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04/21/2016 12:00 AMJacob Azzinaro started playing lacrosse in 6th grade and volunteered to play goalie because his team didn’t have one. Now a junior at Valley Regional, Jacob has taken on the goalkeeping duties full-time for the Warriors’ boys’ lacrosse squad this spring.
“Honestly, I kind of found baseball to be boring, so I thought it would be a fun thing to do. I decided to give it a try and liked it a lot,” says Jacob of playing lacrosse. “We were short on players and didn’t have a goalie, so I gave it a shot and have played there ever since.”
Jacob shared the goalie’s job with Spencer Russo as a sophomore last year and took on a larger role in net as the campaign progressed. Jacob finished 2015 with a record of 10-4, including two shutouts, to go along with 139 saves and 50 percent save percentage, while helping the Warriors reach both the Shoreline Conference Tournament and the State Tournament. Jacob is now out to a tremendous start in his junior season by guiding Valley to a 2-1 record and stopping 40 of the 61 shots he’s faced for a save percentage of 66 percent. He recently held Cromwell to just three goals in the Warriors’ 13-3 victory on April 14.
“Jacob is the key to our defense. He’s a good player who sees the ball really well, talks to the defense, directs them on the field, and shows the young guys how to act on the field, as well,” Valley boys’ lacrosse Head Coach George Hudson says. “He’s already begun taking the younger players under his wing and is showing them what it is to be a leader and a team player.”
It takes a certain kind of person to play the net in lacrosse and the fact that Jacob is thriving in a position that’s short on glory and long on soreness is a testament to both his mental and physical toughness.
“You have to have a high tolerance for pain, especially in the beginning. It’s not as big a deal now because I’m used to it, but in the summer league, there were guys who could shoot the ball super fast and up to 95 miles per hour,” Jacob says. “You need sharp reflexes and, as with other positions on the field, you can’t really predict where they will shoot it from. One thing you need to realize is that they will score. The main thing is to move on. If you get stuck on allowing a goal, you will have a bad game. The position is mentally tiring, but you pick yourself up and get back at it.”
Jacob, an Ivoryton native, is also a midfielder/defender for the Warriors’ boys’ soccer squad in the fall, a member of the National Honor Society at Valley Regional, and a volunteer in the Top Soccer program that helps disabled kids play the game and have fun. He additionally spends time at the Sensation Station, a pediatric therapy clinic in Guilford, and recently won an award from the Essex Art Association for one of his drawings.
“Jacob is a great kid who works his butt off on the field and off of it. He’s intelligent and has a good character about him,” says Coach Hudson. “This season, he has a real full range in the goal and we are expecting big things.”
Jacob echoes his coach’s feeling of expecting big things, but not necessarily for him. Instead, Jacob is more concerned with the goals that the Warriors have set for themselves this spring.
“We are going in with no expectations for the other teams in the Shoreline Conference. We have high expectations for our team, though,” he says. “I think we can go far this year in a tough conference, but I think we will make Shorelines and states, which are goals of ours, and, hopefully, make deep runs.”
Jacob feels confident that Valley can have a successful campaign because he has faith in both his coaches and teammates. Jacob also has a lot of people to thank for helping him get to where he is now.
“I have to thank my parents for helping me with everything, including lessons, equipment, and summer league; my coaches at Valley, Coach Hudson and assistant J.C. Flaherty; Mr. Rider, who coaches in the offseason with winter training; and my teammates,” says Jacob. “What I love about lacrosse is the fast-paced nature of the game, the physicality and the skills you learn, but it also has been a lot of fun and helped me make a team full of great friends. Lacrosse is a really great team sport.”