Behind the net: a look into Lehigh goalies

Goaltenders serve as the last line of defense.

The position is seen in a variety of different sports, and it requires making strategic plays and saves to keep your team in the game. 

Senior goalie for the Lehigh field hockey team Jenny Canoni said her career began in eighth grade when her school held open tryouts for the goaltending position. 

Afterward, Canoni said she fell in love with the fun nature of the position, and she enjoys the challenge of making sure other people are constantly being set up for success. 

Canoni said her calm mindset keeps her level-headed, and her teammates feed off her ability to stay confident during a game. 

With every save, Canoni said she tries to build on the momentum as much as possible.

She reminds herself that teammates are looking at her to know how to react. 

“How I respond to a bad game is how the team is going to respond moving forward, so if I want us to turn our game around, I have to make sure that I look like I’m still ready to go,” Canoni said. 

Lehigh men’s soccer goalkeepers coach Josh Bordwick played Division III soccer during college but was never a goalkeeper. 

When a position opened up to train goalkeepers at Lehigh — even though he didn’t have any prior experience —  Bordwick said he was interested and was determined to put in the hours of hard work. 

For the past 10 months, this has been his reality. 

Bordwick said he’s continuing to learn the position from former college and professional goalkeepers by watching videos and finding drills. 

During practices, Bordwick said he uses his experience as a forward to his advantage by putting players through game-like plays and trying to predict teams’ offensive strategies. 

Bordwick said the best goalies are confident and mentally sharp, and sometimes the position feels mentally unforgiving.

“You can be the unsung hero of the game, making big saves, but when the ball goes into the back of the net, all eyes are on you,” Bordwick said. “A goalie has to be confident in their abilities and can’t lose that confidence when things go wrong.” 

In a game, Canoni said anticipating the opposition’s strategies leads to success, and she often reminds her teammates to watch out for a certain player or type of pass. 

When the odds are against you, Canoni said resilience comes into play. 

Bordwick said he agrees with the importance of resilience required by the goalkeeper position.

“When one of our goalkeepers let in four goals in the first half after coming back from injury, we ended up pulling him,” Bordwick said. “The next day, after watching film, he put in a good training session, which speaks volumes about resilience as a goaltender, where so much pressure rides on you.” 

Canoni said she’s capable of getting through any challenge and succeeding.

She said when she gets knocked down or makes a mistake, she reminds herself it’s something she’s faced on the field before. 

“I feel well-equipped to handle any bump in the road, being able to face adversity head-on,” Canoni said.

Lehigh women’s lacrosse senior goalie Julia DeLitta said she tries to keep “a goldfish mentality” during games, meaning she doesnt dwell on past mistakes and instead keeps a positive mindset for the remainder of the quarter.  

DeLitta said she believes goalkeepers must have the most confidence on the field, as the mental game is half the battle. 

DeLitta said her performance is noticeable at all times compared to other positions on the field. 

DeLitta attributes her resilience to her start in lacrosse at a young age. 

In fourth grade, she began playing in a youth league where her coaches were frequently rotating players into the net.

She always volunteered, eventually being selected to play. 

Unlike field hockey and soccer, lacrosse scoring often reaches the twenties which DeLitta said puts a lot of eyes on the goaltender. 

DeLitta said she enjoys being in that tough spot and said it’s fun to be relied on at all times. 

“I imagine myself saving another shot or the shot that just went in, allowing for that inner confidence to rise,” DeLitta said. “I’ve seen these shots before and prepped for these moments, so remembering that is key.” 

Canoni said most goalkeepers all have similar personalities in terms of core values, all centering on keeping the team in every game.

“I’d say you have to be a little crazy to play goalie in any sport,” Canoni said. “At the end of the day, our job is to keep our team in the game, so we are very determined and strong headed, in the best way possible.”