The goalie in lacrosse must have many traits: excellent hand-eye coordination, agility, strength, accuracy, passing skills and instincts for both the offensive and defensive aspects of the game. The goalie needs the knowledge and confidence to direct his defense and the mental toughness to bounce back when the other team scores. A good goalie can help his team to a winning record.
Last Line of Defense
A goalie's best friends can be quick and talented defenders who can limit the opposing team's number of shots on goal and interfere with the shots that are made. But a goalie is still the last line of defense for his team. Since goalies don't score, their biggest contribution to the team is to save as many shots as possible and keep their team in the game. Just a few saves can make the difference between winning and losing.
Setting Up the Offense
Once the goalie has possession of the ball, it's his job to quickly get it to his teammates and start the offense down the field. A goalie who can take command, yell "Clear!" to get his team headed toward the opposing goal, and make an accurate pass is a valuable commodity. A goalie who can make a nice, arcing pass 40 to 50 yards downfield to a teammate breaking toward the goal can spark his team's offense and contribute directly to more shots on goal and, as a result, more scores.
Modeling Mental Toughness
Lacrosse goalies give up far more goals than goalies in other sports such as hockey or soccer. This is especially true of girls' lacrosse, because the game is geared for more scoring. More free shots on the goalie are allowed for fouls in girls' lacrosse than boys'. Because of that, lacrosse goalies need to be mentally tough. A goalie who can bounce back, be confident and get teammates to believe in themselves, even when losing, is of vital importance to a team. Teammates see how tough the goalie is and that grit and confidence can be contagious.
Success on Defense
The goalie is the leader of the defense, and as such is responsible for calling out which defense should be played, where the ball is on the field and which opposing players are getting a better tactical position. A goalie who reacts quickly and knows the game well enough to shout out orders and organize the defense will make a positive difference in games and over the course of a season.
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