(Photo by Krissy Hagel)

by Jac Coyne | MCLA.us

LA CROSSE, Wis. – The nerves started to kick in for Riley Maguire shortly after the bus ride to Reno started on Saturday afternoon. Sitting in one of the back seats of the charter coach leaving campus, Maguire, a senior at Boise State, just looked out the window.

The following afternoon, the Broncos were going to take on Nevada in a non-conference game the program needed to retain momentum after upsetting Colorado State the week before.

Normally, that wouldn’t be an issue for Maguire, who was the backup to starter Bond Barnette and had yet to see a minute of action after five games.

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But this wasn’t normal. Barnette was in considerable pain as he boarded the bus for Reno. He had taken a shot where no goalie wants to get hit, and it was really bothering the sophomore.

“There was some talk about whether or not Bond would be able to play, so I definitely started to get nervous,” admitted Maguire. “But once we got to the hotel, it was obvious that the team was behind me if Bond couldn’t play.”

After a fitful night’s sleep, Maguire sat down for breakfast and got the word.

“When the coaches told me in the morning that [Barnette] was in the ER and I was making the start, I talked to my dad and was able to calm some of the nerves.”

What is the MCLA Division I Game of the Week for the period ending March 24? #mcla24
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You see, Maguire’s nerves were nothing like your standard backup keeper. The Mission Viejo, Calif., native had never played a minute of goalie in his life. Maguire, a back-up close defender and defensive middie during his initial three years at BSU with a grand total of four ground balls to his credit, first picked up a goalie stick in January.

Those are the kind of nerves we’re talking about.

* * *

Entering this season, Maguire was looking to finish out his career as a reserve shorty, but there was a call to duty and the senior was asked to respond.

“Going into this spring we had a few guys quit the team, which happens every year in the MCLA, but this year it left us with one goalie,” he said. “When I was first asked to play goalie by [assistant coach] Mike Doud, I was unsure. I have gotten close with Mike over the years, so I was confident that if he was asking me to make the switch he was confident in me being able to.

“I also asked Bond for his opinion on the switch, as he’s one of my best friends on the team. I definitely had reservations about it.”

Having a player who didn’t pick up a lacrosse stick until his junior year in high school, never mind having never played in cage, as a back-up goalie was obviously not optimum for the Broncos. It did, however, fit in with Boise coach Adam Smith’s philosophy.

“When competing in any team sport, I believe everyone has a role to play, no matter where you stand on the depth chart or how many goals you score or saves you make,” Smith said. “Success requires everyone to find their spot and execute it to the best of their ability, even if it's not the spot you wanted.

“Over the past few years, we have been really focused on players sacrificing the ‘me for the we,’ prioritizing team success over the individual. Riley's actions have embodied this message and set a strong example for those that follow.”

Maguire immersed himself in the position. In addition to learning the fundamentals of goaltending at practice, he watched film of his predecessors such as Ethan Sepulveda and Doud, who both earned all-conference honors during their time at Boise.

What is the MCLA Division II Game of the Week for the period ending March 24? #mcla24
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“I would try to almost mimic their tendencies and how they play,” Maguire said.

After three months of going against the Boise ones and twos, he started to figure things out.

“The most difficult part about moving to goalie is remembering all of the little things that I hadn’t thought about prior to the position change, like communicating while also trying to see the whole field,” Maguire said. “My biggest strength so far has been my patience in the cage; not trying to guess where the ball is going. Always trying to track it out of the stick.”

* * *

After touching gloves with his counterpart on Nevada, Maguire went to his goal, tapped the posts like he had seen other goalies do and got ready for his first collegiate start at any position.

Then the first shot on net came. Save. And another. Save. The Broncos offense posted the first four goals, giving Maguire a 4-0 cushion after 15 minutes. Then still more saves and a 9-1 halftime lead.

Boise and their callow goalie were cruising, although the nerves were still hanging around.

“I wouldn’t say they really went away until the final whistle blew,” Maguire admitted.

When the whistle did sound, the Broncos had a 15-5 win with Maguire posting 13 saves and a 72.2 save percentage.

Smith watched the final minutes of the game on the sidelines with his staff, a wry smile on his face.

“To see his teammates rally around him as he made save after save was something special that you don't get to see every day,” the coach said. “And he nearly had a first-half shutout. I was just happy to be a part of it.”

It was a game that Maguire will remember for a long time.

“Every time I made a save, the sideline went crazy and I could feel the support,” he said. “This is the closest team I’ve been a part of from top to bottom.

“I haven’t seen a ton of playing time in college, so I’m really glad that I was able to play this game with this group of guys. I definitely want to see Bond back in cage, but if Adam and the rest of the coaching staff call my number again, I’m more than ready.”

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GAMES I’M FOLLOWING

No. 20 Auburn at No. 19 Florida, 7 p.m. – Friday
Barring a dramatic, two-week heater from South Florida, these two teams, along with Florida State, appear to be plugged into the SELC tournament. Now it’s time to jockey for seeding. A Tigers loss and they are pretty much slotted into the third seed and will likely find South Carolina in the conference playoffs. If Auburn can knock off the Gators, then the prospect of a three-way tie (with FSU) comes into play. Both teams understand the value of a win in this situation, so we should be in for a battle. I would expect a bunch of goals.

