Women's Lacrosse

Asa Goldstock, freshman goalie, looks to guide No. 2 seed Syracuse in the ACC tournament

Ally Moreo | Photo Editor

Asa Goldstock learned from her cousin, Luke, now a senior attack at North Carolina, how to save fast shots from a top shooter.

Luke Goldstock needed a goalie. So, one summer day, he turned to his 8-year-old cousin, Asa Goldstock, who had never played the position in her life.

The young girl put on goalie gear and stood in front of the net as a future North Carolina attack peppered her with shots. Her apprehension turned to fear. The shots that didn’t hit the back of the net ricocheted off her.

Growing tired of the pain, something clicked and she began to prove herself. The hurled rubber hit the netting of her stick. As she picked balls out of the air with ease, the shooters took notice and were impressed as the “natural” displayed an athleticism they were unprepared for.

“Ever since that one day,” said Goldstock’s mother Tiffany Moore. “She just took to it.”

That young boy’s spur-of-the-moment decision started Asa Goldstock on the path from neophyte to town star, and eventually to the nation’s top-ranked high school goaltender. Now in her freshman year, Goldstock looks to lead No. 2 seed Syracuse (13-5, 5-2 Atlantic Coast) on Thursday against seventh-seeded Virginia Tech in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament.



Goldstock has struggled at times this season. Some of her tendencies that carried in her in high school failed to translate on the collegiate level. Her 11.29 goals against average ranks 45th in the nation. As the season has progressed, Goldstock has found her footing. She is in the midst of her best stretch, saving 31 shots in SU’s last three games.

Dalton, Asa’s brother, also played goalie and wanted to see how he stacked up. Luke’s sister, Julia, sought to test her shot against Asa. Family gatherings on Asa’s grandmother’s farm turned into showcases for the young Goldstocks.

Soon, the grass fields of the farm turned into the turf-covered ground at Niskayuna (New York) High School, where all four cousins played on the varsity level. Dalton would win a Section II championship as the men’s starting goalie. When both Asa and Luke are home, they play with each other as if they were kids again.

“She’s so athletic,” Luke said. “It was like shooting on a male goalie.”

Lacrosse has embedded itself as a fixture in Niskayuna. When an eighth grader started in net for the varsity women’s lacrosse team, people took notice. Goldstock had to rearrange her middle school schedule in order to make the time for high school practices.

Locals who knew Luke and his success waited to see what accolades Asa would collect. Before being named a two-time USA Today All-American, a 13-year-old Goldstock befriended the most decorated lacrosse player in Syracuse history, Kayla Treanor.

Treanor, who ranks fourth all-time in NCAA point totals (393), was a senior at Niskayuna when Goldstock joined the team in eighth grade. Taking Goldstock “under her wing”, Treanor shot with Goldstock after practice, prepping her for the level of talent she soon faced.

“Their friendship grew organically and the fact that Kayla became such an unbelievable player,” Moore said. “Asa kind of followed in her footsteps.”

Treanor’s choice to go to Syracuse resonated with Goldstock. When the nation’s No. 3 recruit per Inside Lacrosse began to look at colleges, Goldtock talked only about Syracuse. She verbally committed to SU before her sophomore season. Years later, the Orange is trusting the freshman in net. Halley Quillinan, women’s editor at Inside Lacrosse and SU alum, thinks Goldstock can follow Treanor and be Syracuse’s next star.

“I think she has the ability to be the next Liz Hogan, a national team goalie,” Quillinan said. “What Asa has been able to do is remarkable.”





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