My top three picks for the goalies in 2023 that are most likely to snag the top three all-american spots are pretty solid and I presume that many if not most will agree with me, at least for 2 of my 3.
Logan McNaney, Maryland
No question, McNaney has benefited greatly from having one of the best defenses in the game standing in front of him. But what I like about McNaney is he’s up to the task and he can hang and help lead right along side some solid all-american defensive talent.
Not only that, but he’s now played in back-to-back national championship games and came away with a win last season.
McNaney’s 2022 production:
- .597 save percentage
- 18-0 record
- .556 save percentage over his career
Maryland has some question marks on the defensive side of the ball in 2023 to be certain as they lost a starting pole and some SSDM’s, but I have full confidence that the fall off in overall team chemistry on the defensive side of the ball will not be nearly enough to keep McNaney from being one of the “numbered” all americans in 2023.
Instead of being a very good compliment to a solid defense, in 2023 I believe that a solid defense will be a nice compliment to McNaney.
Besides, he’s a Section IV kid so there was no way a goalie of his caliber, from my area of the world, as good as he is was getting left off of my list here. Mostly because it’s my list.
Liam Entenmann, Notre Dame
This one is a no brainer. Entenmann had an incredible season in 2022. He finished 8th in the country with a save percentage of .572 and I’m a big fan of the defense they’ll be putting in front of him in 2023 which I think gives him a solid chance of improving upon his stats.
Notre Dame was a tough team to read last year. In one sense, they seemed like they should have been a lock for the NCAA tournament based on how they played against some solid teams, but the dragging down of the ACC strength by Syracuse in my opinion eliminated Notre Dame from consideration as those two wins counted for nothing compared to what they would have in the past.
Entenmann’s stats in 2022:
- .572 save percentage
- 8-4 record
- .568 save percentage over his career
So on defense Ross Burgmaster is back and add transfers Chris Fake (Yale) and Chris Conlin (Holy Cross) who was 3rd in the nation in takeaways in 2022, Notre Dame has a very good 3-man human shield in front of Entenmann.
Keys for Entenmann will be to be more consistent. MY BIGGEST KNOCK, when facing teams with winning records last season, Entenmann was below 50% more often than not. Had a 36% outing vs Georgetown in a loss. Had a 44% day vs Ohio State in a loss and finished below 47% in both wins over Duke. So he lacked consistency, but when he was good, he was really, really good.
I think Notre Dame is going to be a much better offensive team in 2023, and I think the 3 starting poles in front of Liam are in line with what they put on the field last year, so #44 should have a bit less pressure on him and that usually plays well into goalie stats.
Danny Hincks, Georgetown
Danny Hincks was an honorable mention last year for Dartmouth. His transfer to Georgetown could see his already solid save percentage improve greatly, maybe as much as 5% thanks to the beasts that Georgetown will put in front of him.
I almost put Luke Millican in this spot, but Jacksonville lost enough players on defense that I see it being hard for him to repeat his .582 save percentage, whereas Hincks has posted very respectable stats over his career despite playing for a team that is less than solid.
Hincks production in 2022:
- .520 save percentage
- 4-9 record
- .541 save percentage over his career
There will be many that will chirp this pick, but if you look at the other two guys I’ve already talked about, the common thread is BOTH HAVE INCREDIBLE DEFENDERS IN FRONT OF THEM, and Hincks just got a huge upgrade in terms of the guys that are tasked with protecting him.
Georgetown helped Owen McElroy to the USILA most outstanding goalie award and while I”m not sure Hincks will have a season that good, I can’t imagine him not putting up stats worthy of a 3rd team AA nod or better.
Honorable Mention
Connor Theriault of Brown
Matt Garber of Boston U.
Luke Millican of Jacksonville
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