Doc's last call
UMass senior goalie hopes career ends in postseason
Saturday, May 2, 20091
AMHERST - A crowd of television cameras, tape recorders and notebooks attached to eager reporters surrounded Doc Schneider as he stood sweaty and happy in the depths of Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field. Behind a terrific effort by Schneider, then a freshman goalie, the University of Massachusetts had just upset Maryland, 8-5, to earn a spot in the NCAA men's lacrosse championship game.
"How'd you get the nickname Doc?" one reporter asked the Massapequa, N.Y. native whose birth certificate calls him Jonathan, but everyone else calls Doc.
"I'm not telling," said Schneider repeating a practiced response to a common question.
Pushed, Schneider relented a little bit.
"I'll tell you after my senior year," he said and the questions moved on to other topics.
Reminded of that pledge last week, Schneider looked a bit sheepish.
"I didn't think the end of my senior year was going to come as quick as it did," he said laughing.
It's not so far away now. The goalie that was such a fresh story in 2006, is now the player his teammates playfully call "the old man." Saturday at 1 p.m. at Rutgers, he can keep his nickname a secret a little longer. If the Minutemen beat the Scarlet Knights, they'll win the ECAC league title and earn an automatic bid to the 16-team NCAA Tournament.
But no matter what happens, Schneider's college career doesn't have much time left.
When the Minutemen's season does end, one of the best goalie careers in school history will close with it. Schneider is No. 2 on UMass' career save list with 721, a number that trails only Sal LoCasio, who is widely considered one of the best, if not the best, lacrosse goalie ever.
Unlikely starter
Schneider wasn't expected to start let alone shine at UMass. He was part of a freshman class that also included Nick Sciubba. While Schneider's only other recruiting interest came from Division III Gettysburg, Sciubba was a two-time high school All-American.
"When I was a senior in high school, I heard about this kid coming here who was a two-time All-American," Schneider said. "I figured I better get ready to go right away cause I want to stay here."
Schneider got coach Greg Cannella's attention right away by arriving on campus 30 pounds lighter. The two goalies waged an even battle throughout the fall season keeping the competition open into the spring. In the Minutemen's final preseason exhibition game against Army, Sciubba got the start and Schneider took over at halftime.
"Doc responded in formidable fashion," Cannella said. "He really took control of that defense in the second half and we decided to start him the following week against Hofstra. ... His attitude and his leadership ability won him the job."
He's started every game since.
"Coming here that fall I felt like I love this place too much to back off," said Schneider, who is glad that Sciubba, who transferred to Bucknell for the 2007 season, was looking over his shoulder. "Every single day it brought out the best in me."
The best of Schneider, even as a freshman, was pretty good. He was in the nation's top 10 in save percentage (60.3), saves per game (12.2) and total saves (220). He got better in the postseason making key late saves in one goal wins over Cornell and Hofstra before stopping 15 against Maryland and 17 in the loss to Virginia in the title game.
That run doesn't seem like that long ago.
"It goes by faster than you can imagine. I catch myself telling the freshmen, you have no idea how fast it goes," he said. "The memories I have from when I was a freshman are so vivid, it feels like they just happened a couple days ago."
The memories on the field since that run haven't been as happy. In 2007, Schneider was still among the nation's top goalies with a 58.9 save percentage and his 7.94 goals against average was actually better than his freshman year. But the Minutemen were rebuilding on offense and finished 7-7.
The highs of 2006 seemed more distant last year. An off-the-field incident led to the dismissal of eight players from the team leaving the Minutemen severely shorthanded. They finished the season at 5-9, their worst record since 1999.
Resurgent Minutemen
But with a full roster again, UMass has rebounded this season. The Minutemen are 8-5 and on the brink of returning to the postseason for the first time since their run to the finals in 2006.
Schneider has been a key piece of the resurgence. His 65.8 save percentage leads the nation and his 7.11 goals against average is fifth. Inside Lacrosse Magazine called him the nation's "No. 1 Clutch Goalie" an honor backed up by his 17 saves against Loyola in an 8-6 win that has UMass positioned to win the conference title. He's a likely All-American and a candidate for the Tewaaraton Trophy, lacrosse's national player of the year.
While he's found satisfaction in proving himself to all the coaches that didn't recruit him out of high school, Schneider was glad to have helped bring success to the coach who did.
"There were a lot of people who didn't think I could play at this level. It's been a great experience to do great here. I always want to thank Coach Cannella and (former assistant coach) Jason Miller for recruiting me and I want to play well for them," said Schneider who hopes to go into coaching himself.
"I can't think of life not having the competition. I think about how impactful Coach Cannella has been in my life. He's been my dad away from home," he continued. "Doing that for one person would be worthwhile, but he's done it for hundreds. I feel like you make a difference being a great guy like him and teaching guys like us how to conduct ourselves. I want to do well for the team, for my family and for coach. That all goes into it. That man runs a great program."
The admiration is mutual.
"I played with Sal (LoCasio). We haven't had a goalie who has been as good as Sal over the four years til Doc," Cannella said. "He's happy he received the opportunity and he's made the most of it. He's a fantastic story. You wish you had 40 Docs, people who are as appreciative and have worked as hard as he has to get as good as he's become."
Schneider is grateful for the chance to go out on a high note.
"We don't have time to sit back and view everything from the past four years. But I'm trying to enjoy it as much as I can. It's been a great experience for me," said Schneider, who is motivated by far more than protecting his nickname one more week. "Every game that you get to put on the jersey and play together is meaningful. We have an increased sense of urgency right now, but every game is meaningful. Being here playing with my best friends and Coach Cannella is the greatest thing I've ever experienced."
Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. For more UMass coverage, including a UMass sports blog, go to http://www.gazettenet.com/category/sports/umass-sports
