goalie save percentage

[Bevi]

this might be the wrong forum, but ive played goalie for 1 year of jv and 1 year of varsity with a new team and have'nt had a goalie coach. i save around 40% of the shots. is that bad? if so what can i do to improve?

[BuckWyld]

the two goalies on our team were 55% and 60% during the spring

[Bevi]

how many years have they been playing?

[lilaxgurl23]

Generally 50% is okay, 60% is good, 70%+ is great, give or take a little bit. When you get into college though, you usually can move those percentages down 10%, it's just harder. Top GKs like Matt Russell had a save percentage of about 57-58%, Tillman Johnson finished '03 with 63% and '04 with 59%.

You have some work cut out for you, but saving more comes with practice and repetition. You have to be dedicated to improve. Check out some of the other threads in this forum for ideas on how to improve you techniques of the game.

[FitzGoalie]

i finished my very first season with about 60%...but then again, lax isn't a very big deal around here and it was only JV

[NickMB17]

My goalie coach's was around 75% in college. Sadly, mine is around 50%

[UVAlaxer432]

from what Ive read on the forums you need to save around 5 or 6 out of 10 ( 50-60%) but 40% is like 35% better than i could do :nahya:

[PBlax]

our Varisty goalie who is a freshmen had a 56% save percentage. our freshmen goalie on the freshmen team had a 16.8% save percentage

[RockfordAttack9]

When I used to play Hockey Goalie I would not even care about stats, as long as you are winning than it is okay.

[jimd619]

Big question is what sort of goals get by you. Those who say they get 70% saves are not suffering from attackmen camped on their doorstep. Like b-ball, if you allow layups the shooting percentage goes up. That is not to say there are not techniques to make it tough for attackmen, and I am sure these guys save a bunch. But if the middie has an unscreened shot, do you usually get those? Bounce shots that stay within 2 ft of the ground, can you get those? If the answer is yes, you are doing well and it may be your defense. If the answer is no, they get some buddies out there and have them just shoot, shoot, shoot.

[goalie1215]

if your on jv it is generally much lower than higher levels for 2 obvious reasons.

1.lack of experience
2.lack of experienced defensemen.

so its 2 factors that determine how well you perform. you and your defense.

[jaw22]

Just telling us your save percentage tells us nothing. I had a 79% save percentage this year on JV and a 60% on varsity, but we don't play in a highly competetive league. If you were playing in a strong league and had a wretched defense playing for you, 40% is dandy. In regards to how you can improve, first search the forums. There's some very experienced goalies on here (xeclipse19 and a few others play in college) and they can be a great resource. Second, go out and practice. NOTHING can make you better like taking shots every day from a quality shooter.

[goalieskcickay]

That's really not that great if you want to go play in college. Not trying to brag - just trying to show you what to aim for, but my junior year I posted a 65% save percentage and my senior year it was around 80%. That's about where you should be in order to show college coaches that you are dependable.


I'm honestly not knocking on your skill, you are obviously amazing to play at the D1 level, but like jaw22 said, if you're playing in a not very competitive league (Michigan isn't too strong yet, I believe), your save-pct doesn't really mean anything.

[Bevi]

thanks for the tip

[Bevi]

our team was just started 2 seasons ago, so everyone on the team is is fairly new to the sport.

[NECLAXGRAD4]

really a save percentage tells only part of a story, as you have read from other posts, what kind of defence do you have in front of you? Are you seeing 5 shots or 50 shots? To be honest we are too obsessed with stats. Mine in high school by my senior year was about 67% and when I got to college it dropped like a ton of bricks. Level of play changed and I had to adopt quickly. Time and experince will improve your play, so do not worry about your save %.

