In his second year as the men’s lacrosse team’s starting goalie, Charlie Congleton ’07 has garnered national recognition for his talented play. His 19 saves in last weekend’s upset of Middlebury earned him NESCAC Player Of The Week, InsideLacrosse.com Division III National Player Of The Week, and Human Of The Week honors. C-Tone’s .720 save percentage ranks in the top five nationally as well. But it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that his biggest honor so far was being named this week’s Cardinal Character.
JC: Tell me honestly, is being chosen for this interview the best thing that’s ever happened to you?
CC: Yes. This is pretty much the pinnacle of my life.
JC: Thought so. What was it like to beat Middlebury?
CC: I felt great. It was the best thing for this program in the past 30 years and great for our team this year. After the game though, Mike Hines hugged my mom three times and I wanted to punch him out.
JC: Does he hit on your girlfriend too?
CC: No, she’s not tall enough.
JC: Tell us how you prep for games. Do you have any special routine?
CC: Well, the night before I like to watch T.V. or a movie and play NASCAR on my XBOX.
JC: You hick.
CC: Easy buddy. Go Kenseth #17. Anyway, then I start to visualize the game in my head while I’m in bed. When I wake up, I shower and head up to the gym where I listen to Disturbed. Then I get out to the field an hour early and Jesse Bardo and Steve Binswanger warm me up. Then it’s game time.
JC: Goalies always get heckled on the road once the game starts. What’s the worst thing you have heard yelled at you?
CC: Usually I’m too focused to hear what people are saying. Only Bates heckled me and all they could come up with was “Charlie, you suck” or “You suck Charlie” or “Hey Charlie, you suck.” And that didn’t work because I don’t suck.
JC: What goes through your mind when an opponent is running right at you with a free shot on goal?
CC: It’s mostly reaction. I just focus on seeing the ball in the stick and reacting to where it goes and if I save it, I save it. A lot of the times those guys with free shots are defensive midfielders and they don’t really know how to shoot, which helps. They’re not like Field Yates who tucks G’s in practice.
JC: But does it hurt if the shot hits you?
CC: No, I have too much adrenaline running through my body.
JC: What about if it hits you in tender places?
CC: Yeah, that hurts.
JC: Did you always want to be a goalie?
CC: Well, I started playing lacrosse in fourth grade, and in seventh grade my team needed a goalie. No one wanted to do it, so I stepped up. The rest is history.
JC: Last thing. Do you have anything to say to the fans?
CC: Keep supporting the team. I just want to hear more heckling of the other team. Hopefully we can get into Bowdoin’s head. And stay hydrated; I heard Saturday is going to be warm.
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