Any Athlete Who Wants

ANY ATHLETE WHO WANTS to play goalie in lacrosse may need to get his head examined. Wearing little padding and facing shots exceeding 100 mph, lacrosse goalies have a difficult chore.

Still, a good goalie makes the difference between winning and losing. That fact was proven during the 2003 NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse championships as Virginia goalie Tillman Johnson got on a roll and led his team to the title.

The Cavaliers entered the postseason ranked No. 2 in the nation. After battling through the early rounds, Virginia met top-ranked Johns Hopkins in the finals at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. The Blue Jays had beaten Virginia 8–7 during the regular season, and Johnson made sure the outcome was different this time.

The Cavs got on the board early as their first two shots found the back of the net. And they built a 5–0 edge in the second quarter thanks to three goals by A. J. Shannon. Johns Hopkins narrowed things to 5–3, but Virginia held a 6–4 margin at halftime.

In the second half, Johnson stepped up. With his team ahead 8–5, he made three monster saves early in the fourth. His 13 saves in the game helped the Cavaliers earn a 9–7 victory.

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POINT Many people think lacrosse goalies don’t have a prayer trying to stop bouncing, speedy, well-placed shots. But Tillman Johnson shows it’s possible. With a career-high 18 stops in the semifinals and 13 saves in the finals, Johnson earned first All-American status and helped Virginia win the national title.

While many of us wouldn’t have a prayer trying to guard a lacrosse goal, we can all pray to God. We can share our problems with him, ask for his comfort or just tell him about our day. God cares about all our needs. The Bible tells us to pray all the time about all kinds of things. Because the Holy Spirit is in our life, our prayers have power. But God doesn’t want us to pray only for ourselves—he wants us to pray for other Christians as well.

GOAL! How often do you pray? What do you pray about? Remember to constantly communicate with God.