[stalls]

really a save percentage tells only part of a story, as you have read from other posts, what kind of defence do you have in front of you? Are you seeing 5 shots or 50 shots? To be honest we are too obsessed with stats. Mine in high school by my senior year was about 67% and when I got to college it dropped like a ton of bricks. Level of play changed and I had to adopt quickly. Time and experince will improve your play, so do not worry about your save %.
This is very true I could have a .900% and it could be 10 shots and one goal, stats are great for records but if your not winning theres bigger issues at hand

[HdGLaxWarrior]

I think a goalies save percentages are as much as a stat for the goalie as they are for defensemen. If you have a good D, there will be less shots, and in turn, a higher save percentage due to the low number of shots. If you have a bad D, there will be more shots, and in turn, a lower save percentage due to the high number of shots. I also think that if you play in a harder league with more experienced players, the harder it will to stop shots.

As for improving, this will mainly come from time and repetion. If you can, get someone from your neighbourhood to shoot on you. You really have to want to get better, it will come in time. Luckily, you have until next spring to shape up. Good luck!

[LaxGoalie28]

I'm told 60% is what you want to aim for, 6 0ut of 10 shots.

[stalls]

well just for you guys my HS was .775% on 12 games in college its .670% on summer ball so it goes down some but im still right up on the top

[nylax65]

My first year (last year) was 55% and this year I got it up to about 67%. Both years I played on Varsity and started goalie because we have no JV, and next year I will be a senior so hopefully I can raise that % a little more. I also face a ridiculous amount of shots every game though so that kinda helps in a way.

[jaw22]

I'm told 60% is what you want to aim for, 6 0ut of 10 shots.

Why stop there? Aim for 100%.

[gfkeeper28]

Yea, a goalie's mind can be conflicted. You should go into a game telling yourself can stop every shot, but you also have to know you can't do it all.

[nemisis101]

Ok i live in md where lacrosse is crazy!!! This year was my freshman year and i started for varsity. I had a 69% which is pretty darn good. May i remind u i have been playin goalie for 6 years. Well 40% is decent. It depends a lot on how much u get shot at really. Just make sure your watching the ball all the way to ur stick. And once that ball is coming at u ur eyes should be the size of lax balls. Blinking can rly screw u up try not to blink. i hope this helped.

[nemesis562]

constantly wondering about stats affects your play. i had a habit of this at the beginning of the year, and i finally relized that it didnt matter. if you think you had a good game, then you probably did. if you had a bad game, then you probably did. save percentages mean jack. an example of this would be jay pfeifer. he finished with a mid to low 50( i think, somewhere around there) and most people would say that its average to below average. what you have to look more is that syracuse plays the run and gun, and sometimes it bites them in the butt, and he takes point blank shots that he isnt expeceted to save. a guy like Alex Hewitt( who plays for princeton) , has a settled offense, and becuase of this has a lot more time to set up and get ready for the shot becuase the ball comes down slower. hopefully this makes sense.

[Garor]

With the exception of record books and awards save percentage means didily. You could be the best goalie in the world and have the worst defense infront of you, or you could be the worst goalie with an awesome defense infront of you. It doesn't matter the number of shots you save, but the quality of the shots in the first place. That's why college goalie's save percentages are deceptively lower. So figure out your save percentage. If you look back at all the games and feel satisfied, that number won't mean a thing.

[brikk9]

Why stop there? Aim for 100%.

Thats what I was thinking. Sure 60% is good, but why not aim for 100%? You may never get it but if you try for higher standerds you can be a better player. But when you aim for 100%, don't get depressed or down on yourself if it's not 100%.

