On today’s episode of the Lax Goalie Rat Podcast, I’m joined by recent Wagner graduate and 2023 All-American goalie Lauren DiStefano.
Lauren is coming off a fantastic career with the Sea Hawks that saw her leave Wagner as the first player in program history to be named an All-American by USA Lacrosse or the IWLCA.
Congratulations to Lauren DiStefano, who USA Lacrosse All-American Honorable Mention! pic.twitter.com/QeTzl9GTEm
Lauren’s final season with the Seahawks was nothing short of exceptional. She notched an impressive 558 career saves, second most in program history. Her senior year alone accounted for 183 of those saves, the third-highest in a single season in program history.
Lauren’s phenomenal season earned her the title of Northeast Conference (NEC) Goalkeeper of the Year and a spot on the First Team All-NEC. Her 9.89 goals against average ranking 20th in the nation and her 53.6 save percentage is top in the nation in 2023.
📒 The anchor of a stout 🌊🦅 defense that held NEC rivals to 7.12 goals per game, DiStefano is ranked fifth in the nation in saves per game (10.93) & second in save % (.540).#NECelite📜 #GKOTYpic.twitter.com/ygqw028GEx
Growing up in the lacrosse hotbed of West Islip, NY Lauren was destined to embrace the goalie role. With her dad as a coach, she found herself in the cage, where her natural talent for goaltending quickly surfaced.
West Islip has produced many other great goalies such as the Redwoods Jack Kelly or former Syracuse women’s lacrosse goalie Alyssa Costantino.
At West Islip High School, Lauren helped her team to a Suffolk County and Long Island Championship finishing with an impressively decorated high school career.
She was a member of the All-Rookie team, All-Division, and All-Tournament teams as a freshman, All-Division as a junior captain and voted MVP by the West Islip High School Coaches Association, Voted All-County as a junior and senior as well as Newsday’s Long Island First team in her senior year.
After high school, Lauren made the decision to choose Wagner. She wanted to stay closer to home and loved the idea of playing at a smaller school and being a part of a closer community.
That decision would prove to pay off as she would go on to have an incredible career with the Sea Hawks and is even leaving Wagner with an MBA in Marketing.
I hope you enjoy this episode with Lauren where we discuss topics like the next-shot mentality, mental game tips, and how to deal with inside shots.
P.S. - Whenever you're ready, here are 3 ways I can help you:
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