Lax Goalie Rat Podcast
LGR 290 - Lucy Pearson on Athletic Goalkeeping, Stanford Culture & the Mental Game
Feb 09, 2026
Coach Damon Wilson
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Stanford goalie Lucy Pearson shares her journey from accidentally discovering the position to playing D1 lacrosse.
We dive into the mental side of handling goals, why being athletic beats being robotic in cage, and how she evolved her communication from frantic to confident.
Lucy breaks down Stanford's process-over-results mentality, shares how she got out of a slump by remembering to have fun, and explains why positive reinforcement makes constructive criticism land better.
Plus: the power of squash for hand-eye coordination, coaching insights from Goaliesmith, and why you can't tie your identity to your performance.
Key Topics:
- Mental approach to giving up goals
- Athletic vs robotic playing style
- Communication evolution (calm > frantic)
- Stanford's team culture
- Process over results mindset
- Being more set/settled in goal
- Getting out of slumps
- Balancing identity and performance
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