Patrick Yowan ’21 makes a save against Lawrenceville.
Even though he is only a freshman, Patrick Yowan ’21 is the starting goalie for Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse. He has impressed in his first few games by beating Lawrenceville, NMH, and Kent. Yowan has been dominant in those three games posting a shutout against NMH and giving up only a combined 13 goals on the season. Because of his skills and success early in the season, Yowan will be a key contributor for the lacrosse team this season and in the years to come. Staff Reporter George McCabe ’20 got the chance to sit down with Yowan and ask him about how he first got into lacrosse, how he’s adjusting to prep school lacrosse, and his goals for this season and beyond.
George McCabe: How long have you been playing lacrosse?
Patrick Yowan: I’ve been playing for about six to seven years, so I started when I was about nine.
GM: Do you play any sports other than lacrosse?
PY: I play hockey and was on the JV team at Choate this year. I love playing hockey and it’s a lot of fun to be out there on the ice, but lacrosse is my sport.
GM: What team(s) did you play on before coming to Choate?
PY: I played for my middle school and high school for the one year that I was there. I live in Darien, where lacrosse is really popular and competitive, so it isn’t all that much different than lacrosse at Choate. I also play for a club team during the summer.
GM: Why did you start playing lacrosse?
PY: I started playing because all of my older brothers played. They used to just throw me in net and starting ripping shots on me. That’s actually how I got into being a goalie. They all came to Choate and played lacrosse here.
GM: What lessons have you learned from playing lacrosse?
PY: Goalie is obviously a very frustrating position, and you kind of just need to have a short memory. If a team scores a lot of goals on you, you just have to move on and not think about it. If you get caught up on one goal or game then it can have an effect on you on the next play or game, and that’s when you start having problems.
GM: Do you have any goals for this lacrosse season?
PY: I would really like to try to make All-Founders as a freshman. I don’t know how sick that is, but that’s what I am going for. If that doesn’t happen though I’ll be happy with doing my best, being there for my teammates, and winning games.
GM: Since you are playing against kids that are much older than you, how are you adjusting to prep school lacrosse?
PY: I was really nervous going in, but our team is so supportive. It has been such an easy adjustment because of the coaches and my teammates. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without all of them.
GM: What is your favorite thing about playing lacrosse and playing on a Choate team?
PY: My favorite thing about playing lacrosse is being on the team. I love playing lacrosse at Choate because everyone on the team is so supportive. It’s like a family. Everyone is excited to be there, for games and practices. The energy and the atmosphere has to be my favorite thing about playing at Choate.
GM: What are your future goals for lacrosse?
PY: I definitely want to try to play in college. After that, who knows? I just want to keep playing lacrosse for as long as I can.
