Redshirt junior Mac Gates from San Francisco, California, home to one of the top-ranked programs on the West Coast, is the starting goalie for the Hofstra men’s lacrosse team. 

From recording a career-high of 16 saves against Merrimack College on February 6, to recording another career-high in saves earlier this month against Villanova University, Gates has exceeded expectations early in the season. 

The apple didn’t fall far from the tree, seeing as his father is a part of the lacrosse community and his brothers, Jamie and Sedge, both play for Division I programs. “My dad played in college,” Gates said. “So it’s always been kind of a part of my family. Then it happened to be really popular at my elementary school, so I got into it at a young age.”

When it came to searching for a position that fit him best, Gates found his spot as a goalie. “No one ever wanted to play it, especially at a youth level, because you get hit with the ball and all that … no one ever stuck with the position,” he said. “So, I tried it once in fourth grade, but I was pretty good at it.”

Hofstra men’s lacrosse alum Andrew Gvozden shared a similar path as Gates. Being ranked third in the country in save percentage with a .602 mark and leading the nation in goals-against average with a 6.00 mark in 2011, the Maryland native was significant to Gates’ development as a goalie. “We started working together probably when I was a freshman or sophomore in high school, and he was probably the first coach that I had that was strictly my goalie coach,” Gates said. “We formed a really good relationship right away. I would work out with him all the time, and the main thing about him is he had such an excitement for the position and coaching. Within those two years, we’ve gotten extremely close and when I committed to come here, him being alumni, we’ve continued to get closer.” Gates also noted that he and Gvozden have many shared experiences, such as playing under Coach Tierney. 

Traveling from San Francisco, California, to Hempstead, New York, is a long way from home. The West Coast differs from the East in many ways regarding the overall culture, from clothes to food, communication and even varied popularity in sports. But when it comes to lacrosse, Gates said, “I mean, there are some slight differences; definitely. But overall, no, not really. Especially not the lacrosse culture.”

It’s evident Long Island has an extensive lacrosse community, but so does California. “There’s a budding and exciting lacrosse culture on the West Coast, too,” Gates said. “There might be a little bigger crowd for the sport out here, but the West Coast isn’t too far behind.”

Gates he has massive amounts of love for his team, and he describes Hofstra’s team atmosphere as optimistic. “Our record doesn’t necessarily reflect that at the moment, but we knew coming in losing a lot of the older guys would be a growing experience,” he said. “So, you’re going to have to adapt and overcome certain challenges when it comes to not having the game experience.”

 The team has struggled a bit, as Gates mentioned, with a current record of 4-5 and a standing of fifth in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), which isn’t exactly where the team envisioned it would be. “But we’re feeling pretty good. We like the direction we’re going into leaving in a conference place,” Gates said. “I’d say, overall, the vibe is pretty positive and extremely optimistic for what we can do.”

Gates has many accomplishments under his belt, such as receiving the John M. Senyard Award as Saint Ignatius Prep School lacrosse team’s Most Valuable Player. In addition, he was a three-time member of West Catholic Athletic League championship teams during his high school years.

 As far as his accomplishments at Hofstra, he said, “My favorite experience or performance is probably that Merrimack game. Being a backup in years prior and getting to come out and that first game, there’s a ton of nerves, obviously. So getting to perform as well as I did in that game helped me kind of settle in and set the tone for the season.”

 Aside from his astounding lacrosse skills, he is an academically exceptional student and has been named to the CAA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll every semester at Hofstra. 

 Before he graduates, Gates hopes to achieve a championship win with the team at Hofstra. “Like many players, I’m sure, would say it’d be incredible to win the CAA Tournament,” he said. “I think if my grade or a team that I’m a part of can do that, that would be my ultimate goal.”

 Gates has big plans for when his time at Hofstra comes to an end. “The dream is to work and probably go back to California to work for professional sports someday… I will always want some sort of involvement with lacrosse, whether it’s coaching youth programs or whatever it may be. But aside from a professional, working career, just giving other people from California the same experience that I’ve had, the opportunities to have the same experiences that I’ve had playing at East Coast schools at a Division I level,” he said. 

Photo courtesy of Evan Bernstein/The Hofstra Chronicle