{"id":8122,"date":"2025-04-09T12:05:18","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T16:05:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/?p=8122"},"modified":"2025-04-14T13:30:42","modified_gmt":"2025-04-14T17:30:42","slug":"between-the-pipes-a-look-at-cortlands-goalies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/2025\/04\/09\/between-the-pipes-a-look-at-cortlands-goalies\/","title":{"rendered":"Between the Pipes: A Look at Cortland\u2019s Goalies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

CORTLAND, NY – Being a lacrosse goalie is a high pressure, physically demanding role that requires a unique skill set, serving as the last line of defense and often determining the outcome of the game.

\u201cBalancing being locked in while handling the pressure is definitely a mental game,\u201d said Cortland goalkeeper Jack Lucidi. \u201cFor me, it\u2019s about staying in the moment and focusing on each play as it comes, rather than the overall outcome.\u201d

For the Red Dragons, this responsibility rests on the shoulders of graduate student Travis Wagner from Penfield, NY. As the starting goalie, Wagner has been instrumental in Cortland’s impressive 8-2 start to the 2025 season, showcasing resilience and skill in every match.

\u201cI know what works for me and that allows me to go play my best every day,\u201d said Wagner \u201cKnowing that, I can trust all the time and work I’ve put in over the years to make this last season the best one yet.\u201d

Backing up Wagner is sophomore Charlie Falowski from Redding, CT, who has demonstrated impressive dependability when called upon. The other back ups consist of Jack Lucidi and Max Moran, who are both just beginning their collegiate lacrosse journey.

Together, the goalies form a formidable last line of defense, embodying the Red Dragons\u2019 commitment to excellence and teamwork as they pursue SUNYAC championship glory.
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Photo from SUNY Cortland Athletics<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n


Unlike other players on the field who can afford a moment to set up their next move, goalies have to react in an instant. Shots in college lacrosse can exceed 90 miles per hour, often coming from unpredictable angles and through screens of defenders. Goalies have no time to hesitate. They must track the ball from the shooter\u2019s stick, predict its trajectory, and position themselves accordingly, all within a fraction of a second.

It’s possible that the most difficult part of being a goalie is not the physical demands. It\u2019s the mental game.

\u201cHaving the ability to trust ourselves and our skills is such an important part of our position,\u201d said Falowski.\u201d How we react to certain things sets the tone of the game, whether that is being scored on, or making a big save..\u201d

Every goalie will get scored on, and it’s especially inevitable in a sport like lacrosse, where double-digit goals are common. The best goalies must have the ability to shake off a bad goal and regain focus instantly. They also must have the ability to not let a good performance go to their heads.

\u201cI think the mental aspect is the most important part of playing this position,\u201d said Wagner. \u201cPhysical strength can only get you so far playing goalie and I believe that being mentally tough and understanding how to handle the highs and lows are critical to success.\u201d

The biggest thing Cortland\u2019s goalies rely on, is each other. The goalies depend on their teammates to communicate, apply pressure, and execute clears to keep the game under control. This mutual trust allows the team to play aggressively and confidently, knowing that whether it\u2019s Wagner, Falowski, Lucidi, or Moran in net, there\u2019s always a strong anchor in the defense.

\u201cThe biggest thing for me is just staying in the moment and staying confident in myself and my teammate’s ability to trust me as the last line of defense,\u201d said Lucidi.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CORTLAND, NY – Being a lacrosse goalie is a high pressure, physically demanding role that requires a unique skill set, serving as the last line of defense and often determining the outcome of the game. \u201cBalancing being locked in while handling the pressure is definitely a mental game,\u201d said Cortland goalkeeper Jack Lucidi. \u201cFor me, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":432,"featured_media":5538,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[27,88,43],"class_list":["post-8122","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-cortland","tag-lacrosse","tag-sports","entry"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/04\/lacrosse_team.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/04\/lacrosse_team.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Nolan Weber","author_link":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/author\/nolan-weber\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8122","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/432"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8122"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8122\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8122"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8122"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8122"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}