M. Lax finds field time for two goalies

Matt Schroeder and Shane Lavery once competed for the strating spot in net, but now Lavery is roaming the field. When Marc Van Arsdale started his head-coaching career at Penn in the fall of 1997, he found himself confronted with a situation all coaches wish they had. Since only one goalie can be on the field at a time, Van Arsdale had to decide between two capable candidates, Shane Lavery and Matt Schroeder, for the starting job. "We knew that there were two very good goalies on campus," Van Arsdale said. "We thought that we were in a pretty good situation." The good situation has gotten better this year as Van Arsdale has found a way to use both players together. Schroeder won the starting job in net midway through last season and is now the undisputed No. 1 goaltender. Lavery, however, is no longer confined to the bench -- now serving as a Quakers' midfielder. Schroeder and Lavery will be in action tonight as the Quakers (3-6) travel to Villanova (2-6) for a 7 p.m. contest. The dilemma confronting Van Arsdale when he arrived on campus was identical to the one facing former Penn coach Terry Corcoran when Lavery and Schroeder first came to West Philadelphia in fall 1996. The results left Schroeder playing in goal and Lavery riding the bench. With the program changing coaches after his freshman year, Lavery knew he would have another chance to show his talent. Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Birmingham, Mich., native performed well during fall workouts last year, earning the attention of the rookie head coach. "I played sports all of my life and always started," Lavery said. "Coming to college and sitting on the bench for my freshman year was tough. A new coach comes in and some things might change around. I was hoping that maybe I could get some time, and that maybe I could get the spot." Penn assistant coach Tom McClelland, who is in charge of the goalies, was surprised by Lavery's athletic ability. "Shane was the fastest kid we had on the team," McClelland said. "They battled out hard. It was a good competitive contest between the two." Even as the starter the year before, Schroeder knew he would have to improve to keep his position. "As a sophomore, I didn't think I had anything set in stone," Schroeder said. "It helped my in the fall to improve physically and just work on my game more." As the springtime neared and the season began, the spot was still up for grabs. Van Arsdale decided the best thing to do was to compare how the two performed in games. For the first game, each played in the net for a half. But in the third game of the season against Navy, a 9-8 loss, Schroeder's stellar performance swayed Van Arsdale's opinion. Although Schroeder started receiving more playing time, Lavery still saw a lot of action throughout the remainder of the season. "Matt might have been a hair up going into the Navy game," Van Arsdale said. "We told Shane that Matt was going to play the first half, and then we'd see how it was going. Matt was really hot, and so we stuck with him. Shane, to his credit, continued to practice well and was throughout the entire season." While having different goalies playing in each game could have affected the Quakers, it was just another small adjustment that had to be made among the other maneuvers by the new coaching staff. Penn junior defender Ziggy Majumdar felt that the switching of personnel had little negative impact on the team that had its best season of the decade. "Either one I was comfortable playing with," Majumdar said. "It just came down to who was more consistent." In the final game against Princeton, Schroeder put on one of his best performances. Despite giving up 15 goals to the eventual National Champions, Schroeder made 22 saves, an amazing feat considering the ball was on Penn's side of the field for the majority of the game. Realizing Schroeder had become the full-time goalie, Lavery decided to make the most of his situation, changing positions to midfielder, specializing in defensive situations. "You sit on the bench, and it is rough," Lavery said. "Coach knew that it was hard on me, and he thought I could do some things outside of the crease. It was tough in the beginning. There is a big transition from not running anywhere to running all over the field, catching balls, getting hit and getting slashed." Lavery's addition to the midfield has added depth for the Quakers, a crucial element in such a physical sport. With his reputation as an excellent goalie, Lavery still spends time practicing his skills in the net, knowing that he remains the No. 2 man. "Shane is too good an athlete not to have out on the field in some capacity," Van Arsdale said. "He is somebody that understands the game at the defensive end. He is a big strong guy that runs well. He has really improved as the year progresses." Schroeder has surpassed all expectations this season. In nine games, the junior goalie has recorded 158 saves and has a 61.7 save percentage. During a year in which the Quakers have had a difficulty being consistent, the junior goalie has made his presence felt day in and day out. "Maybe early a couple of games he was not as sharp as he has been lately, but he has been a glue that has held us together," Van Arsdale said. Coach McClelland feels Schroeder's ability to shrug off frustration during games gave him the edge over Lavery, but his stature in the cage is what makes him an effective goalie. "He will not give up that position to save his life," McClelland said. "He is determined to hold it. He is going to make a shooter earn his goal. You have to make a good shot on Matt or you are not going to score." With his starting role no longer in question, Schroeder has been able to divert more of his time to work with his teammates on keeping up morale. "I have a different role now," Schroeder said. "I am not competing everyday. I am working on my leadership skills and helping to improve the team as much as possible." As good friends, the two are fortunate that they both were able to learn from their competition a year ago and have a positive outlook on the result. "Matt is a great goalie," Lavery said. "He has proved it this year. He has proved it every year before. He has done what it takes to keep our team in a ton of games. There is nothing that I can do but be supportive. He is one of my best friends." Coming off a disappointing 13-9 loss to Brown over the weekend, the two friends and their Quaker teammates do not want to give anything away to the Wildcats. "It is one of their biggest games on the schedule," Schroeder said. "We don't want to give them anything to cheer about."

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