Brian Carcaterra fondly reminisces about his lacrosse initiation.
He flashes a grin as he recalls those carefree afternoons as a 7-year-old when he would follow his older brothers, Paul and Steve, to the back of the neighborhood general store. They'd chalk up the perimeter of a goal on the wall, hand their younger sibling an attackman's stick and fire away -- at him.
Shot after shot would whiz toward him. Some blazed right by him. Others hammered off his legs.
But Carcaterra didn't budge, trying to stop every blistering shot. Sure, the stick towered over him. And he didn't mind that he wouldn't get a helmet or pads for another five years.
Call him crazy. Or just call him the best goalkeeper in Division I today.
Flashy and athletic, Carcaterra has surpassed most expectations, becoming Johns Hopkins' defensive equalizer.
"I really had no choice in playing goalie," said Carcaterra, a sophomore from Yorktown Heights, N.Y. "I didn't know goalies used a different stick. But that October, they bought me a goalie stick for my birthday, and it became a lot easier after that."
And it became a lot tougher for the opposition.
Stonewalling a point-blank shot, Carcaterra will sprint the ball upfield, eluding attackmen and outracing midfielders. When there's a loose ball on the crease, he'll bolt out of the cage and jump-start a Blue Jays fast break.
The high-energy maneuvers sometimes overshadow his play in the goal. In his past three games, he has allowed just 19 goals while posting a .683 save percentage.
Because he's 5 feet 8, many teams look to beat him with high shots. That's the game plan Virginia employed, and Carcaterra stopped nine shots in the opening eight minutes of the game, finishing with a career-best 21 saves.
"He's our best athlete and probably could play anywhere on the field for us," Hopkins coach Tony Seaman said. "He can change a game. I still think of 1995 and how [Maryland goalkeeper Brian] Dougherty's ability changed that game. I go to bed with it and wake up with that memory every day. Carc has that ability."
Few would have predicted such success.
As a freshman in high school, Carcaterra tried out for the varsity lacrosse team after wrestling season. At 105 pounds, he couldn't throw the ball to midfield and had to wait his turn.
Carcaterra slowly grew and made his impact during his final two years, helping Yorktown to two state titles. However, Hopkins was one of the few major Division I schools that showed interest.
