PEABODY — Goalie is a heavily-scrutinized position in defeat, and not always praised in victory.
This past spring, before the lacrosse season started, Antonio Anzalone did not think he’d be between the pipes. However, a broken-arm injury to former starting goalie, Aidan Haight, meant the Tanners needed someone to step up.
“I volunteered to play goalie on the second day [of the season],” Anzalone said. “On the first day, everyone was kind of looking around to see who might volunteer. I was thinking about it quietly to myself that it could be cool to try since it’s a unique opportunity. Then, on the second day, I thought, like, [I] might as well go for it and I told my coach I’d like to try it.”
Anzalone said he didn’t set expectations for himself, but rather, just wanted to “do his best” every game.
“I was terrified going into our first game,” Anzalone said.
The Tanners, behind Anzalone, started the year 4-0, but to him, the pressure only started to build with each game.
“Every time we had a game, I think I was nervous,” Anzalone said. “Especially after winning our first four games, I started to feel the pressure. It’s just nerve-wracking. As a goalie, you’re the last line of defense. So, if the offense can’t score or the defense can’t stop a guy, you’re the last one to stop them.”
His coach, Jason Marshall, wasn’t nervous, applauding Anzalone after a 13-save outing against Marblehead.
“I’ve never seen someone pick up any position, let alone goalie, that quickly,” Marshall said. “He’s made a lot of big saves for us this year.”
Anzalone, normally a defender, said goaltending gave him a new perspective on lacrosse – that is, in terms of winning and losing.
“It’s definitely a different perspective playing as a goalie regarding wins and losses. They’re pretty impactful on you,” Anzalone said. “For me, I felt like if we lost a game, it was on me… But when we won it, I felt like I had a great game.”
Despite playing the sport since he was five years old he never thought about playing the position. That said, he’s also a wrestler, which may have helped with the transition.
“A sport that might have helped me in the net was wrestling. In lacrosse, you have to be able to get down low to save shots. I’m more flexible and agile because of wrestling, so it helps to save shots,” Anzalone said. “You have to be strong mentally in wrestling, so it helped me block out the other stuff during games.”
Anzalone said he is stepping away from goaltending, and will go back to defense since his classmate returns next season.
Despite his lone season as last line of defense, Anzalone feels the experience will help him when he picks the long-stick back up.
“I feel like I understand the game from a different perspective,” Anzalone said. “As a defenseman, I saw a lot of things, but from a goalie perspective, I saw everything. I feel when I go back to defense, I’ll be able to see more, now seeing what a goalie sees on the field. It’s given me a defensive edge.”
Peabody won nine games this season, clinched a spot in the Division 1 state tournament, and resecured the Danish Cup trophy with a Friday-night victory against Bishop Fenwick back in May.
