Back Of The CAGE caught up with the #13 ranked senior on Long Island and the returning 1st Team All Back of the Cage selection from Riverhead High School, Katie Goodale for our weekly Senior Spotlight series interviewing a new senior each week.
The Syracuse University signee has been the leader of the team upon her arrival as an eighth grader in 2016 and through her hard work on and off the field, she became the top 3rd overall defender in the country. Her 'blue collar' mentality which was instilled upon her by helping out the family business has taught her so much including teamwork and leadership and that is why her teammates, coaches and peers all respect her. Goodale is a 2x Captain who has already accomplished so much but she much rather help her team in all major facets. For two consecutive seasons, Katie has joined the 30-30-30 club in ground balls, draws and caused turnovers. This year, she is looking to help her team get over the hump of making back-to-back Semi-Final appearances and the trajectory the team been going ever since her arrival, with Goodale as the anchor to a strong team, I certainly wouldn't bet against her.
See below to get a closer look at the 2x All County selection:Q&A w/ Katie Goodale
Back Of The CAGE (BOTC): Unlike your young Field Hockey team that you helped bring back to the playoffs, your Blue Waves are a senior-laden team with almost every major contributor from last year’s team. With last year's team having a successful year making it back to the Suffolk Class A Semi-Finals, what are your expectations for the team this year and what individual goals do you have for yourself?Katie Goodale (KG): For the past two years we have made it to the semifinal round of the playoffs, in 2018 losing to Northport and in 2019 losing to Middle Country. As a team I believe our expectations are very high a lot of people are looking at us to make it to the County finals and more. My expectations along with my teammates is for our team to make it to the County Finals, and progress further as we have a very talented team. Individually, the goal I set for myself this season is to be a great leader and captain, this is important to me as I am in a position that my teammates look up to, I want to set a good example to follow.
BOTC: You have been the anchor of the defense with your work ethic & merit as evident from the accolades that you have earned (listed below) but you also have a key intangible asset which is being a leader. How does it feel to be voted a Captain by your peers and coach? (KG): I feel very grateful and honored that my coaches and teammates think of me in such a way. After being named a captain last year, for this year I have more of an understanding of what I need to bring to this team in order to help lead us in the right direction. Luckily, I have a great set of teammates who I can also look to for help and support me.
BOTC: I see that your parents are the owners of Goodale Farms and it has been in the family since the mid 1800’s. Do you help out at all with the family business?(KG): Yes, I actually help out a lot on the farm. To me it has taught some of the greatest life lessons I know, for example, learning the value of hard work and a strong work ethic, being on a farm you must do a lot to take care of it if you want it be successful, like in lacrosse if you want your team to be successful or want to become a better player you must work for it. I also want to become a veterinarian in the future and to many this isn’t a surprise considering I have many farm animals.
BOTC: So far, what is your most memorable moment over the past 5 seasons?(KG): Over the past five seasons I would say the most memorable moment was making the first ever playoff appearance Riverhead had ever seen. My 8th grade year, we were one win shy of making playoffs being the 12th seed as seeds 1-11 make it to playoffs. The next year, my freshman year, I think we all came back with a chip on our shoulders and worked hard to accomplish the goal of making playoffs, and we not only did that but we won our first ever playoff game. That is a moment I will never forget.
BOTC: What is your favorite quote or saying from Coach King?(KG): Coach King has given the team many quotes and sayings over the past five years in order to motivate our team. This year though one of the sayings is special as it impacts our community in Riverhead. The saying is “Spread Awareness, Raise Funds and Fight with Riverhead Lacrosse” which is part of a campaign called “Blue Waves Give Back in 2020”. It was created to raise awareness and funds for different foundations and people within our community at every home game. This saying means a lot to our team as each home game is to honor people from our community. It is a reminder that we are playing for something bigger and for the people in our community. On our instagram page
@RGVLax, you can learn more about the campaign.
BOTC: As one of the nation’s best defenders, why did you choose Syracuse University and what other schools were you considering?(KG): I chose Syracuse for many reasons. One of them being the atmosphere and culture surrounding them. The coaches and the whole team have a competitive nature and grit, which I love about them. I myself am very competitive and I think having that in common with Coach Gait and the rest of the team allows me to fit in. Academically I believe this is a school where I can excel in and graduate from with a good push into my future. Lastly, the team just feels like a home, the coaches here care so much for the players and being six hours away from home that was very important during my decision.
BOTC: Are you superstitious and do you have any pregame rituals?(KG): I am actually not superstitious at all. I know a lot of athletes are and have rituals they have to do before every game but for myself my pregame routine always varies and is never something I have to do.
BOTC: What’s on your playlist before games?(KG): During the season we come together as a team and make a playlist that we can warmup to either on the bus or on the field. Usually it has a lot of throwbacks, rap and upbeat dance music we can just get hype to for the game.
Rapid Fire Q & A's:
- Favorite Food? Ice Pops
- Favorite Movie? It's a Wonderful Life
- Favorite Sports Team? New York Yankees
- Favorite Athlete? Derek Deter
See some of Katie Goodale's career Athletic Accomplishments below: Lacrosse; #13 Ranked Senior (BOTC), #3 Ranked Defender in the Country (IL), 5x Varsity Starter ('16-'20), 2x Captain (2019-'20), 2x All County (2018 & 2019), 1st Team All BOTC (2019), 4th Team All State (2019), UA All American (2019), All Division (2017), All-Tournament (2017), Division I All Rookie Team (2016) | Field Hockey; 5x Varsity Starter, 2x All County (2018 & 2019), All Tournament (2018), HM All County (2017), All Conference (2016)
