For Scouting Goalies, TV Offers a Glimpse

Opposing Coaches Able to See Weaknesses

Goalies for several local lacrosse teams have had up-and-down years. Virginia has used two starting goalies, as has Navy. Johns Hopkins sophomore goalie Michael Gvozden struggled during a five-game losing streak. Not coincidentally, Virginia, Navy and Johns Hopkins each began the year with a goalie different from the one who started the final game of last season.

But coaches and those within the sport also believe an increase in televised games has made it easier to scout goalies and find their weaknesses.

One assistant coach said he breaks down film of goalies from televised games. Two other administrators credited their teams' more detailed scouting reports on goalies to televised game footage.

Traditional coach's game films show a wide view of the field. With that angle, it is easy to see the patterns of play and off-ball movement. But goalie play often proved inscrutable from such angles. And for that reason, the best form of scouting an opposing goalie was to see him in person, according to Larry Quinn, a Hall of Fame goalie and longtime assistant at Johns Hopkins.

He believes, however, that TV has changed that.

"I heard that theory espoused several years ago and was skeptical," Quinn said. "I believe now, however, there is some validity to it. Goalies who do not have good technique or fundamentally sound form get exposed by increased television coverage.

"I also think there is anecdotal evidence of goalies who had better performances as freshmen or sophomores than they do as juniors or seniors, and, too, that would seem to support the theory."

Virginia Coach Dom Starsia pointed to a couple of reasons why goalies have struggled this year, not least that last year's graduating class of goalies was "outstanding." He did not, however, rule out the role TV has played.

"There's a lot more youth in goal for teams this year, like us and Hopkins and Syracuse," Starsia said. "The goalies who come to mind as having great years for the top teams, Miles Kass [at Georgetown] and Joey Kemp [at Notre Dame], are seniors with a lot of experience.

"If you're offering me the coach's film we have always had or a television broadcast, I'll take the coach's almost every time. It's a little more complete. But the TV version, with the slow-motion and wide angles, does make it easier to see the goalie. It's more detailed around the goal. It picks up things . . . like if the shot went to the inside pipe or outside pipe, or if the goalie stepped away. For us, the best situation is to have both tapes."

Maryland raised eyebrows when it opened the season using a goalie rotation of junior Jason Carter and sophomore Brian Phipps.

It is believed that no team has won a national title using such a rotation; the closest came when Virginia reached the title game in 1980 as Brian Gregory and Joe Bottner split time in goal.

Yet with the advances in scouting of goalies, Georgetown Coach Dave Urick believes that in the future, such a rotation could become the norm rather than the exception.

"I've always wanted to do it but have never had the guts," Urick said. "Especially if one's a lefty and one's a righty, I think it gives the other team a lot to prepare for. It's a strategy that can help you get an edge."

The cards may appear to be stacked against goalies, but the increase in video footage can help them as well.

"As a goalie, you can read a shooter's tendencies and how and where he releases the ball," Quinn said. "At the end of the day, a goalie can't cover every spot of the goal and has to give the shooter something. The trick is trying to dictate to the shooter that he has to beat you with a shot that is more difficult for him to take than it is for the goalie to save."

Notes: Senior Brendan Cannon, Georgetown's leading scorer, is questionable to play against Penn State today. Cannon left a 13-7 victory over Rutgers last week with a sprained ankle. Cannon's injury is not long-term, according to Urick. . . . The 16-team NCAA tournament field will be announced tomorrow night at 9.