Messalonskee coach Tom Sheridan works with goalie Cam Burrows on hand-eye coordination during a goalies-only practice Tuesday. This is the first year lacrosse goalies are allowed to begin training a week before the rest of the players. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

Willow Woodford struggles to imagine what it would be like had the 2025 Maine high school lacrosse season started like previous years.

Woodford is a newcomer to the sport and is getting her first reps as a goaltender this week for the Maranacook/Winthrop girls team. In the past, the Black Bears and many other teams have had play days scheduled at the end of the first week of preseason, putting goalies in the line of fire of 60- to 70-mph shots.

“I’m still trying to get the vibe of lacrosse because I’d never touched a lacrosse stick,” said Woodford, a freshman who switched to the sport after playing softball in middle school. “I’ve had a few soft shots taken on me, but I’m definitely not there yet.”

The lack of immediate readiness matters less this year, the first that lacrosse goalies are allowed to report Monday, a week ahead of most spring athletes, to begin practicing and conditioning. The early start, according to the Maine Principals’ Association lacrosse bulletin, was created to help goalies become “acclimated to the gear and (develop) fitness and athletic movement in full gear.”

Maranacook/Winthrop boys coach Dan Brannigan and Edward Little girls coach Elizabeth Ellis said this week’s goalie-specific drills have been hugely beneficial.

“It’s really cool to be able to have drills that we’re focused on, having them work in pairs and be able to really hone in their skills together,” Ellis said. “It felt like, especially last year, when we’d have one varsity goalie warming up, it felt like they were lonely; they really just had to do their own thing. So, I think that it’s going to make them so much stronger that they get to work together.”

Of all the tough positions to play successfully in sports, lacrosse goalie has to be near the top. Whereas low scores are the norm in other goal-only sports such as soccer and ice and field hockey, lacrosse teams frequently reach double figures. A good goalie, Maranacook/Winthrop’s Lucas Woodruff said, still allows goals on 40-50 percent of shots.

“It’s very similar to hockey, except you have way less pads,” Brannigan said. “Think about the amount of skill it takes to play hockey goalie, and if you take away their pads, those are probably still 15-, 20-goal games as well. So it’s naturally hard, and you have to warm them up, work on the stances and get them loose. I think that’s the biggest thing this week provides.”

Those who play the position, though, love it. Falmouth boys freshman Gavin Ross takes pride in knowing he’s the last line of defense; Amelia Brann loves feeling like she’s the backbone of the Falmouth girls team; Messalonskee’s Andrew Witham revels in the rush he feels when balls fly at him at high speeds.

“Taking on those shots, it’s exhilarating,” said Witham, a sophomore. “When you get a save, the whole crowd cheers, and it’s just awesome. It’s such a rush. When we’re playing in a big game, like against Brunswick, I don’t remember some of it; I just black out. That’s actually when I play the best.”

Falmouth’s Tessa Woodbury began playing goalie in middle school. Although it started out of necessity because her eighth-grade team needed a player at the position, it has since grown into a full-time role.

“I love the feeling when you make a big save or you have your whole team behind you,” said Woodbury, who also plays goalie for the Falmouth/Scarborough ice hockey team. “I love how much your team really supports you, and how, after a tough goal or a big save, they all come over and talk to you. That’s a great feeling.”

The extra week is also key to getting new goalies up to speed. In addition to Woodford on the Maranacook/Winthrop girls team, the Maranacook/Winthrop boys have two newcomers in Cole Canning and Nikolai Ellis, the Edward Little girls have two newbies in Lexi Childs and Ruby Harris and the Messalonskee boys have a fresh face in German exchange student Jan Germano.

If those players are good athletes, they can stand out at the position quickly. Quickness and reaction time have become important to playing goalie, and the philosophy as to who gets put in net, longtime Messalonskee coach Tom Sheridan said, has changed as a result.

“Back in the day, it used to be that you’d jut throw the big kid that can’t run in the goal,” Sheridan said. “Now, you’re finding that you need someone with athleticism and skill and also the mental fortitude to take shots. That’s a big thing about this week, building that mental confidence.”

Brann said she appreciates the week of early preparation that allows her to retune her hand-eye coordination after the offseason.

“It is kind of intimidating going in there with everyone shooting willy-nilly because they’re also warming up,” Brann said. “I feel a little more prepared and not as intimidated by what’s to come.”

Edward Little’s Aurora Martel, a sophomore, said goaltending is something that quickly feels natural with practice and skill-building. The family-like dynamic in the crease has made it even more enjoyable for her, and she thinks that will grow with the additions of Childs and Harris.

Falmouth boys lacrosse coach David Barton knows how important it is to build depth and invite younger players to try the position. Barton played goalie through high school and then at the University of Vermont. One of his goals since he started coaching the Navigators in 2017 has been to bring new goalies into the fold early.

“It’s a tight-knit community,” Barton said. “The goalie community is a super supportive one, so I think for newer goalies, this week will be great for developing confidence before they’re drinking from a fire hose next week facing shots.”

Barton is not the only person on the Falmouth coaching staff with goaltending experience. Two of the Navigators’ assistants, defensive coach Kris Dambach and junior varsity coach Liam Tucker, also played the position, the former also serving as Falmouth’s designated goalies coach.

Having a goalie coach is something Cameron Sinclair, Falmouth’s starter in net, says is a rarity in the state and gives the Navigators a leg up. Now that goalies throughout the state have an extra week, he hopes other teams can bridge the gap to benefit Maine high school lacrosse.

“Hopefully, we’ll see more goalies being better in Maine,” Sinclair said. “It’s a huge thing for the sport.”