No. 16 James Madison at West Virginia, 8 p.m. – Friday
Another Friday night contest with league implications. If James Madison continues its hot season with a win over the Mountaineers, the Dukes are guaranteed at least a No. 2 seed in the ALC playoffs with a crack at Liberty in the regular season finale for the top spot. A West Virginia win at home and the Mountaineers are effectively locked into the second seed and a potential first-round matchup with Clemson. If WVU falls, they’ll go up against Pitt with (probably) the final ALC bid up for grabs.

No. 8 Florida Atlantic at No. 11 Dayton, 10 a.m. – Saturday
The defending champs had three weeks to lick their wounds from the Carolinas catastrophe, but the competition gets no easier at home, starting with the Owls. Florida Atlantic is one of two teams that have given St. Thomas a game and have a natural-born scorer in Ryan Kerr. We’re certainly nowhere near “must-win” territory for the Flyers with the schedule they have left, but a victory would certainly calm their postseason angst.

No. 2 Utah Valley at No. 4 Virginia Tech, 10 a.m. – Saturday
The Wolverines were probably hoping to have a puncher’s chance at an epic 2-0 weekend, but after the setback to Liberty, UVU is in full salvage mode. And they’re doing it against a Hokies team that ran circles around them in Round Rock last spring and just doubled-up Chapman on Thursday. Good luck with that. If Tech sweeps this weekend, they’ll see a crooked number in the first-place votes column next Wednesday.

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No. 23 Minn.-Duluth vs. No. 18 Missouri State, 2 p.m. – Saturday
You’re never out until the selection committee signs off in late April, but the team that comes in second here will need to go full speed to stay in the mix. They both certainly have opportunities down the stretch to strengthen the resume, however the expectations would be low.

No. 24 Northern Arizona vs. No. 13 Northwest Nazarene, 2 p.m. - Saturday
NAU picked up its first ranked win of the season last week against Loyola Marymount, but the difficulty level ticks up considerably this weekend. Northwest Nazarene is the middle game for the Lumberjacks sandwiched between a Friday contest against Utah State and Sunday versus Montana State. A 1-2 weekend wouldn’t be too shabby, honestly. The Nighthawks have just this one game, so they’ll be fresh. NNU’s special teams will make it hard for Northern Arizona.

No. 4 UNC-Charlotte at No. 9 Kennesaw State, 3 p.m. – Saturday
Easily the biggest D-II game of the day competition-wise and it could reset the relationship between the ALC and SELC, which has swung in the ALC’s favor after Coastal’s wins over Kennesaw and Florida Gulf Coast. The energy in this game should be similar to a Round Rock Tuesday.

No. 3 Montana State at No. 21 Utah State, 8 p.m. – Friday
The Aggies win over Montana came right at the poll deadline, so It’s almost certainly not reflected in the current rankings. Both of these teams are essentially locks out of the RMLC Northwest, so this one will be to determine who wants to avoid Air Force in the conference semifinals. The Bobcats are in good shape for nationals regardless of the outcome, but this could seal the deal for USU.

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No. 5 Chapman at No. 8 Liberty, 7 p.m. – Saturday
A loss by either team won’t impact travel plans for Round Rock, but these are the games that the committee uses to hash out seedings. They would never admit it, but the Flames are playing with house money after grabbing a thrilling victory over Utah Valley on Thursday. A sweep and Liberty will be a full-on contender. Losing three of the last four would not be a great look for the Panthers, but they don’t leave SoCal until the SLC playoffs. Still, the plane flight home would be a little more pleasant with a dub.

No. 15 Oregon at No. 3 Texas, 7 p.m. – Saturday
With a strong resume and the LSA auto-bid back-up plan, the Longhorns are playing for seeding at this point. If they can take down the Ducks and roll through the conference as expected, Texas is a legit Top 4 candidate. On the flipside, we’re nearly into April and Texas is one of two ranked teams currently on the Oregon schedule. The Ducks need this one if they want any kind of insurance for a PNCLL playoff stumble.

No. 10 UC Santa Barbara at No. 12 Colorado, 12 p.m. – Sunday
The Gauchos open up their Rocky Mountain spring break with the Buffs – they’ll play Colorado State Tuesday – with each facing its stiffest test in the last three weeks. Both teams are in the nationals hunt, but each would feel better with another quality, ranked win under its belt. UCSB will be hoping for a low-scoring grinder while CU would be just fine getting into a shootout. Whoever controls the pace of play will pick up the win.

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SLIDES & RIDES

- We’re slowly rolling out details for the conference tournaments this spring. Information on the RMLC, ALC and CLC have been released, so make your plans now.

- If you and some former classmates are interested in participating in the MCLA Alumni Sixes tournament, which will be held in conjunction with the MCLA National Championships presented by New Balance, from May 10-11, check out the information HERE.

- We’re closing in on the end of the month, so when you wrap up action for March, send your nominations for Player of the Month presented by Lacrosse Specialties to [email protected]. Get your weekly goalie and player nominations in my Monday at noon. And remember, defensemen are people, too.