Vital Statistics
Name: Jesse Schwartzman
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 210 lbs.
Class: Sophomore
Hopkins Highlights: First freshman to start season opener in goal since 1993, 6.14 save percentage in 2004.
It takes a special breed to volunteer to stand in front of the target. It takes an even more special breed to be a star at it.
"You've got to be fearless," said sophomore goalie Jesse Schwartzman, who had a career high 20 saves in Hopkins 9-7 win over No. 2-ranked Virginia on Saturday. "The ball is coming at you 90-100 miles per hour. You have to feel no pain, basically."
Everyone is lucky that Schwartzman feels no pain--everyone except Virginia. Before the game started, many thought that chronic lower back pain would force Schwartman to the bench.
But he took his fearless goalie attitude and played through any discomfort, alleviating any concerns with a stellar seven save first quarter.
"I was hoping [Schwartzman] was going to be a liability, and he was not," said Virginia Head Coach Dom Starsia to the Baltimore Sun. "He might have been the difference. He stoned us a couple of times."
Although Hopkins was outshot 10-8 by Virginia in the first quarter, the Blue Jays finished the quarter with a 3-0 lead thanks to Schwartzman's maneuvering in goal. He was the safety net the Blue Jays needed to post against one of the best teams in the nation. "When we messed up, Jesse was there to bail us out," said Head Coach Dave Pietramala to Inside Lacrosse.
But what does it take for Schwartzman to be the best?
Years and years of practice would be Jesse's answer. Senior midfielder Andrew Schwartzman, Jesse's older brother that plays at Maryland, grew up playing attack and when he wanted to practice at home "he put me in goal."
Even if it was involuntary at first, considering his then bigger and stronger older brother was whipping shots at him, Schwartzman grew into the goal.
"It's a pretty cool position." And the shots that might have scared him when he was younger don't faze him anymore. "Andrew usually had the upper hand when we were growing up, but over the past couple years it's evened out."
The biggest test as to how much it's evened out came last year in the 100th meeting of Hopkins vs. Maryland when Jesse was a freshman. Midway into the game, Pietramala put Schwartzman in goal, a freshman playing against his older brother underneath the biggest spotlight of the season. Jesse responded by coming out of the crease and laying a big hit on his brother to break up a shot and moments later making a clutch save.
Schwartzman is expected to be one of the team leaders as the starter, a role he has no problem filling even as a sophomore.
"The goalie has to be one of the loudest people out there," said Schwartzman. "The talking part isn't that hard for me."
Against UVA, he played through pain and notched 20 saves.
The Jays can take risks knowing that if a ball is sailing towards the net at 100 miles per hour, Schwartzman will be waiting.
