Florida Freshman Makes 57 Saves in Wild Seven Overtime Game

Brayden Brown was shocked when he found out he had set a national record.

“My parents and my coach told me,” said the freshman goalie at Palmetto Ridge (Fla.). “I was pretty excited. It didn’t feel real at first.”

Brown stopped a record 57 shots — out of the 60 that he saw — in a 4-3 win over Taravella (Fla.) on March 31. The game went seven overtimes, making it also one of the longest games on the books.

Mike Loveday of LaxNumbers was first to report the national record and also provided context on the history of crazy overtime games.

“When I was saving all the shots in overtime, I knew we had that game,” Brown said. “When the ball came to my end, I knew they depended on me. I was really hoping the offense would go score for me so I wouldn’t have to face that many shots.”

Brown’s 57 saves broke the record of 54 set by Mike Holtby of Auburn (N.Y.) in 1985. Laxnumbers.com lists the closest anyone had come to Holtby’s mark was Jeff Faltisco saving 50 shots for Jamestown (N.Y.) against Frontier (N.Y.) in 2008. And Lax Weekly posted a YouTube video only seven months ago titled “Lacrosse Records That Will NEVER Be Broken” that listed Holtby’s mark.

“That’s awesome,” Holtby said. “I’m happy for him.”

Holtby, 55, doesn’t remember much about his own record-setting game that established a record approaching 40 years old before Brown’s performance. He was a junior when he stopped 54 shots in a loss to West Genesee (N.Y.).

“I attribute it to having a lot of rebounds,” Holtby said. “I made a lot of stops with my legs; I’d punch at balls with my hands, and my stick at the time didn’t have the best pocket. It was like a tennis racquet. We still ended up losing that game something like 22-6, something ridiculous.”

West Genesee featured a roster of Division I talents like John Zulberti, who went on to star at nearby Syracuse, and future Maryland standout Phil Willard. They were coming off the 1984 season that saw their 91-game winning streak end in the state championship game, but the 1985 team came back to go 23-0 and win the New York A state title. Auburn was just one of the teams in the juggernaut’s title path.

“It was one of those games where you just get shots,” said Holtby, whose oldest son Kevin is goalie for Hobart and younger son Kyle is a Division I prospect at Immaculata High School (N.J.). “They were so good. They were above and beyond us.”

Brown has been facing a lot of shots all year. Three times this year he has saved 35 or more. He saved 41 in a loss to Estero (Fla.) on Feb. 21. He made 35 saves against Naples in a loss on March 2. His 27-save game against Riverdale (Fla.) seems almost pedestrian.

“Our middies are still in the mindset that they’re only offensive, so it’s been hard to get them on defense,” Bears coach Justin Feingold said with a chuckle. “So, we end up facing an incredible amount of shots as a defense.”

Brown made 327 saves in the regular season. The year came to an end for Palmetto Ridge on Tuesday with an 18-0 loss to second-seeded Riverview Sarasota (Fla.) in the 2A District 12 playoffs, and Brown’s 57-save performance stands out as a season highlight. He saved 35 shots in regulation and another 22 over the seven overtimes against Taravella.

“I was pretty busy,” Brown said. “It was nerve-wracking. Seven overtimes was pretty crazy. I was sore and bruised.”

Feingold was never more nervous for his goalie and defense than when the Bears had to play at a distinct disadvantage due to penalties. That’s when Taravella peppered shots at Brown.

“Twice during the game, and one was in overtime, we had to go to a triangle defense because we had three people in the penalty box,” Feingold said. “So, somehow, we didn’t allow a goal on either one of those. But that’s where he took the majority of his shots, from being in the three-man down defense.”

Even Brown had a penalty in the game, during which time Jason Shaw stepped in to make a pair of saves. Brown has been a reliable backstop throughout his first season of high school lacrosse.

“I felt confident,” Brown said. “My eighth-grade year went well. I got an undefeated season my eighth-grade year, so I was pretty confident I would do well this year.”

Brown played club for True Lacrosse last year. It helped him prepare for the jump to high school, and he hasn’t seemed intimidated.

“You wouldn’t know he’s a freshman, that’s for sure,” Feingold said. “I think out of all the coaches here, the only one that wasn’t surprised was the one from True. Everybody else has said, ‘Where’s this guy coming from?’ It’s pretty awesome.”

Feingold got a sneak peek at Brown last summer. The 15-year-old filled in for a missing goalie at a rec game against high school players and wasn’t out of place.

“He stepped right in goal as an eighth grader saving shots from juniors and seniors and he didn’t hesitate at all,” Feingold said. “And I was wondering, ‘Where’s he going to high school next year?’ Once I found out he was coming here, it was just awesome. He participated there and even in December, he came on our trip to go participate in the Jingle Brawl, which is 7-on-7 tournament over in Fort Lauderdale, and he did a great job there as well. I was definitely enthusiastic coming into this season with his ability.”

Brown has lived up to expectations in his first season. His national saves record exceeded anything that he could have imagined, and he’s hoping it’s just a start to reaching some big goals.

“I’m definitely going to college for lacrosse and after college I’ll see where I go then,” Brown said. “I’ll see if I make professional because that’s a long way away. But that’s one of my dreams. It feels like my dreams are coming true, setting records and stuff already. It’s a lot.”