Though he won't take any credit, junior goalie Steven Foglietta has people nationwide talking about his performance against No. 2 Stevenson on Wednesday night. After the game, reporters for Lacrosse Magazine noted Foglietta's humility, as he repeatedly turned down opportunities to talk about himself and instead praised his defense.
In the No. 1 Jumbos win, Foglietta faced an astounding 76 shots and emerged with 24 saves — tied for the most of any Tufts goalie in the past 40 years. And, in a deja−vu moment of his previous career−best 16−save game against Cortland in the NCAA semifinals last season, Foglietta blocked what could have been the tying goal in the last two minutes of play and cleared the ball to secure the 14−13 win over the Mustangs.
"There was one key in that game, and that's Steven Foglietta," Tufts coach Mike Daly told Lacrosse Magazine. "Not just saves, but he was taking them off the foot, leg, back, failed clears, jumping back in there. We felt faceoffs and goalie play were going to be the difference in the game, and if we could have one out of two of them, we were going to be in the game. ... We got great goalie play. That kept us in the game. Our offense did what they needed to do. It was just a great lacrosse game."
While Tufts did not take the advantage in faceoffs, the offense worked with what it was given. Although junior midfielder Nick Rhoads was only able to beat his counterpart Ray Witte on 11 of 30 faceoffs, the Jumbos, needing to capitalize on their opportunities, put 22 of their 35 shots on cage and were stopped on only eight attempts. The Mustangs, on the other hand, were playing fast and loose on offense and rattled off 76 shots with 37 between the pipes. The others flew high and wide.
The inefficiency of the Stevenson offense is a testament to Tufts' defense, not to the Mustangs' recklessness. The Jumbos came into the game with faith in Foglietta and took a step back from their usual aggressive approach to tighten the unit and give the Mustangs potentially more, but lower−percentage, shots from outside. The Mustangs took the bait, and Foglietta was up to the challenge.
"The biggest difference was goalie play," Stevenson coach Paul Cantebene told Lacrosse Magazine. "We had the ball 65, 70 percent of the game probably. We had a lot of great looks … we carried the pace of the game, but we couldn't get it by their goalie. He's the biggest difference with 24 saves, and a lot of them standing on his head."
Standing on his head, or "playing out of his mind" as senior quad−captain attackman D.J. Hessler called it, doesn't mean that Foglietta was even playing better than usual. In fact, in every game this season in which Foglietta has played a full 60 minutes, his save percentage has increased. After the .648 mark he posted against Stevenson, Foglietta followed it with a .739 showing, saving 17 of 23 shots against Williams in Saturday's 12−6 Jumbos victory. This early in the season, Foglietta's ability to build off his own success, as well as feed off pressure instead of buckling beneath it, is an exciting prospect for the Jumbos.
If this were the NFL and Foglietta were a quarterback, he'd be a franchise player — who has the potential to have his best game of the season in the Super Bowl.
Through all the national attention, though, Foglietta remains humble.
"The defense really played a big part in that whole thing," he said. "They had a lot of shots, but they weren't getting quality shots because the defense was keeping them out."
While the difference in the game may have been goalie play, the rest of the team was able to keep the Jumbos ahead to give Foglietta the chance to shine. Stevenson was playing catch−up after the first quarter and the desperation only enhanced Tufts' game plan. And, while the Mustangs scrambled, the Jumbos' offense was efficient, the midfield smart and the defense organized. The Jumbos have solidified their place atop Div. III men's lacrosse and showed the country they are the same team — if not a more composed and confident version of it — which took home the ring in 2010.
Tonight, when Western New England College arrives at Bello Field, the Golden Bears will be greeted by not only a streaking Foglietta, but also the energy that the entire team is sure to bring back to Bello after a successful week on the road.
