BOTC - US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums NORTHEAST LACROSSE BOTC MAIN FORUM (LI, CT, WC) High School Lax Boys

Nope

Competitive? Yes. But without a solid keeper don't expect to win any hardware.

Having a good Face Off guy helps. but if you don't have a good goalie it is tough

So me teams are even stealing field time from other districts fields! UNBELIEVEABLE

Pequa too- Practicing outside when weather permits. Full speed training 2x per week all winter. Sunday nights indoor box play.

YES - lacrosse goalie is the most over rated position in any sport, kid only has to have nerves of steal and high tolerance for pain, the best goalie is usually the guy with the great defense in front of him that make the offence take bad shots. The game is won and lost on face offs and on ground balls (possessions), the only way a goalie has a huge outcome on a game is with his clears and directing his defense a good shot will beat a good goalie every time.

Why? At least someone is using the fields, since your team is home playing x-box

One of the dumbest thing I've heard on here. If one goalie makes two saves he shouldn't and the other goalie doesn't make two saves he should, it's a game changer. And by the way, the best goalies don't get hit with the ball that often. Unless, of course you are talking about box lacrosse. So this nonsense of just throw someone in there with balls of steel who can make outlet passes, save it for the other parents you're drinking out of red cups with, in the parking lot. Anyone who knows anything about lacrosse can pick out a really good goalie and a really bad goalie in two seconds. And by the way, the elite goalies make the defense in front of them even better, directing the defenses play. So how does that ability make them overrated? Full disclosure, just in case you think my son is a goalie. I coach varsity HS lacrosse and my son played attack. Maybe attack is overrated, where all they have to do is possess the ball and hit your stud midfielder for a goal. That's pretty absurd too.

If you think the game is won on face offs and groundballs, go check the box score of Yale vs Maryland this past weekend.

No clue about the game whatsoever. Goalie and faceoff are 2 most important players on the field. Goalies need fast hands, fast feet a knowledge of the game. Greater than any player. Goalues hurl themselves in harms way with less pads than other players on the field. They don't wear shoulder pads or elbow pads. Their gloves are useless. A lacrosse goalie faces shots from multiple planes. High to low, low to high, etc. All while being screened. The lacrosse goal is 6x6 versus a hockey goalie which is 3x6. Hockey goalie faces shots from one plane off the ice and they wear more pads than the stay puft marshmallow man. Players in lacrosse have more hold and control of the ball than ever before and can do more than any other sport with the ball in their stick.

Why do you think there are so few goalies as early commits. Coaches don't dare rush to pick one. Goalie is like a fine wine needs to fully mature and develop before being chosen. You can take an athletically gifted kid and put a long pole in their hand and they will excel. Now put a goalie stick and they wouldn't have the faintest idea of what to do. Arch a 5 step or a 7, high arch low arch, pipe to pipe movement, clears, defensive sets, the offensive plays of the other team, calling slides 1st and 2nd all while trying to stop a ball moving at over 100mph.

Thank you, Coach. Very well said. As the parent of a goalie, I would like the poster of the low lacrosse IQ poster to stand in front of the cage during a varsity lacrosse game. You would never last.

You had me until you said you coach varsity lacrosse and you are posting on BOTC, If you are telling the truth you have lost all credibility and if you lied then you are a liar

2013 WM wins the state championship with a unrecruited goalie that walked on in college and the next year 2014 Massapequa wins the the state championship with a goalie that never plays in college. the original post was asking if team can be competitive without a solid goalie and that was two recent examples of teams winning it all without a great goalie. 2015 Farmingdale had arguably the best goalie on the Island and lost in the first round of the playoffs. give me a great team and an OK goalie every time

Yup, I could be your son's coach. Wouldn't you love to know. Now rather than comment on overrated positions worry about your important things, like where you are going to place the team tent this summer LOL

2012 West Islip Championship team wouldnt have gone anywhere without their goalie who is now a 4 year starter and Captain at Brown. Ask anyone who played on that 2012 team and they will tell you to a man that he made all the difference and he was their best and most important player. Yes I agree a superior team can overcome a mediocre goalie, but an outstanding goalie can make a good team a great one.

I will have to agree with you on that, coming off a 2x county championship. Lacrosse is so dynamic. So many factors involved. Sometimes it all comes together due to teamwork and respect. Good luck to all the teams this season. Should be an exciting one! Who wants it?

The 2013 WM goalie was off the charts good that year. And was so good that he walked on to Cornell. All from how well he played as a senior. I posted before that you Can be competitive with a bad goalie but you will never win championships without one. IMHO

Like was said earlier it takes time for a goalie to develop because being a goalie takes much more than being a good athlete. There is so much to being a goalie and unless you have played the position you will never know what it takes to be a goalie.

Massapequa 2014?????

