Season-ending injury a true test of patience for B-R lacrosse goalie Nate Carfagna

BRIDGEWATER – Nate Carfagna spent a majority of his high school lacrosse career waiting for a chance to play.

Now a senior goalie, the crease is his for the taking for the Bridgewater-Raynham High boys lacrosse team, but he's still patiently waiting – only this time, to recover.

Carfagna suffered what turned out to be a season-ending clavicle injury in a game against Nauset on April 9, B-R's fourth game of the year. His senior campaign was a debut of sorts, as he served as the back-up to the Trojan's prior starter, Eddie Perry, for multiple years. Perry, a former Enterprise All-Scholastic, graduated last spring and committed to play at Providence College after a post-grad year.

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The 6-foot-4 Carfagna expected 2022 to be his time to shine. He was right, but that didn't last long.

During the Trojans' 9-8 win over Nauset on April 9, he charged for a ground ball late in the game and collided shoulders with an oncoming opponent, which caused the fracture. The initial estimate was that he would return after 6-to-8 weeks, but he later went to the hospital and it was downgraded to 10-to-12 week timeline to recover. Just like that, his season (thus, his high school playing career) was over.

“In my head, I was just mad. You can’t really feel any other way about it besides mad because it's super unlucky," said Carfagna. “The worst part is that I waited so long and then four games in, I’m taken out by rare luck on a bad hit.”

Carfagna mostly played on the JV team throughout the past three years and allowed 21 goals in the four games as the varsity starter this year. B-R (10-3) went 4-0 with him in net.

“You feel for the kid. And I give him credit, he’s had a good attitude about it the whole time, as best as you can," said B-R coach Matthew Connolly. "Like any high school kid, they’re waiting for their chance, they’re waiting for their time and not because any fault of his own, but he was behind a really strong player. He was ready to go, had put in the work to really be ready and then you feel so bad for him."

Connolly added, "When you see it unfold that way – I know how much work he had put in to get himself ready for the season and he was going to make the most of this opportunity. And he had been making the most of it through four games.”

After graduating, Carfagna will continue his lacrosse career at Post University in Connecticut, where his older brother Nolan plays.

Coach Carfagna

It's not often a high school lacrosse team is forced to pivot away from losing a pair of collegiate-level goalies within a single year, but B-R has done its best to bounce back.

Since Carfagna's injury, the Trojans have gone 6-3 and outscored their opponents 107-56. Junior Zach Sinclair, formerly an offensive midfielder, volunteered to step into the crossfire and learn the position on the fly as the new game-to-game starter. Sophomore Declan Fahy has also gotten some time in net.

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“He definitely stepped up more than I think any of us expected,” Carfagna praised Sinclair. “Before (an impressive performance against Concord-Carlisle), I didn’t even have the chance to train him because I was still out with surgery. But when I came back, I started working hand-eye coordination drills (with him), practicing moving his hands, stepping to the ball and exploding out – we worked on footwork stuff like that. Pretty much the basics because he isn’t afraid of the ball, which is very good. He’s not scared to take a shot.”

Carfagna knows just how an intimidating a position goalie is, and has coached the makeshift goalie core while wearing a sling on the sidelines.

“He’s still really vocal," Connolly said. "He’s really trying to give a lot of pointers to those guys, using his experience and being able to talk to them about technique.”

Although spending a chunk of one's high school career as a back-up isn't the most ideal situation for a player, Carfagna now passes down instruction like Perry did to him throughout their years together.

“Eddie’s one of the best goalies I’ve seen. I’m glad I had to wait behind him. Even though I had to wait, I’m glad because he taught me a lot," Carfagna said. "I think that really helped me improve to where I am now.”

“I think all the guys, every single one of them, has improved since the beginning of the season," Carfagna added of the overall team. "I’ve seen guys’ stick skills, their shots – everything like that – improve. It’s good to see.”

While spending a few difficult days away from the team to undergo surgery, he received multiple texts from teammates and coaches checking in on him. When Carfagna later returned to practice to watch, the team was glad to emotionally have him back in the fold.

“Everybody was smiling, happy to see me which was definitely a boost," Carfagna said. "It definitely made me think, ‘OK, it’s not that bad. I can get through this a lot easier.’ I definitely had the support there for me.”

Not done yet

Carfagna's road to a Division 2 collegiate career at Post University was – guess what – another waiting game. He didn't have a long, drawn-out recruiting process, nor had he been in contact with many college coaches. He didn't even have a highlight tape because JV games are rarely recorded.

Throughout high school, he was unsure if a future of playing in college was ahead of him. However, Nolan convinced him to apply to Post University and check out the campus, and later, coaches from Post saw him play at a tournament last summer. They were impressed by his command of the field and a spot on the team was his.

But now, post-injury, the adjustment to the college game will come with a steeper learning curve.

“It’s probably going to be like the first time playing goalie again. I’m not going to have seen a shot in so long. I’m not going to have moved my arm in this position in so long. It’s going to be new to me, I feel like I’ll warm up quickly to it but it’s definitely going to be a rough start," Carfagna said. "I’m going to have to work. Once I start (training), and I’m out of this thing (a sling) I’ll start doing hand-eye, footwork and the little things. But once I can take shots, I’m definitely going to take as many as I can to get ready.”

Connolly said it will take Carfagna some time to adjust to the up-tempo speed of the college game, as well as the velocity of shots being fired his way after recovering from the injury.

While adapting, there's no doubt he'll stay patient.

“I think he realizes (the challenge) and he’s got the right attitude," Connolly said. "I think he’ll be ready for it.”

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Nate Carfagna plays a role for B-R lacrosse team despite injury