After waiting period, Cole Finerty seizes starting role at Springfield

Senior goalie Cole Finerty. (Springfield Athletics)

It took four years, a lot of patience, and a sustained dedication to seizing that chance – whenever it finally arrived – for Springfield senior goalie Cole Finerty to be ready for his long-awaited first NCAA start.

The Kensington, N.H., native played in parts of six games over his first three collegiate seasons – mostly sitting behind two-time All-American Jake Reynolds (Scituate, Mass.), who's now an assistant coach for the Pride – before winning the starting job this spring. This past Saturday, he came out and dazzled with 22 stops in a 19-7, season-opening victory against Nazareth.

“He handled it like a champion,” Springfield coach Keith Bugbee said of the extended waiting period. “Being a goalie in that position is tough. It’s not like a midfielder when you can get some time on a line even when you’re not starting. With our schedule, we face the iron, so we don’t have too many chances for substitutions.”