Coach, I have never had a red solo cup at a HS or summer tournament nor do I hang under the tents, The original post was meant as a joke to what appeared to me to be a silly question and I figured I would stir the pot little to drive people a little crazy but what I got was a typical bully reply from a HS coach (if that is even true). the funny part is my so plays goalie..... And I truly hope you are not my sons coach, I would be embarrassed for my coach if he trolled BOTC, this is a great site for insecure psychotic parents not bully parents

It is a team sport. Having a stud (at any one position) will not help you win anything if the rest of the team is weak. If you have a team filled with good players then a great player or two will put you over the top. It can be a super star goalie, a dominant fogo, a stud defender it really doesn't matter. Insert a stud into a team of solid players and it puts the team over the top. I think a team can be competitive without a solid goalie but it certainly helps to have an above average guy between the pipes.

I don't understand. Are you saying the goalie was bad ? He was more than adequate. They had a lot of firepower but he stepped up in the big games. Lost 7-4 to Chaminade, played great in 6-5 3OT loss to GC, and played good enough to beat SE 13-12 in LIC. Great defense helped.

okay take a stab at it.

Smithtown East
Ward Melville
Connetquot
Half Hollow Hills East
Half Hollow Hills West
Smithtown West
West Islip
Northport
Sachem East
Sachem North
Walt Whitman
Bay Shore
Commack
Huntington
Lindenhurst
Riverhead
Middle Country
Patchogue-Medford
North Babylon
Brentwood
Copiague
Longwood
William Floyd

Smithtown East - Return experience and talent on Offense. Strong at the FO X

West Islip - Athletic, hungry and gritty with quality coaching.

Connetquot - Should build upon last season. Attack will put up points.

Sachem North - Dark horse to be in the final four.

Just my opinion and curious as to who agrees. If a freshman is good enough to make Varsity I hope he is given a fair shake. If he is better then a junior or senior and has been putting in the effort over the years and outplays others he shouldn't be held back..its varsity lacrosse and the best should be the ones to play and not be grade based. So you would hope coaches don't make that mistake and give in to pressure from older kids parents

My b opinion is he better be alot better. if its real close my loyalty is to the older kid.

If he is a better player and will help the team win then he should make the team and play. It's HS best kids play

Top ranked teams off to a rough start. BL gave #3 Landon an [lacrosse] whooping yesterday 9-1 and #1 Haverford got smoked by Calvert Hall. Should be an interesting year.

I am going thru this right now, my son is a 9th grader and has been told he will start varsity this year. He has been working out with them last summer, fall and this winter. It seems like most of the kids are ok with him playing, but it seems the parents are the ones who have the problem. I will be sitting at the opposite side of the bleachers during each game. I really don't want to listen to the comments the parents have. in travel I hide in the corner so I don't have to listen to the crazy parents and now I have the same problem with High School

You may be right but scrimmages are just that nothing more- they mean nothing - each coach handles them differently so to put any credence in them is a mistake .... also rankings in general are a joke although it is fun to talk about them

to paraphrase Confucius: "If hate is inevitable, lie back and enjoy it" - don't hide from the haters, be proud of your son's accomplishments and sit front row, cheer him on and let him see you there being proud and not hidden.

Most coaches are not playing scrimmages to win. They are trying out different combinations of players to see who will eventually start. What works, what doesn't. If you think a scrimmage score is a strong indicator of team success, you are dead wrong!

and hope your son doesn't make too many mistakes, or he will be roasted, and you will be banished to the enemy bleachers!

I would offer up not to distance yourself like you do in club. Embrace your son's spot on the team. There may be times you scratch your head at your sons play and others, it happens. The good thing is the kids embraced him, if that is so then the majority of the parents will. Please don't alienate yourself from them and the total experience. You may not live in the same town as your club teammates. You do in Public HS. Enjoy the ride and good luck this season

are you "blanking" kidding me... really, is that necessary!

What high school team?

My son was brought up in 9th grade to varsity. It was a great experience for him. Be proud of his accomplishments. As a parent I felt very little animosity from other parents. The only negative I really saw then and still see now is that some other players were and are overlooked by coaches always thinking of the next year and developing new young talent all while there are talented kids sitting on the bench. Actually develop is the wrong word.. if it had not been for the youth program and summer travel my son has not learned a thing ftom his current coaches. Some parents use the threat to take their 8th grader to catholic school if the coach does not bring him up next year. Unfortunately for our high school program the head coach buys in to this nonsense and let's a few parents dictate the varsity line up. Hopefully this year it will all work out.

that's really an honest assessment of what happened in our town. wont name town but its an easy guess.

not going to mention any high school names. but thanks everyone for the great advice, except for the one about my son being roasted. every kid will have his good and bad moments. it will just be that his will be more dissected than the other kids.

I am proud and will be his biggest fan. I just wont be dealing with any BS from other parents. I will let my sons play speak for itself and hopefully everything works out. He needs to step up and if he doesn't than it will be a learning experience