie-Anne Wunk. “She just kind of grits her teeth and takes it. She’s a champ." How does Ruddy release the pain in that instant so that can she move on mentally? “I get really angry,” she said, laughing. Wormsley knows the feeling. “After a while you kind of get used to it but at first it was so hard for me,”. “I’d have to tell myself ‘okay, just relax, breathe. This is what you’re gonna have to go through, this is how it’s gonna be. You signed up for this so you have to go through it.”
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Pick Your Goalie Up The lacrosse goalies with the personalities best developed for the position are evenkeeled but also harbor an edge. Save percentages for lacrosse goalies rarely top 60 percent, so the opposition will score and it’s important for the goalie to keep their cool. But they also need to possess the edge to take on such a daunting task while exposing their body to physical harm from a tightly wound rubber ball flying at their face, shins, arms, throat at extremely high speeds. “It’s a hard part to teach,” said Holland. “Those kids just kind of have it. "It’s definitely one of the toughest positions because it’s a mental game,” Girani said. “When you lose a game it feels like it’s on you even though that might not necessarily be true.” Wormsley has smiled a few times this season. She made a couple of key saves in Winthrop’s one-goal loss to Michigan, a surreal moment for a stand-in goalie.
"It’s definitely one of the toughest positions because it’s a mental game”
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You like hearing the crowd roar when you make a save. It's a great feeling. Clover boys’ lacrosse goalie Noah Lalli, on one of the few rewards of his position. It’s important to enjoy the good moments, as fleeting as they sometimes are. “She is the last line of defense,” Wunk said about her netminder, Ruddy. “Every other position on the field you’ve got the team dynamic going on. If you’re having a bad day any of those other three or four girls can pick up your slack, whereas Callie, she’s on her own.” That’s why lacrosse teams traditionally run toward their goalie at the end of halves or games.“Because she’s the one girl on the team that you need to pick her up because she’s saving your butt,” said Wunk. ”
HAVE A PIECE OF THE CIRCLE
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GOT BALL! Towson's Olivia Conti stands strong on defense in a match up verses Saint Joesph's. The last time the two teams saw each other the Tigers won 13 - 2 in Philadelphia.
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Reaching New Heights By: Brian Logue, US Lacrosse Unitas Stadium at Towson University will be the primary venue when US Lacrosse hosts the 2021 Federation of International Lacrosse Women's World Cup. Towson was also the host facility when US Lacrosse hosted the 2003 U19 World Championships. US Lacrosse has been selected to host the 2021 Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) Women’s World Cup. The event will be held at Towson (Md.) University from July 7-17, 2021. “On behalf of the FIL Board and our 60 member nations, I would like to congratulate US Lacrosse on their winning bid to host the 2021 FIL Women’s World Cup,” said FIL President Sue Redfern. “FIL is confident that US Lacrosse will stage a memorable and successful event as they did with the 2014 FIL Men’s World Championships and continue to reach new heights in generating media, public interest and television coverage for this great event.” “US Lacrosse is honored to host the Federation of International Lacrosse in 2021,” said US Lacrosse CEO Steve Stenersen. “The opportunity to showcase the world’s best players is a privilege, and we look forward to showcasing the best of our sport to what promises to be record attendance and unprecedented media attention.” The FIL World Cup is the major international championship for women’s lacrosse and features the top female lacrosse players in the world, representing at least 30 countries. The quadrennial event dates to 1982 and the United States has won eight of the 10 World Cups held to date. Last summer, the U.S. defeated Canada 10-5 in Guilford, England to win the championship for the third straight time. This will be the sixth world championship US Lacrosse has hosted since the organization was formed in 1998. US Lacrosse previously hosted the 1998 Men’s
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“The opportunity to showcase the world’s best players is a privilege, and we look forward to showcasing the best of our sport to what promises to be record attendance and unprecedented media attention.” ~ US Lacrosse CEO Steve Stenersen.
World Championship (Baltimore), 2003 Men’s and Women’s U19 World Championships (Towson, Md.), 2005 World Cup (Annapolis, Md.) and 2014 Men’s World Championship (Denver). Towson’s Unitas Stadium has a turf infield, lights and seating for over 11,000 spectators. The facility will be used for opening ceremonies, preliminary round games and the championship rounds of the event. Additional turf fields on campus will be used for preliminary round games. US Lacrosse also expects to conduct festivals in conjunction with the World Cup, and those games will be played at Goucher College. “It is an honor to be awarded this prestigious international event,” said Terry Hasseltine, Executive Director, Maryland Sports. “We look forward to working with the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL), US Lacrosse, Towson University and our regional city, county and state partners to bring the 2021 FIL Women's World Cup to Maryland. 2021 promises to be a memorable year for women's lacrosse here in Maryland as we'll be hosting the FIL World Cup and the NCAA Division I & III Women's Lacrosse Championships." The eight-time world
USA Midfielder, Marie McCool (North Carolina '18) pushes past defender.
champion U.S. women’s national team trains and plays using best-in-class products provided by Nike (apparel and footwear), Brine (equipment), STX (equipment), Under Armour (equipment), SISU Guard (mouth guards) and The Pearl by Guardian (balls). In addition to these partners, Chipotle, Greenfields, Nationwide, Sweat X, Bank of America and MedStar Sports Medicine are official sponsors of Team USA. Team training is also aided by products from DJO Global, Motive Pure, NormaTec Recovery and Athletic Republic.
