The conference tournaments in progress which means the 2026 NCAA men’s division 1 lacrosse season will be done before we know it.
In this post we’ll take a look at the 2026 men’sgoalie gear setups used by the best lacrosse goalies manning the nets for the top 10 programs.
What stick setup, goalie gloves, and chest protector do each of the top lacrosse goalies prefer?
Since we last did one of these posts a ton of new goalie gear has hit the market. Which goalies have upgraded and which are sticking with their tried and true blue chips?
The list of Top 10 teams was taken from NCAA.com rankings as of May 3, 2026. By the time you read this post things may be very different as the top dog seems to always fall this season.
But as of right now, here are the top 10 teams, their goalies, and those goalies lacrosse gear setups. For this post I dropped in a few links to the save edits in case you want to check out these goalies in action.
To answer a couple common questions –
Yes, the female goalie post is coming soon.
Yes, I would also like to know what company mesh they’re using but its near impossible to determine in photos.
Chest pad is also tough to determine in photos. I included a few where I know the goalie well or its peaking out of the jersey in a photo.
Yes, I would love to cover D2, D3, and MCLA but I can barely keep up with D1.
Let’s get into it! If you see any errors in this post, leave me a comment down below.
The freshman Josh Marcus earned the starting job for UNC out of camp. While he hasn’t had the greatest season statistically, his team sits at the number 2 seed so he’s been able to make timely saves to earn W’s for his boys.
Here’s a pic of high school Josh rocking the STX Shield 600 chestie and given that UNC is an STX school, he’s surely using the same pad.
Seems like every week Princeton goalie Ryan Croddick was making insane saves to help the Tigers win! He’s one of the top goalies in the league and should be donning All-American honors when the 2026 dust settles.
Especially if he can bring Princeton back to the promised land!
We’re finally on the board for shooting strings as Croddick as 1 U and 1 nylon in his setup.
I’ve also seen pics of Jimmy McCool using the unreleased Gait head. Word on the street is that they’re still making edits to the head but this is what it will look like:
Thing looks like its directly out the Transformers movies. You can see it in action in this video:
After finishing 4 years at Air Force, goalie Jake Marek transferred to UVA for his final season.
Training to be a combat medic, apparently he’s also working shifts at the UVA hospital and balancing school and lacrosse. A lesson in pure time management.
He’s been playing solid and just helped Virginia win the ACC tournament with saves this like:
Virginia is a Warrior sponsored school so Marek is decked out in full Warrior gear. Like many Warrior loyalists he however doesn’t use the latest Warrior Nemesis QS goalie head which has some strucutral flaws. Instead he uses the Warrior Nemesis 3.
After Jack Fracyon graduated, Penn St. had big shoes to fill in the goal. They filled them with the freshman brick wall Preston Hawkins.
Like other freshman on this list, he’s been shaky at times, but he’s still super solid in net and Penn St. currenly has the #9 goals against average at 8.76. Hawkins is 37th with a 51.2 save percentage.
While Duke started the season with Pat Jameison manning the crease, an injury and an illness gave the sophomore Buck Cunningham his 1st collegiate start. He hasn’t looked back.
He recently made 12 saves to knock off the #3 seed Carolina 16-12.
Conclusion
So there we go. Lacrosse goalie gear setup of the top 10 goalies as of early May.
Who is your favoriate goalie on this list?
Here’s a recap of the stick setups –
Goalie Heads
STX Eclipse 3: 7
ECD Impact: 1
Warrior Nemesis 3: 1
Gait Command / Transformer Head: 1
The STX Eclipse 3 is really the blue blood of the lacrosse goalie world. And it shows with 70% of the top 10 goalies using STX latest head as their weapon of choice.
That new Gait is wild. They’ve got a reputation for pushing the edge in making innovative lacrosse products (hello, Gait D) and so I can’t wait to try this new head.
Mesh
12 Diamond: 10
Clean sweep for the 12 diamond. It really provides the best of everything.
Occasionally we get a 20 diamond fanatic on this list but not this year.
A lot of varying setups when it comes to the shooting strings of these keepers however the ghost pocket is the most popular. It’s so hot right now.
Goalie Gloves
Maverik M6:2
STX Surgeon RZR2: 1
Maverik Max: 3
Gait Goalie Gloves: 1
STX Cell VI: 2
Warrior Nemesis QS: 1
Good mix of goalie gloves represented amongst these 10 goalies.
My personal favs are the STX Cell VI (that link is my review) but to be fair I haven’t tried all the goalie gloves out there.
I have tried the Warrior Nemesis QS goalie gloves. Those are solid too.
Chest Pads
STX Shield 600: 8
Warrior Nemesis: 1
Maverik Shift: 1
I did a lot of guessing on the chest pads since its tough to find pics of these goalies without jerseys. Still I would imagine most goalies do wear the STX Shield 600 chest pad.
Most brands put out a solid chest protector. I wasn’t a fan of Maverik later models but they seem to have really stepped it up with the release of the Shift (Full Maverik Shift chest pad review chest pad review here).
See anything I missed? Leave me a comment down below.
Until next time, Coach Damon
PS – What is your goalie setup? Leave me a comment down below and let me know.
Unlock your full potential inside the premier training program for lacrosse goalies. Get exclusive access to technique tutorials, drills, mental game strategies, lacrosse IQ development, and direct coaching from Coach Damon. Join 400+ goalies who are leveling up their skills and confidence.
Being a goalie parent is harder than playing the position. That’s why I created the Lacrosse Goalie Super Mom/Dad course - designed for parents with zero lacrosse experience who still want to support their goalie. You’ll learn how to train them (yes, really), but more importantly, how to guide them through the emotional highs and lows of the game.
Promote your brand, product, or service by sponsoring the Lax Goalie Rat newsletter. It's the easiest way to get noticed by a passionate and highly targeted community of lacrosse goalies and coaches.
Lacrosse is my passion! The game has given me so much and this blog is my way of giving back to the lax community. Specifically the most bad a$$ part of that community - the goalies! After learning to play goalie from scratch, I wanted to create a site where I could share what I learned with others so they too can become champions in the crease and in life. Learn more about Coach Damon.
Elevate Your Lacrosse Goalie’s Game with Expert Coaching!
Join the Lax Goalie Rat Academy for top-tier virtual goalie training! Boost your young goalie's confidence, skills, and success - so you can be the proud goalie Mom or Dad on the sideline 🔥
14 Amazing Lacrosse Goalie DrillsAug. 1, 2024
Quick Guide To Lacrosse Slang TermsApril 14, 2025
Lacrosse Goalies Rules To KnowJune 28, 2022
Lacrosse Goalie Step-by-Step Guide to Getting RecruitedFebruary 6, 2022
18 Lacrosse Goalie Drills to Improve Your GameApril 24, 2025
7 Elements of a Great Lacrosse Goalie StanceAug. 1, 2020
12 Lacrosse Goalie Tips To Take Your Game to the Next LevelSeptember 10, 2024
STX Eclipse 3 Goalie Head ReviewApril 24, 2025
Lacrosse Goalie WorkoutAug. 12, 2019
The Basics of Making a SaveJune 29, 2021
