Tennessee is typically known for its country music, whiskey, country music about Tennessee whiskey and, of course, Pat Summitt. At Tufts, though, perhaps the best thing to come out of the Volunteer State is a freshman who wears an Under Armour skullcap everyday to contain his long hair.
Patton Watkins, the freshman goalie on the No. 4 men's lacrosse team, who has started the past five games for the Jumbos, hails from Chattanooga, Tenn., where lacrosse hasn't been regarded as a primary sport until recently. But multiple high school All-Americans from the area, including Watkins himself, are changing the landscape of the centuries-old Native American sport that has been traditionally dominated by the Northeast.
Watkins's transition to New England lacrosse has nevertheless given him a new set of challenges. He has been thrust into the most testing situation of his lacrosse career: taking over the starting job in the middle of his first season after an injury to junior Steven Foglietta and trying to lead the Jumbos to a consecutive NCAA title. But so far, he's been up to the task. The Jumbos are 4-1 with Watkins starting between the pipes this season, and the young talent has only continued to improve as he has grown more comfortable as the conductor of Tufts' defense.
"Patton's demeanor in-cage is comfortable, commanding and poised," sophomore defenseman Matt Callahan said. "He's doing a fantastic job in net thus far, really excelling in all aspects."
Watkins got the nod to start after taking over for an injured Foglietta during a March 28 game against Western New England College (WNEC), a game in which he made several key saves down the stretch to preserve a 14-13 victory for Tufts.
But it was in the following game, a NESCAC matchup with Wesleyan, that Watkins — the "Chattanooga Choo-Choo" — steamrolled his way into, if you will, the NESCAC.
An impressive 15-8 drubbing of the Cardinals was a solid win for the Jumbos in all aspects and cast aside all doubts that arose during a near meltdown against WNEC. Watkins made 15 saves in his first collegiate start and made sure the patented Wesleyan run of multiple goals never came to fruition. Not until Tufts had built up a 15-5 lead and taken out starters did Wesleyan score more than one goal in a row.
"I think I played fairly well [against Wesleyan]," Watkins said. "There were, of course, a few that snuck by me that I'd like to get back, but on the whole I believe I had a solid performance."
His individual statistics aside, Watkins credits the defense around him for the team's success.
As for what it felt like to get a collegiate win under his belt, Watkins was happy, to say the least.
"Honestly, it was a huge relief," he said. "Since I had not experienced the pressures of a college gameday environment, I was very anxious to see how I coped upon returning to the big stage."
Since then, Watkins has maintained his high level of performance, saving 63.7 percent of shots that have come his way over the past five games. He knows, however, that the hardest part of the season is just beginning and that his focus needs to be on the future.
"I'd say that I'm playing pretty well so far, but I don't get held up on the past," Watkins said. "I'm only worried about stopping the next shot, winning the next game."
During a gritty, come-from-behind 6-5 triumph over Conn. College on Saturday, Watkins was on his heels all day as the Camels out-possessed the Jumbos and kept the pressure on the Tufts defense to the point where most teams would break down. But Watkins and his defense did not yield, giving Tufts a critical NESCAC victory to keep the squad at the top of the conference standings. Watkins made 13 saves in the winning effort.
"Going into the game, Conn. College knew that they would have to slow down our fast paced style of play if they were going have a chance to beat us, so that's what they did," Watkins said. "They took their time on offense, keeping the ball out of our hands. Because we were on defense for most of the game, it was a very stressful day for a goalie."
The Jumbos are glad to have someone capable of handling that stress with grace between the pipes. Watkins's proactive approach in the goal features a hard step to the ball on every shot, where in some cases he gets several yards off the goal line to cut off the angle. His quick, exaggerated and often anticipatory moves create a tough barrier for any potential attacker to breach.
Watkins's teammates, especially his defensemen, appreciate his aptitude as a netminder, especially after the loss of Foglietta, who led the Jumbos to a national championship last year and has proven himself to be a primetime performer. The status on Foglietta's return is unknown.
"Our defense shows a tremendous amount of faith and trust in one another, no matter who's out there playing," Callahan said. "He has made the transition between goalies after Steve's injury seem less for the defense."
The train's next stop is Middlebury, Vt. for a fiercely competitive conference matchup with the Panthers on Saturday. Tufts took down No. 10 Middlebury three times in 2010 but have come up short at Youngman Field for many years. The Jumbos, with Watkins at the helm of the defense, will try to stymie a potent Panthers offense and stay perfect in NESCAC play.