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Q&A
with a Female D1 Goalie Coach By: Coach Damon, Lax Goalie Rat
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Could you tell me a little about your lacrosse goalie and coaching background? Growing up in Michigan I started lacrosse in middle school as a low defender (which was still called point or cover point, haha) then I tore my ACL at 13 and began my “second life” as goalie! It took some serious prompting from my high school coach, who literally had to take the field player stick in my hand and replace it with a goalie stick. But shortly after that I fell in love with the position and have never ever looked back! At the time there was only one club team in Detroit so it was a mishmash group of us from all over, some people who I am still very close with, and I wound up at a D1 program in Mass! It was an amazing four years and I am SO proud to call it my alma mater! All along I had been coaching private lessons and summer camps so I knew that coaching was what I ultimately wanted to do but I was a little burnt out after graduation so I got a job, coached club and gave more lessons.
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Many people think there’s a big difference in playing goalie in guys lacrosse vs girls lacrosse, what’s your opinion? So in that aspect, not so much, but the way we play our angles, slightly different, the stance, where you stand in cage are all slightly different but nothing too drastic. The save technique is mostly the same, boys sometimes play an arc that’s slightly closer the goal line but on the whole it’s kind of just personal preference. I usually coach kids a four or five step arc, whereas boys occasionally have a three step. Communication, as in most sports, is key! We’re quarterbacks and literally see EVERYTHING all over the field. Finding your voice no matter who you are in cage is critical, you have got to be willing to talk everyone through each play, transition and set. Clearing wise, again nothing too different, boys might outlet a little bit higher up the field, just because transitional sets can be slightly different, but generally the same, try and hit them on the run and don’t force it up the middle.
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Are there are any drills that you do with girls that wouldn’t necessarily work in the guys game and vice versa? Hmm, to be honest not really that I can think of, they kind of all go both ways! One things I am a huge fan of is incorporating QB drills (for clears and communication) and then like hockey goalie drills for agility and footwork, and working some angle drills from soccer. Basically I really just like to pull from other sports because I think that’s how we push the limits on what’s possible. Also never be afraid for something to not work, no two goalies are alike, a lot of times I have to try different techniques with kids and odd tactics to get them to understand a technique or have a movement stick.
Any rules specific to women’s lacrosse that specifically effect the goalie play? Only difference I can think of is the “8 meters”. In female lacrosse after a foul inside the 8 meter line you have a restart where the attacker essentially gets a free run at the goal starting at the 8 meter line. So yeah, not the easiest thing to defend or make a stop on but if you can stop more than you let in, you’re definitely doing okay!! No lie, the best thing you can do on 8M’s is make yourself as big as you can, relax and just get a piece on the shot. Being relaxed and confident about at least getting a piece on ball can is really what you can hope for. And if goes in, you get the next one. One thing in particular to keep in mind is that if it’s a kid committing the same foul over and over, try and figure out how to prevent that from happening (that’s where the whole quarterback/command your D thing comes from…) The other thing that just helps is seeing them in practice and replicating them the best you can in practice.
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Part of being a good male goalie is leading the defense. How can I teach a female goalie to lead the defense? AHHH! YES, so as I mentioned before you have GOT to be the quarterback… find your voice, talk your defenders through everything. Sometimes D-kids are big animals and you have to dictate them exactly what you want to do. Always wanting to force the attacker out or to your help, calling for the crash, recognizing who the major threats are, where is the breakdown occurring? Bringing the team together after goals and figuring out what happened is critical. Something I have found extremely helpful to some kids has been watching film, even if it’s not on yourself!
