This week I sat down to talk to the women’s lacrosse team’s four-year starting goalie Kristen Giovanniello ’14 to talk about her consistent play, the trials of being a goalie and her plans after Dartmouth.
How did it feel to be awarded Ivy Defensive Player of the Week for the seventh time in your career?
KG: It felt pretty great, but like my coach says, these accolades are always a product of the team. I think my team definitely makes me look good, and they make my job much easier.
How do you think you have maintained consistency all four years at Dartmouth?
KG: I think the key to that is just never settling — always training like you’re a freshman but having the confidence of a senior throughout your four years.
What is the hardest thing about being a goalie in lacrosse?
KG: I think when you are just so amped up because you’re frustrated with another team, you can’t let that show. You have to be very reserved inside.
What is your favorite part about being a goalie?
KG: I love the pressure, and at the end of the game there’s a very big chance that it’s on you to save the ball. That could win the game. I guess I like being the center of attention on the field.
When you started playing lacrosse, did you initially want to play goalie?
KG: Nobody wanted to play goalie, and finally I was the one who stepped up. I think this was in seventh grade. We rotated every game. Then, the rotation stopped and they just kept throwing me in there, and that’s how I became a goalie.
What was your favorite moment in your Dartmouth athletic career?
KG: Beating the University of Maryland my freshman year, the number one ranked team that hadn’t lost in over a year. They ended up winning the national championship and we were their only loss that regular season. We beat them on our home field — we went completely undefeated on our home field that year. It was just a goal, and when it happened it was the most unreal moment.
What are some of your predictions for the final few weeks of your season?
KG: If we continue to beat the rest of the teams, we can still win the Ivy Championship and host the tournament. We have a very promising future.
As a senior, what do you think you’re going to miss the most when your season is over?
KG: Two things. First, definitely the team. I think everyone is just so close, and I’m going to miss going to the locker room and seeing everyone’s face every afternoon. And the competitive nature of it because there are not a lot of places to play after graduation, and I really enjoy competing.
Do you think you’re going to continue lacrosse at all in the future?
KG: Possibly. It’s still up for debate right now. The only place to play is the national team, and tryouts are at the end of May, so we’ll see how that goes.
If you don’t continue to play lacrosse, do you think you’ll get involved in some other type of athletics?
KG: Definitely. I can’t imagine my life without sports. I don’t know what that is because lacrosse was the sport I played all through middle school and high school.
Do you have any idea what you want to do after Dartmouth?
KG: I think I want to do something finance-related. It’s weird to think about life after college, because being recruited made the process of going to college kind of automatic. I’ll have to visit Dartmouth — I’ll miss it too much.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
