April 11, 2008

KENNEDY STANDING TALL BETWEEN THE PIPES 

Bryant goalie Michael Kennedy holds the school record for wins in a career. www.dspics.com

 Call them daft, unhinged, mad, insane. Dub them certifiable, maniacal, thrill-seekers. Call them masochists, lunatics or just plain crazy - and they just might be.

Because when you're trapped in a 6x6 cage, watching, waiting for a five-ounce solid rubber ball to come barreling at your head at 100 miles per hour - and you enjoy it - what else can you be called?

This is the life of Michael Kennedy '08 (Port Jefferson Station, NY) and the rest of his kind. They are lacrosse goalkeepers, and they play perhaps one of the most difficult positions in all of sports.

With the mentality of a closer in baseball - and a much higher pain tolerance - goalkeepers are thought of by many as a breed of their own, armed with amazing skill, quick reflexes and pure athletic talent to be able to handle just about anything that comes their way.

For the past four seasons, the Bryant men's lacrosse team has been lucky to have one of the best between the pipes.  A preseason All-American, Kennedy has been as steady as they come for the Bulldogs.  As a team, the Bulldogs are off to a fast start at 10-3 overall and a No. 5 national ranking.

Earlier this spring, Kennedy set Bryant's all-time career wins record with his 32nd against Saint Michael's College and looks to help lead the Bulldogs back to the NE-10 tournament championship and berth in the NCAA tournament.

The sport of lacrosse, developed by Native American Indians as early as the 15th century, has grown rapidly in popularity in recent years.  From youth leagues to high school, right up to college and now a professional league, the sport has grown from its roots in Canada and New York to one of the fastest rising sports across the country.

Growing up on Long Island, Kennedy was one of the bigger kids in his class, so naturally he played football.  His grandfather was a long-time high school football coach, but this was Long Island, a place where lacrosse is the most popular sport.

"One of my neighbors has a son who is older than me and showed me how to play the position after school," said Kennedy.  "It was just natural."

Before long, he found himself joining the team and quickly filling in as the goalie - a position he has played ever since.

"The shots I face are only as good as the defense allows and they do a great job," Bryant senior Michael Kennedy said. www.dspics.com

 To the casual observer, the one thing you notice right away is that play goalie in lacrosse certainly takes a talented individual.

"It's a position you can't really think about," added Kennedy.  "It has to just happen.  You have to have a short memory.   You may let in a goal and know you should have had it, but you just have to shake it off.  But I rely on my defense which does a superb job.  The shots I face are only as good as the defense allows and they do a great job protecting me."

Kennedy enters Saturday's game vs. Saint Anselm with a 6.41 goals against average this season, good enough for third in the Northeast-10 Conference.  He has made 111 saves on the season and has started all 13 games.

Statistics aside, Kennedy and his teammates are hungry to get back to the conference championship once again and battle for a spot in the NCAA tournament.

"We have been consistent this year and our tempo has been outstanding.  That all goes back to practice.  We work hard every day and there is no standing around.  Everyone is just focused at the task at hand."

The Bulldogs have two more home games coming up vs. Saint Anselm (April 19) and Southern New Hampshire (April 26) before the conference tournament begins.