Goalie Spotlight: Lucy Lowe, Penn State

Lucy Lowe is a sophomore at Penn State this year hailing from Towson, MD with the intended major of nursing. She graduated from Notre Dame Prep in 2017 where she was selected as an all-conference selection as a senior. She also received the IAAM Character Coin award and played club lacrosse with Towson Lacrosse Club.

Keep reading to learn from Lucy to find out how she got to where she is today!

How long have you been playing goalie/lacrosse?

I’ve been playing lacrosse since i was 5 (14 yrs) and goalie since i was 11 (8 yrs). 

What drew you to the position?

I was persuaded to become a goalie by my rec team coach. Our team didn’t have a goalie and he pushed me to step out of my comfort zone to try the position. 

What’s your favorite part about playing the position now?

My favorite part of playing the position now is being able to come up with a big save for my team. I love the team aspect of the game and making huge stops when the team needs one the most. 

What’s the hardest part about the position for you? How do you try to manage or handle that aspect?

The hardest part is definitely mental. Every goalie has experienced missing a game winning save, or an overtime loss and the mental blame/guilt that comes with it. To manage that aspect I constantly remind myself that it’s never the goalies fault, no matter how much it feels like it. If one more of my teammates were to put away a shot or pick up a ground ball I would never have even been in the position to have to make that save. You win some and lose some and at the end of the day you can’t blame yourself for it, because it goes through 11 other people before it even reaches the goalie. 

In close games how do you stay focused?

In close games I stay focused by blocking out outside factors (ie. the crowd, other random thoughts) and stay engaged in what’s happening in the game. When the ball is on the other side of the field, I like to do quick footwork to keep my body active instead of standing still. This usually includes some line hops or quick, short shuffles. 

When things start going south in game, like consecutive goals without a save, how do you rebound and stay confident? What about when things aren’t going well defensively as a unit?

When things start to go south in a game I stay confident by focusing on the shots ahead of me, and not the ones that passed me. I simply forget about the score of the game or how many shots I’ve let in. Then, I can stay confident and focused on the shots I’m about to see. 

Can you discuss any challenges you faced and how you overcame them? 

A lot of the challenges I faced were during the recruiting process. I was a very late recruit (august going into my senior year) and I struggled watching all of my club teammates and friends commit to schools while I was struggling to find schools looking for goalies. By just staying patient and knowing I would find a good fit for me I was able to overcome the self doubt that I wasn’t good enough to play in college. 

What’s the best part about playing in college? Favorite college lacrosse memory?

The best part of playing lacrosse in college is definitely the team. They become your best friend even though some are 4 years older than me. We’re all together constantly, living together, eating meals, and just hanging out every day in between practice and classes. My best lacrosse memory was beating Northwestern in the big ten tournament this year. In a game we weren’t expected to win, our team came out better than ever and dominated the game. 

If you committed early, how did you stay motivated to keep getting better? How do you stay motivated now, especially in the off season?

I committed very late. But if i had to give advice to those who committed early about staying motivated it would be that the goalie position is extremely competitive. It’s not like midfield or attack where you’re subbing a lot. In my experience, I came to penn state to compete for time in the cage. As a freshman, I wasn’t expecting to play because there were goalies older than me on the team. I came to penn state knowing that I would have to work extremely hard to get time playing, and all that hard work paid off. 

If you had to do the recruiting process over again, is there anything you would do differently? Not in your choice of school, but things you considered highly then but might not necessarily now? What were the things that were most important to you to look for in a school during your process?

I’m extremely happy with my choice in school. My recruiting process was a little rough just because I started to lose hope that I would be able to play. I wish I never had that self doubt because you never know how things could change in the future. During the recruiting process the main thing that was important to me was finding a school i liked, not just because of lacrosse. When looking at schools, I looked at them in the perspective of someone who wasn’t playing a sport there. I always asked myself “if I didn’t play lacrosse here, would I be happy at the school?”

Do you have a favorite drill or one that has helped you the most in goal, with and without someone else?

My favorite thing to do is hand eye coordination. I love to juggle, jump rope, and challenge myself with different ways to juggle, such as bouncing the balls off a wall instead of throwing them in the air. 

Where do you think you have grown the most in your game from high school to college?

I think i have grown in the mental aspect a lot. I have definitely grown into the physical aspects of playing goalie but the mental aspects challenged me a lot in high school. My thing is that if you play confidently, you will play well. if you’re scared to make mistakes, you will make mistakes. 

Something you could tell yourself now when you were first learning the position?

Be patient while learning. It’s a hard position that gets frustrating at times. 

Pre-game ritual?

I always put on my right shoe before my left. and i always juggle in the locker room before going out onto the field

What makes you weird?

I was also a field hockey goalie for 7 years and taught myself how to unicycle