[cllax11]

51% my sophomore year on varsity also my first year to play lax and then 60% this year my junior year on varsity

[POCK3Ts]

my save percentage this year was 78% and that was my best so far last year it was 69%

a 50% save is not bad but its def not good. i would def work hard over the summer to improve that next year. i have heard from numerous college coaches that in highschool if a goalies percentage is 60% or over then thier team should win taht game. so i thnk u should set you goal at 60% for next year

[pcgoalie17]

last season i had a 100% save percentage on varsity





but i only got three shots on,
on JV i had around a 60%

[chslax24]

our goalie was around 60%

our defense was pretty bad though and let up a bunch of shots

[MYW31]

I was a frosh on my varsity team this past year and starting and i had a 57%..not too bad..lol

[a_lax]

last year was my first year playing goalie
i played freshmen JV and little of varsity
in freshmen my saving percentage was about 71% and i had average of 17 saves per game
Lacrosse is not big in utah(since we only have 2 lax store in the state) but its getting bigger

[laxgoalieWE4949]

im in 8th grade but according to my Tri-State coach he would say my save percentege(sp?) is about 58-62%

[atmusfear]

65 percent. proudest D of my life haha.

[laxgoalieking]

mine is 89% or .895 which ever you perfer the ladder being how its shown in boxla

[top right 21]

dont play goalie myself but i know a goalie who worked extremely hard and wound up being on the li empire team an all-american and now plays goalie for notre dame he talked to our team when at notre dame for the midwest challenge for motivation and to tell us how to get better and get recognized he asked us to asked him questions and our goalie asked what he did to become what he is and he said this

1. i work out all the time, i played 3 sports in high school and when i didnt have practice or had free time i was in the weight room and now i m extremely strong (no joke this guy is humongus) and i can move my stick so fast, it feels like a fiddlestick
2. go to the wall and stand at watever distance is enough to push you and not frustrate you (may take time to find the right spot) and just have a friend stand behind you and whip shots at the wall to work on your reaction and he gets better too
3. just work hard my dad would get me up at 5:30 for workouts and i hated it but now i thank him and it has helped me so much and work on footwork too by getting quicker feet by jusping rope
4. last just have fun and make it enjoyable

[SawyerLaxGirl44]

I wanna start off w/ somethin: Nemisis-I think you just made my day by mentioning Alex Hewitt. I have been a HUGE fan since the end of his sr year in high school, and actually met him that summer at the Senior Showcase :-) what an amazing man he is...


Anyways... I say saving half the shots is good. But again, it's about winning. It's not about the goalies stats, or anyone's stats, it really is about the end result, the team result. I think I ended my season w/ a 72% save average, 208 saves. The only reason for that many saves though- not so good defense. I had an incredible amount of shots this season...

[laxmasta258]

right now i have about a 65% on my first varsity year, and our team isnt really that good

[flyersrule9733]

if you have a really good defense then your save % is gonna be a lot higher cause you dont have much of those open shots right in front.

i just think you cant say that the goalie is terrible if it is low and you cant say their amazing if its high

[laxgoalie66]

how do you calculate

[laxgoalie66]

thanks man i appreciate it :)

[Grove Goalie 4]

In four games this year I have a 67.7 save percentage. My worst game was 18 saves and 18 goals against. One of the worst performances of my career. Other than that I have had 27 saves on 36 shots and 32 saves on 41 shots.

[OldGoalie]

In four games this year I have a 67.7 save percentage. My worst game was 18 saves and 18 goals against. One of the worst performances of my career. Other than that I have had 27 saves on 36 shots and 32 saves on 41 shots.

Quite frankly, I find this hard to believe. Are you counting non-Shots-On-Goal as saves? If the shot wouldn't have gone in regardless of whether you saved it, it's not counted as a save.

[Grove Goalie 4]

I am told what my saves are based on the person keeping stats so they have not been fabricated by me.

[SSHSGoalie33]

well idk my save percentage cause we dont keep track of shots but im sure its up aroudn 75%

i have givin up 19 goals in 5 games wich is 4.6 goals agame

[OldGoalie]

I am told what my saves are based on the person keeping stats so they have not been fabricated by me.

I can believe that you have not fabricated them, but it sounds like your stats person is unfamiliar with how to record stats. Are you aware of the difference between "shots" and "SOG"? You are only supposed to count saves on SOG, not on all shots. I would be surprised if you are consistently facing 35-41 SOG a game. That would mean you are seeing 55-70 shots a game from your opponents, because I have to assume some of their shots go wide or high. This would be an extremely prolific offense, to say the least. If you look at most college teams, they tend to be around 20-25 SOG, and only in the MLL do they regularly get 30+ SOG/game.

