Tim McKinney
Senior goalie Michael LaRocco has been a stalwart for the men's lacrosse team.
By Michael Jason Lee
It is often said that there is no "I" in team. Perhaps nobody understands this concept better than Michael LaRocco.
LaRocco, a four-year letter winner and tricaptain of the men's lacrosse team, has been a fixture in the goal for the Big Red since he entered the program as a freshman. Throughout hisfour years on the varsity squad, he has experienced a tremendous degree of success. Yet, LaRocco is quick to point out that his successes would not have been attainable without his teammates' assistance.
"I have had a great complement of teammates throughout the years," LaRocco said. "I don't care who you are, no one person is ever capable of succeeding and doing wonderful things without the help of others. You need a support staff."
LaRocco's penchant for modesty is offset by head coach Richie Moran's cognizance that his goalie is a key determinant in the team's success.
"He is definitely the anchor of our defense, as has been proven from the games that he's played," Moran said. "He's made some sensational saves ... [and] he's led a number of fast brakes for us. He's got tremendous charisma in the goal and has a great technique of controlling the defense."
Moran, who has been directing the men's lacrosse program at Cornell for the past 28 years, recognizes the challenges of the goal-keeping position.
"Goalie is one of the most difficult positions in athletics to play. It's a 6-by-6 goal, the ball can come about 90 miles an hour from about 3 feet away," Moran said. "It comes in all different angles and it comes in different types of curves and moves. You have to be very courageous to play the position."
Despite the intimidating job description, LaRocco immediately jumped into the starting position as a freshman. Appearing in all 11 games in 1993, he broke the Cornell freshman record for saves in a season after amassing 173 stops, compiled a 10.76 goals against average and a .601 save percentage. For his efforts, LaRocco received All-Ivy honorable mention honors.
"In that first season, I had a veteran defense in front of me, so I was able to just work on doing the things to win the games," the Smithtown, N.Y., native said. "I went out there and just tried to make saves."
LaRocco's second season was a different story.
The sophomore goalie was unable to develop the ability to properly prepare himself mentally and, subsequently, could not put himself in the right frame of mind. He appeared in just five contests, as his goals against average ballooned to 22.98 and his save percentage dropped to .463.
"Mike unfortunately got off to a tough season," Moran said. "He got himself in what would be called a negative zone, where things just did not go for him."
Yet, LaRocco's unique perspective on the subpar season enabled him to transform his difficulties into a learning experience.
"My father once told me that you can only really benefit from the positives when you've seen the negatives," LaRocco said. "It's how you build on those negatives that determine where you go."
LaRocco trained diligently to improve all facets of his game in the off-season preceding his junior campaign. His work reaped tangible dividends, as he enjoyed his most successful season in the crease, guiding the Red to the NCAA playoffs for the first time since the 1989 season. En route to earning first-team All-Ivy laurels, LaRocco recorded 789 minutes, 217 saves, a 12.78 goals against average and a .564 save percentage.
LaRocco has continued to excel in the net during his senior campaign despite a young defense and several players playing short-stick defense for the first time.
Through eight games, LaRocco has nullified 165 shots on goal and has posted a stellar 11.08 goals against average and .645 save percentage. In the opening game of the season against Army, LaRocco set the record for saves made in a game by a senior and achieved a personal-best when he thwarted 28 Cadet shots. Against Syracuse last week, he again reset these standards when he registered 29 saves. LaRocco is also on pace to obliterate the current record for saves in a season (242).
While his tenure as a lacrosse player at Cornell will soon be concluding, LaRocco has no intentions of retiring from the sport that has been so formative in his life.
"At this juncture, I am not ready to put the sticks up on the wall and let them collect dust," he said. "I hope to continue to play for awhile and make the most out of my opportunity to play professionally in Australia."
As Moran said, LaRocco will surely find success down any avenue he travels.
"Michael will be a top executive someplace. He's got all the charisma and all the character, integrity and credibility to do that without a doubt," he said. "Whatever field or profession or vocation he gets into, he'll be a tremendous success."
Michael Jason Lee is a senior at Ithaca College.
The Big Red Hot Line, 255-2385, is open 24 hours and has scores of all men's and women's varsity events and previews of upcoming games. Information about Cornell athletics also is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.athletics.cornell.edu.