By Alana Pelosi

Growing up in Maryland playing little league, Andrew Gvozden probably did not plan on being a starting goalie for a national lacrosse powerhouse. When he traded in his bat and glove for a lacrosse stick the summer after sixth grade, it probably wasn’t too heavy on his mind either.

It wasn’t even on his mind at the start of the season. When Gvozden was recruited, he didn’t expect to see much playing time in his freshman season. While playing hockey, he tore his shoulder badly enough that he was out for the entire fall season. “I thought I’d wait a year and then complete for playing time. I didn’t think at all I’d be playing at this point,” said Gvozden.

That all changed, however, when he was thrust onto the field for his first start against tradition-rich Johns Hopkins. Even more surreal was that 80-yards down the field in the other goal was his older brother, Michael. “I always dreamt it up and played it over in my head but I didn’t think it would really happen,” Gvozden said of starting against his brother. While Gvozden claims to have not been nervous before his first start, his parents were understandably torn. “They get nervous before every game,” explained Gvozden, “but that game really was rough. I don’t think they slept the night before.”

While the game worked out in Hopkins’ favor-beating the Pride 12-7-Gvozden and his teammates have played very well since then. Gvozden credits his mom for getting him involved with lacrosse. Tired of watching baseball games, she had him make the switch since his brother was already playing lacrosse.

When Michael began his career at Hopkins, Coach Seth Tierney was then an assistant coach there. Having already recruited one of her sons, Cathy Gvozden approached Tierney about taking a look at her younger son. After already receiving interest from Hopkins, Georgetown and a few Ivies, Gvozden gave Hofstra a look and loved it.

Lucky for him, Hofstra seems love him, too. Gvozden looks the part of a veteran on the field and has picked up CAA weekly honors twice since his debut. And in looking the part of the veteran he is acting it, too. “Now in the latter part of the season, I don’t want to be pampered for being a freshman,” Gvozden said, “I want to be treated like any other D-I goalie.”

And so far he has. Gvozden and his teammates need to step it up as the regular season concludes. The Pride cinched the top spot in the CAA Tournament during spring break with wins over Drexel and at Towson, but Gvozden’s team still has to work overtime if it wants to make it back to the NCAA Tournament.

Part of that will be getting over nerves, staying focused and not leaving any room for worrying. Or superstitions. Gvozden explains that he stopped worrying about superstitions and since then it’s paid off. “Leading up to Robert Morris I was [superstitious] and that game I put my eye black on wrong and didn’t have the right undershirt and I was freaking out, so I threw it all out the window,” said Gvozden.

Gvozden realizes the pressure, but he refuses to let it get to him on the field. “You can let things get to your head. It’s such a mental position-my brother tells me it’s 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical. Making saves is the physical part but you can’t go out there nervous.”

This summer Gvozden will be giving advice right alongside his brother. While on game day the Gvozden brothers might be on opposite ends of the action, this summer they will be side-by-side, coaching from the sidelines. This summer Gvozden and his brother will be coaching a group of middle school-aged boys and taking them to five or six tournaments.