Dave Wardwell was driving his son Bobby home from practice one night. A sixth-grader at the time, Bobby had just begun transitioning to a full-time lacrosse goalkeeper.

“What is it about goalie,” Dave Wardwell remembers asking Bobby. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“There’s something about a ball coming at you at 100 miles per hour that’s kind of exciting,” Bobby quipped to his father.

The century-mark speeds were hyperbolic for any sixth-grader, but Bobby Wardwell’s words still hold true to him now as he wraps up his senior season in net for No. 1 Syracuse (12-2, 2-2 Atlantic Coast).

He’s stood as the backbone to the Syracuse defense this season for the first time in his career, while prior years were littered with spot starts and split games. Pitted up against junior transfer Warren Hill going into this season, Wardwell beat out Hill in the preseason to cement his spot atop the totem pole of SU’s six goalies.

He’s transformed into the premier stopper Syracuse needed to compliment its highly touted offense, owing his career-best season to consistency and his volatile approach ingrained in him to protect the net.

“One thing everyone always says is that goalies in any sport are crazy or something’s not right,” said Wardwell, who often shooed away his concerned father when asked about his vibrantly bruised legs. “… I just think people say that because you’re standing in front of a 90 mile per hour shot with very little pads on, but I just think it’s fun.”

His 6-foot frame stands poised each time the attack is threatening. He maintains what he calls “athletic position.” His feet spread about shoulder-width apart, hands about eight inches from each other on his stick, and he holds that stick just below the crossbar, at an angle to keep it parallel from his body.

He pivots around an imaginary semicircle just in front of the goal line as the ball is distributed. While a blur to the thousands of fans regularly in attendance, the five-ounce, white rubber ball can stick out like a flame on a heat map to Wardwell.

He follows and tracks the ball until seemingly inhuman reflexes take over to corral the 90 mile per hour projectile. In a moment, the ball launches itself to the webbing of Wardwell’s stick or whizzes inches by it and into the goal.

This season, he’s made saves at a career-high 52.6-percent clip.

“He doesn’t let the (shots) that shouldn’t go in, in,” Syracuse head coach John Desko said. “Now we’re seeing him make some (saves) that he probably shouldn’t make.

“We’ve just seen that upward climb in how he’s played in his confidence level.”

His string of successes this season has led to a more adventurous Wardwell, a goalkeeper no longer cemented between the pipes and confined by the crease. The senior has ramped up his aggressiveness and left the net vulnerable multiple times to try and make plays on the ball.

Even with a 9-0 lead against Hobart on April 14, Wardwell showed no remorse. An errant Brendan Saylor pass set off a footrace between Wardwell and Statesman attack Zach Reed toward the end line. Wardwell beat out four Hobart attacks to shovel the ball off to Peter Macartney to extinguish the offensive threat.

“Being able to play outside the cage just makes you better and makes your team better,” Wardwell said. “Sometimes it’s a little bit of fun to just get out there and get to hit someone.”

As much as he’s been able to revel in his successes, Wardwell says a large part in playing his position the right way is the ability to forget both the highs and the lows.

Forget the double-overtime goal allowed to derail an undefeated season against Notre Dame in March. Forget the double-digit saves made in half of SU’s games this season. Forget the 10 goals allowed in the opening half against North Carolina.

Wardwell worked intensely on blocking low-angle shots with undergraduate student coach Dominic Lamolinara going into the rematch against UNC in the ACC tournament semifinals.

The senior keeper allowed only eight goals the second time around against the Tar Heels and lasted the entire game in the cage. The second chance given to Wardwell is one in seasons past he may not have gotten.

He’s finally reached a point where the surprises are few and far between and it won’t take inhuman reflexes to corral what’s coming at him next.

“It’s nice to be winning and having that kind of success,” Wardwell said. “But there’s still another trophy for us to go out and get.”

Published on May 7, 2015 at 8:00 am

Contact Connor: cgrossma@syr.edu | @connorgrossman