On today’s Lax Goalie Rat Podcast episode, I sit down to chat with the starting goalie of the York Spartans, Jack Michael.
Jack just finished his collegiate career at DIII York this past season.
The native of Lake Orion, MI had an amazing career with the Spartans capped off with York’s first appearance in the NCAA DIII Semi-Finals.
Jack started playing lacrosse in the 6th grade and initially wanted to be an attackman. But after the coach said his team needed a goalie there was no hesitation from Michael who quickly raised his hand to step into the cage. The first shot he faced was a lock shot Jack kicked away and from that point, he was sold!
Jack would also spend time learning the game by watching youtube videos and games of talented goalies such as Jack Kelly, John Connors, and Kyle Bernlohr. He would watch how goalies moved in the net and take the things he like to try out on the field.
Jack played his high school ball at Brother Rice High School, a powerhouse program in the state of Michigan. He was a first-team all-state performer his senior year and won two state championships during his time at Brother Rice.
Michael’s had set his sight on playing college ball. However, he initially didn’t receive many offers, but he quickly found his home at York University. He loved his coaching staff and the opportunities the Spartans offered him.
Jack started all 4 years at York University. During his freshmen season, Michael’s was named Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) Rookie of the Year Second Team All-CAC selection.
His best season came in his junior year in 2021 where he receive USILA Second Team All-American honors and was a First Team All-MAC Commonwealth selection finishing the season ranked fifth in the nation with a 6.47 goals-against average and ranked top-20 with a .589 save percentage. He also compiled a trio of shutout appearances, including a full 60-minute clean sheet in the MAC Commonwealth title game against Stevenson.
Jack joins the show today to talk about his recruiting story, playing DIII lacrosse, the mental game, and much more!
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