Asa Goldstock walked slowly out of the halftime tunnel on April 22 against Louisville alongside Neena Merola and Riley Donahue. Her stick rested on her right shoulder as the rest of the team trailed behind with slight hops in their jog as they passed her, blocking her from view.

She could have been lost in the crowd. She offered no emotion as she walked and stood with two seniors, whose Senior Day ceremony earlier that day was dedicated specifically to honoring them. But her dark blue helmet served as a reminder that the goalkeeper never leaves the spotlight. With the score tied at eight, Goldstock needed to stand tall in net for one more half for SU to pick up its first Atlantic Coast Conference win.

For Goldstock, standing out has never been the issue. Her past tendencies have produced her best moments, but the sophomore still felt the need for a change to the way she’s always played. While she’s excelled at making the tough plays she said goalies don’t always make, her goal this season was to perfect the simpler things. She needed to wait back, to be patient.

In 2018, Goldstock said she needed to be more steady.

“It’s just focus,” Goldstock said. “Stay in the game, that’s my goal.”

The emphasis on steadiness and focus is something new for Goldstock, who has built her livelihood with a playing style so unorthodox that she can’t think to compare herself to any other goalies. Last season, the then-freshman struggled to put together all of her talents. The faster Division I game made her “jumpy” habits less effective, she said.

Long clears and aggressive play worked against her and she struggled to stay consistent on a game-to-game basis last year. While her talent showed, in some games it led to disaster. In 2017, she was second on the team in turnovers (29) and, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Boston College, the then-freshman allowed 19 goals in an overall poor performance for SU.

But this year, Goldstock has seen a steady rise in her save percentage — increasing from .412 last season to .440 this season — despite Syracuse’s recent defensive struggles, which often leave Goldstock without a chance.

Finding that improvement became a mind game for Goldstock. Countless hours of film and a full offseason of experience under her belt, she realized she needed to simplify things.

During games, Goldstock said that she works on keeping her mind clear to avoid poor decisions and anxieties near the ball. She does this by staying tight to the net to improve her reaction time on shots. She focuses on setting her feet and allowing the shooter to come to her to improve her leverage to make the save.

On March 20, Goldstock had one of her best performances of the season in the Orange’s 14-7 domination over Cornell. Goldstock stood outside Schoellkopf Field with a smile. She had just tied a career-high with 16 saves without seemingly moving at all.

The sophomore held firm that it wasn’t poor shooting that was her opposition’s undoing. Instead, on a dreary Tuesday night, Goldstock cast a light on her season-long attempt at growth.

“I think personally it was kind of just me not being my old self,” Goldstock said on March 20. “That’s something I’ve been practicing.”

Max Freund | Staff Photographer

Those strategies haven’t always worked. And sometimes, her old tendencies put her in bad spots.

Four days after she hit most of her clears in one of her best performances of the season, some of the sophomore’s struggles returned. Against Maryland on March 11, following a save, Goldstock looked quickly toward the sideline and then burst up field, cradling left and right as she panned the field for open SU players down field. She made it out all the way to the opposing 45-yard line before attempting to loft a clear to one of her teammates.

The pass was intercepted, which sent Goldstock running with reckless abandon down to the  unguarded goal. While the Terrapins didn’t convert, Goldstock exemplified tentative play for the remainder of the game in what was SU’s first lopsided loss of the season.

While Goldstock’s goal this season has been to stay more focused in the net, Gait said the next task is to work on her decision making when she leaves the net following a save.

“Get a rest,” Gait said. “Then you got a better shot of making a save the next time.”

Goldstock’s kryptonite has been “doing too much,” Gait said. So, this year, she has installed confidence in her defense, allowing her to breathe. Results have followed.

Senior defender Mia DiBello said Goldstock excels at “zoning in” prior to games, evidenced by her body language on the field. Often wearing eye black that streams down her face, she rarely smiles as she strides slowly across the field to her spot her in goal.

Against Florida on March 7, Goldstock had to do very little. She made saves when she needed to, but as SU exercised its dominance, she often had her back to the play, watching the play on the large screen overhead and waiting for her opportunity.

“We all talk to each other and I think (steadiness) comes with it,” junior defender Alexa Radziewicz said, “being relaxed and knowing she can trust us and knowing we can trust her.” 

It’s been a focus of Goldstock’s for a long time, whose steady goals have led her to experiment with new things. Last year, for the first time in her career, Goldstock wasn’t at the top and a lack of consistency held her back from turning her best moments into lasting success. But this year was different.

“Nothing really else is coming to the field with me anymore,” Goldstock said. “I’m just leaving it. It’s just for lacrosse.”

Published on April 29, 2018 at 9:17 pm

Contact Michael: mmcclear@syr.edu | @MikeJMcCleary