The two-goaltender system isn’t popular with many other teams. But Syracuse defender Natalie Glanell wouldn’t have any other system in the cage behind her.

“I like it this way,” Glanell said. “Having two goalies is an advantage. If one of them is having an off day, switch them out. Or you know, both of them might be on fire, saving goals left and right. We look at it positively, not negatively.”

A year removed from posting the best save percentage (.489) in the Big East, the No. 1 Orange (1-0) is set to begin the 2013 season with junior Alyssa Costantino and sophomore Kelsey Richardson splitting time at goalie – just as they did last season. Costantino managed to log nearly 933 minutes in 2012, and her .494 save percentage ranked best in the Big East. But the platoon system fluctuated enough for Richardson to accumulate almost 470 minutes of playing time.

Although most other teams across the country stick to one goalie, Syracuse’s team save percentage ranked in the top 10 nationally.

And the two-goalie platoon didn’t stop the Orange from reaching the NCAA championship.

“We’re just lucky we’re in a position where we have two very strong goalies,” said SU head coach Gary Gait, who never used a two-goalie system before last season. “And they were both fighting for the starting position last year and we didn’t get clear separation between them. When we have one clear starting goalie, it’ll be a one-goalie system.

Out of the 16 teams that reached last year’s NCAA Tournament, only one other team had two goalies that each racked up 400 minutes in the cage – Navy used a number of goalies throughout the season, but switched to Michelle Verbeeck as the primary starter for the last seven games, including all but three minutes of the Midshipmen’s four postseason contests.

Costantino started each of the Orange’s 23 games and Richardson appeared in all but six of them. Syracuse was the only contending program that truly utilized two goalies all season.

“We played a lot of the top goalies in the country,” Gait said. “And we blow them out of the water and they don’t have an opportunity to switch it up when there’s a three, four, five-goal run. That’s something we can always do.”

With the knowledge that they’ll be sharing the goal for most of this season, Costantino and Richardson aren’t bothered by the instability of being pulled at any moment. Costantino instead takes solace in the consistency of taking assignments one half at a time.

Costantino and Richardson both said they knew going into the Orange’s season-opener at Jacksonville on Jan. 13 that they would split the first and second halves. Costantino started and Richardson took over after halftime.

But that won’t be the case every game. The coaches make substitutions not entirely because of performances, but also based on matchups and their “gut,” Gait said. SU wants both goalies to have their opportunities in the cage.

Gait believes both of his goalies are solid at handling any shot levels, but said Costantino is slightly better with the high shots and Richardson slightly better at defending the low shots.

That’s when Gait likes to take advantage of his two-goalie system.

“What I like is they both have a little different strengths,” Gait said. “And you can kind of use that and the shooters have to change up the way they shoot. It definitely allows us some flexibility in there and create momentum changes in games. And I think that’s key.”

Even though both goalies see the field often, the rotation doesn’t throw off the defense’s communication.

The Orange learns defense as a unit, Glanell said, not as individuals, so the interaction doesn’t waver when a new goalie takes over the cage. Gait said both goalies receive plenty of time in practice to develop rapports with the defense, so the risk of a miscommunication is a “non-issue.”

“I trust our defensive goalie coaches,” Glanell said. “And I trust both Kelsey and A-Cos, so no matter who’s behind us, we know they got our backs and we got their backs.”

In this two-goalie scheme, Costantino said, it’s difficult to prepare for games since she doesn’t know exactly how long she’ll be protecting SU’s goal.

It’s just as hard for Richardson coming in from the sideline.

“Every game I just mentally prepared myself like I was playing and then when you did get in you just had to be ready to play,” Richardson said. “You had to come every game, ready to play.”

While the system has its unknowns, it keeps the goalies on their toes and forces them to play their best. When Costantino is on the field, she said, her intensity and focus are always up in hopes of staying on as long as she can.

Syracuse is confident its rare two-goalie strategy will work for the second consecutive season, as the goalies have improved from last year. Costantino and Richardson are carrying themselves with more confidence, SU assistant coach Brett Queener said, and they’ve taken leadership roles now that another year is under their belts.

But Queener is especially thrilled with the progress the goalies are making in the cage, particularly in their understanding of the position and their tighter footwork.

“That was something, when I came in last spring, we had to immediately work on because they had never really worked on that kind of stuff,” Queener said. “So it’s now become second nature … They’re seeing better shots every day, so I think in all context or all facets of their game, they’ve accelerated.”

Costantino said she and Richardson work off of each other’s energy well. One goalie’s improvement motivates the other one to work harder, she said, and vice versa.

Syracuse hopes Costantino and Richardson maintain their development as the Orange continues to run a two-goalie system that few other teams across the nation use.

“So, people like ‘Oh, we don’t have a goalie’ or whatever it is – it’s the best system, I think, in the country last year. So we’re going to continue with it,” Queener said. “It’s a good problem to have, having two goalies who are the best in the country.

“Want to use them both, right?”

Published on February 14, 2013 at 3:08 am

Contact Phil: pmdabbra@syr.edu | @PhilDAbb