For example, in last weekend's Delaware vs. Towson game, Delaware took 41 shots. Of those, only 19 were actually SOG. Of those 19 SOG, Matt Antol of Towson saved 9. So, 9 saves / 19 SOG works out to a 47% save percentage.

I think you need to sit down with your stats person and explain the rules of scoring.

[laxplaya98]

i have in 8 games 153 saves 40 goals .793 save%

[bplaxg33]

just finish my game 2nite 24 saves on 26 SOG for a 92.3%.
we won 5-2

[viewburner]

im at 74% sophmore varsity, but last year i was a freshmen on varsity and have improved greatly since then

[West Genny lax9]

The varsity golie at my school has a 75% save percentage. He also scored a goal last game. We are 17-0. I guess that's why he's going to Syracuse next year.

[bplaxg33]

don't you have one of the winningest HS coaches all time at West Genny?

[goalie4JESUS]

my save percentage was about 75% and i dont really worrie about wheather its bad or not i just know that all the shots i didnt let in helped us have a great season : ) but my defense isnt that great so i dont know but 40% isnt bad in my book

[goalieskcickay]

Wow, we have some great goalies in here. I haven't seen a save percentage less than 65% here yet. I'm not saying anyone is lying, but please don't turn this into a second "How much can you Bench" or "How fast is your 40 time" thread.

[West Genny lax9]

don't you have one of the winningest HS coaches all time at West Genny?
Ya, the 2nd all time. And he dosn't plan on retirering any time soon. I think his record is like 660-24.

[EndlesFimbulvet]

We played you guys last night...I was pretty much humiliated. There are so many cross-crease passes and shots, its safe to say I was massacred. I was in there the first half, I only had 7 saves to about 13 goals.

Im just glad Galloway didnt score on me...

[goalie diez]

my save % is around 58%. I face a ton of shots in games. our last game the other team had 41 shots but only 27 were on goal. i had 16 saves and they scored 11. i do face a lot of shots in games the most was probably around 40 but that was against a top 10 team in the state and we are a new team. but otehr than that the most shots on goal was 29 in a game i had 20 saves...that was my best game. but save % doesnt judge how good a goalie is because if you face a ton of shots and get scored on a lot and still make a lot of saves your save % might not be that high because of the amount of shots you face. i think the qualtiy of the saves you make and your mechanics tell how good a goalie really is.

[bplaxg33]

Endles those aren't your fault (i'm sureryou know that) you said it yourself cross crease passes the best you can do is challenge the shooter and hope your D checks their stick on the pass

[Lacrosse4life31]

this is probably a dumb question, but how do i figure out my save percentage?

[bplaxg33]

saves over total shots on goal (saves + goals) x 100 and throw the % sign on the end 3rd or 4th grade math

[Lacrosse4life31]

lol never learned that and im in 9th grade....

[bplaxg33]

hmmm your school system must be flawed or you have taken one to many shots off the head and forgot it

[EricL]

saves over total shots on goal (saves + goals) x 100 and throw the % sign on the end 3rd or 4th grade math
you mean saves / goals? I think I am around a 75% save percent. If its actually saves like it touches you or the goal, I have like a 55%-60%.

Saves for my school = Total # of shots - Goals.

[somrandomguy]

saves over total shots on goal (saves + goals) x 100 and throw the % sign on the end 3rd or 4th grade math

Umm...no? Save percentage is not an equation like that. REAL save percentage, as calculated under NCAA rules is:

(number of saves) / (number of saves + goals against) = save %

Oh, and a save is only when the goalie actually takes action to stop or deflect the ball. If you don't touch it, it doesn't count.

As for me, I'm not entirely sure because we don't keep accurate statistics, but I would say for this last season it was somewhere around 55%. There were a couple games where I hit 80%, and then a couple where I was closer to 45-50%.

