No Excuses, Just Play

It’s made of vulcanized rubber and actually has a bit of a bounce to it. It’s no toy, though, especially when a fast-moving offensive player possessed of strength, agility and a solid mastery of stickwork propels it at a velocity approaching 90 miles per hour.

 

Ned Schutt knows all too well. For the past two years, the 5-10, 175-pound senior has started at goalie for Collegiate’s varsity boys lacrosse squad.

 

Over and over, he’s fended off those missiles adroitly delivered by eye-of-the-tiger attackmen whose intent it is to make his time in the crease a forgettable experience. More often than not, he’s successfully thwarted scoring attempts with saves. Other times, he hasn’t. Regardless, he’s dutifully embraced the challenges, absorbed the shots to his body, brushed off the disappointments, and returned the next day to go at it once again.

 

“A goalie needs a lot of mental toughness,” said assistant coach Andrew Vigne, an All-New England honoree at the position at Middlesex School (Massachusetts) and All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference selection at Guilford College. “If you play any other position and make a mistake, something else happens. If the goalie makes a mistake, the whistle blows, they put a number on the scoreboard, and everybody sees you turn around and dig the ball out of the net. Not a lot of guys can handle that mentally.”

 

That Schutt can should come as no surprise. He’s encountered obstacles far tougher than athletic competition might present. You see, when he was two years old, he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, a chronic, autoimmune disease which requires that he monitor his blood glucose level on a regular basis. As a diabetic, he gets no days off. He must be constantly vigilant. He must listen to his body. He must be mindful of his own care and intentional with his treatment if his level rises too high or drops too low. Importantly, he must have a plan.

 

“I’ve learned to live like I know I have to live,” he explained. “I always test before games and practices. At halftime, I check: just prick my finger, get a drop of blood, and put it on a test strip. Normally, when I’m playing a sport, it drops low. It happens at random times outside lacrosse, too. Whenever it does, I have sugary stuff in my bag like juice boxes to help me get back up.”

 

When his glucose level drops, he’s immediately aware.

 

“Typically, my reaction speed is slower,” he said. “I might feel hungry. Sometimes, my hands start shaking. That’s my sign that I should probably check. I go to the sideline, take my juices, and usually in about 10 or 15 minutes I’m back. It’s just about maintaining. I want to make sure I can play my best.”

 

Schutt began playing lacrosse when he joined the Geronimo program as a first grader.

 

“I actually quit after the year,” he said. “I got so frustrated with the wooden goalies (used for younger levels) because I couldn’t score on them. Things weren’t going my way, so I decided I wasn’t going to play.”

 

He returned as a fourth grader and played attack until he joined the Cub Gold team when he was in the seventh grade.

 

“We didn’t have a goalie,” he recalled. “I looked around (and thought), yeah, there’re a lot of really good players around here. I’m not sure if I’ll play. I got my brother to shoot on me in the back yard (and thought), yeah, I might be all right at this.

 

He’s manned the position ever since.

 

“At first, I absolutely hated it,” he said. “The first save I ever made was actually (2017 All-Metro player of the year and US Lacrosse All-American) Joe White hitting me in the shin with a shot. That was the most excruciating pain I’ve ever felt in my life. After a week I started to get used to it. It was like, hey, I don’t have to run as much as anyone else. I started to get my steps down and learn how to play the position correctly instead of just getting hit.”

 

When he moved up from the JV after his sophomore season, he had the unenviable task of stepping into the position played the previous four years by two-time US Lacrosse All-American Jack Rusbuldt.

 

“That summer, we went to a tournament in Baltimore against some of the best high school teams in the country,” Schutt said. “I got lit up. Didn’t make many saves. I was like, Can I really do this? That was the one time I wondered if I could keep going.”

 

But he persisted.

 

“I worked with Coach Vigne,” he said. “Worked on my steps, my hands, my hand-eye coordination. Worked on specific goalie drills.”

 

And he improved, so much so that his 248 saves in 2017 ranks fourth (behind Rusbuldt in ’14, ’16, and ’15, respectively) on the Cougars’ all-time single-season list.

 

“Ned brings to the table a real calming presence,” Vigne said. “He doesn’t get too emotional, high or low. He’s the leader of the defense. He tries to keep six guys on the same page. He’s pretty good on the in-close shots. He’s really bailed us out on a number of occasions. He’s also done well in the clearing game: once you get possession, getting it downfield to the offense, looking for the open guy, trying to get those quick hitters. He’s a good leader out there, a good team guy, a good competitor. His demeanor is his big strength. The kids respond to him.”

So how does Schutt “keep it together” when the action is fast and furious?

 

“Lacrosse is a game of runs,” he responded, “especially when another team scores a couple of goals in a row. You just settle yourself down, close your eyes, tell yourself to relax, focus on stopping the ball, forget about what happened. This year, I’ve been in mindfulness (training) with Coach (Alex) Peavey. That’s played a role.”

 

A goalie by nature, though, experiences highs and lows. He assumes risks that other players don’t. He has little margin for error. All eyes are on him. Seems just another day at the office – don’t you think? – when you compare the experience with the realities with which Schutt deals regularly.

 

“One of the reasons I respect Ned so much is that he never uses his health situation as an excuse,” said Collegiate’s long-time head boys lacrosse coach Andrew Stanley. “He’s achieved because he’s figured out a way to get the work in, to do more. He’s developed remarkably as a player. He’s done that with quiet diligence. His impact on the team speaks to his toughness, his grit, and his willingness to overcome.”

   -- Weldon Bradshaw