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THE MENTAL GAME Learning to focus on the aspects of the game that an individual can control and leaving behind all others. In Control
Out of Control
Thoughts and emotions
Weather
Level of preparation for a game
Opponents
Reaction to a goal that goes in
Teammates
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Referees Coaches
In the world of sports coaches and athletes spend so much of their time focusing on physical play, from drills that help to help to perfect skills and teamwork to conditioning. What many teams fail to focus on is the mental aspect of playing. A women’s lacrosse goalie has to be one of the most mentally strong players out there as they face the constant ups and downs of letting goals in and saving them. Even the best goalies have days where it seems that goals just keep going in the net no matter what they do, but their reaction to it is what separates their true level of skill. Goals happen, but finding a way to let them go and reset after a goal is crucial to the position. Why? Once a keeper gets tense, it is not just a mental block that can make them over think their every next move, but their body is also effected. Their shoulders become locked, tight, anything but relaxed and therefore in order for them to save the next shot they must first drop their shoulders then relax thus taking a split second longer to react, which in a game of timing every millisecond is crucial to coming up with the ball and can not be wasted. Flushing it out, the mental toilet that every goalie needs to find. If you ask any successful keeper they will likely have their own way to do it. After the ball is retrieved and headed back to the circle for another draw, is the perfect time for a mental reset. Some goalies count to ten and take a deep breath, others sing a song, some must physically move to relax by practicing to take the step that probably would’ve stopped the shot. The culture of a women’s lacrosse goalie usually end these mental checks with two clings of their stick on the posts because after all the pipes are your friends and goals happen.
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with Team USA's Gussie Johns
As the women’s game advances in equipment and rules, so do the skills of its players. At the highest level of play, Team USA goalie Gussie Johns has witnessed the gamut of moves attackers have learned to try to deke their defenders and make the keepers bite on shots. “As a goalie, it is important to always play the ball and not the body or the stick of the attacker,” Johns said. “Because at the end of the day, the ball is the only thing you really care about.”Johns reacts only to the release of the ball and ignores any extra movements. As a goalie, the less you move, the harder it is for attackers to score with limited visible space.
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The Fake Out As the shooter is coming into your field of vision, line up your belly button to the ball in your stance. Maintain that stance when the attacker inches closer and attempts a fake. Bend your knees to change levels, but make sure your hands stay up and set. Watch the ball and the head of the attacker’s stick. As her cradle begins to break and sets up to shoot, set your feet. Explode to the ball. React to the release point by thrusting your hands and stick head into the path of the shot. Follow with your body and feet to complete the save.
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Find a Wall
DRILLS SPECIFIC FOR GOALIES TO FOCUS ON FUNDAMENTALS
At the helm of all successful goalies is a responsive memory. Repetition in drills at practice and having a set warm-up before games is key to becoming a strong goalkeeper. Through the specific fundamentals that are taught and improved in drills, the repetition of movement will translate into game play and make a goalkeeper more confident with stepping up to the ball. The drills below are just a few that can be used at any level
Post to Post Drill Focuses on: • •
Big quick step on a 45-degree angle Tracking the ball across the 8-meter
How it works: this drill requires a feeder and a shooter. Place a pile of balls on the elbow of the left side of the 8-meter with the feeder. The shooter should be on the opposite elbow prepared to cut in and receive the pass. Although the keeper knows the shot will come from the opposite side they should line up on the post with the feeder and follow the pass across, drop stepping and then out on the 45-degree angle as the shot comes in. The keeper should make sure to keep an eye on the ball and match sticks if the feeder comes in closer. The speed of the feed and shot should increase with the comfort level of the initial crucial step. Make sure to also change the side that the feed and shot comes from.
Wall Ball Focuses on: • •
Developing quick hands and feet Stick skills
How it Works: wall ball isn’t just for field players, it is the perfect thing for goalkeepers to quicken their hands and improved stick skills by themselves. Start with no gloves or stick and throw and catch a ball off the wall quickly, try different angles, left side, right side, high or low. Then grab your stick and do the same sets, try to use both hands, and remember to step to the ball with every catch. Wall Ball is the perfect time to be uncomfortable and try something new.
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Become a Wall Balancing RDL Focuses on: • • •
Balance Focus Core strength
How it works: place two cones about shoulder width apart, one with a ball on the top. Standing on one leg, slightly bent complete an RDL, (Roman Dead Lift) by reaching down to pick up the ball with one hand. Still keeping the knee slightly bent and back straight stand up while simultaneously bringing the ball straight in front of you, in line with your shoulder. Next, complete another RDL but this time slightly rotating over to place the ball on the other cone while reaching down. As you complete a set on one leg, make sure to change legs and complete an equal set.
Face Away Drill Focuses on: • •
Reaction to only the ball The pivot and step to the ball, similar to a crease roll and feed, or commonly the low draw and dump
How it works: place a pile of balls at the center of the eight-meter with the shooter, the keeper will begin by standing in the crease facing the goal, the shooter will say go and the keeper will turn around and sight ball as the shooter releases upon the turn of the keeper. Make sure to take a big step to the ball following the pivot and calling ball as soon as you see it. Try This: Use three different colored balls or number yellow balls 1, 2, 3. Instead of calling out ball, call the color or number!
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DON'T MISS OUT 2019 Division 1 Championship May 24 & 26 Homewood Field, Baltimore, MD
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