[nylax65]

Umm...no? Save percentage is not an equation like that. REAL save percentage, as calculated under NCAA rules is:

(number of saves) / (number of saves + goals against) = save %

Oh, and a save is only when the goalie actually takes action to stop or deflect the ball. If you don't touch it, it doesn't count.

As for me, I'm not entirely sure because we don't keep accurate statistics, but I would say for this last season it was somewhere around 55%. There were a couple games where I hit 80%, and then a couple where I was closer to 45-50%.


That's exactly what he said besides multiplying by 100 which doesn't make any difference. And im pretty sure that a shot that hits the post counts as a save or it does in hockey at least.

[somrandomguy]

That's exactly what he said besides multiplying by 100 which doesn't make any difference. And im pretty sure that a shot that hits the post counts as a save or it does in hockey at least.

Post doesn't count. Also, my bad, I did blank when reading saves + goals. But that is not the same thing as total shots, so the equation is still not totally correct.

[OldGoalie]

Saves for my school = Total # of shots - Goals.

This is just plain wrong, as I've already explained above. Saves can only be made on shots on goal. I think most of the save % quoted above are completely false, or misreported. Otherwise, we'd be looking at some of the best goalies to ever play the game on this forum. Color me skeptical.

[EricL]

What do you mean "shots on goal?" I get the goalie percentage by adding up the shots+the goals (which are the total #of shots) / Saves.

[lilaxgurl23]

What do you mean "shots on goal?" I get the goalie percentage by adding up the shots+the goals (which are the total #of shots) / Saves.

"Shots" generally refers to any shot the opposing team makes, whether the goalie saves it or whether it flies 5 feet above the goal and the goalie doesn't have to attempt a save. "Shots on goal" only refers to those shots taken that would have been a goal, had the goalie not saved it. When calculating a save percentage, you only take into account the "shots on goal" so you don't give credit to a goalie if he or she did not actually prevent a goal from happening.

OldGoalie is suggesting that many of you have inflated stats either because people are lying, or they're calculating the save percentage wrong (whether it's them or their statistician). Quite frankly, I agree with him. Either the majority of you are all-stars, or OldGoalie is correct in saying that your percentages are off.

[EricL]

"Shots" generally refers to any shot the opposing team makes, whether the goalie saves it or whether it flies 5 feet above the goal and the goalie doesn't have to attempt a save. "Shots on goal" only refers to those shots taken that would have been a goal, had the goalie not saved it. When calculating a save percentage, you only take into account the "shots on goal" so you don't give credit to a goalie if he or she did not actually prevent a goal from happening.

OldGoalie is suggesting that many of you have inflated stats either because people are lying, or they're calculating the save percentage wrong (whether it's them or their statistician). Quite frankly, I agree with him. Either the majority of you are all-stars, or OldGoalie is correct in saying that your percentages are off.
Ok I see then our stat person has been counting as all SOG's. But as I explained my that if it was truly then I would have 50-60% save.

[bplaxg33]

somrandomguy what do you mean my equation isn't correct?
saves refers to SOG stopped goals = goals and saves/(saves+shots)= save % in decimal form, multiply by 100 and you get percentage form... the exact formula just simplified for understanding yet completely accurate...

Old goalie i do see mid to high 20s usaully on shot on goal counts, maybe 30-40 shots taken a game but only 1 time have i seen 30+ SOG this year. lol i work hard for the 70-75 save percentage i have

[OldGoalie]

EricL - lilaxgurl explained it correcty. 55-60% sounds more realistic.

Overall, I have a hard time believing people who come on here and say they are averaging 19-20 saves a game, unless you are playing in the MLL and seeing 30-40 SOG a game.

bplaxg33 - yes, mid to high 20's SOG is more reasonable (and your equation was correct, BTW.) I can even believe a 70-75 save %, but that is still exceptional.