Towson junior attacker Riley Brogan could barely believe what she was seeing from teammate Jo Torres when the Tigers’ junior goalie was putting together a highlight-reel sequence in a March matchup against Penn State.
“There was a shot, and [Torres] had the initial save, and then there was a rebound shot, save, and then another rebound shot, save,” Brogan said. “Those three back-to-back-to-back saves right on top of the crease where it’s hard to see where the ball is going, let alone where the ball is, that was a key moment to me where I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, [Torres] is crazy good.'”
For Torres, a flurry of point-blank saves is the type of result she expects when employing a steely mindset to approach perhaps the toughest position in her sport.
“Honestly, [playing goalie] is all mental,” Torres said. “You can have the best technique in the world, but if you are not mentally there, you won’t get the stops. For me, when I’m in goal, I just tell myself, ‘I’ve got to make one save, and the rest will come.'”
The saves have been coming for Towson’s “crazy good” 5-foot-7 netminder. Torres emerged as one of the nation’s top goalies last season as a sophomore playing for Navy, ranking eighth in the country with a 9.12 goals-against average and earning second-team All-Patriot League honors.
The native of Prince Frederick in Southern Maryland and graduate of St. Mary’s School in Annapolis entered the transfer portal last spring and ultimately came to Towson, where she has made an immediate impact for the Tigers. Torres made 12 saves in Towson’s season-opening 11-4 win against Mount Saint Mary’s, then followed with eight saves in a 13-12 win against Georgetown to start the year as the Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Week.
With Torres between the pipes, Towson is 10-4 overall and 5-0 in CAA play entering its game against Stony Brook on April 22, boosting its confidence for a run at the CAA championship and a splash in the NCAA Tournament. Torres has posted a 10.68 goals-against average and .434 save percentage.
“Jo has got a knack for playing great angles,” said Towson head coach Sonia LaMonica, who noted that Torres immediately fortified the team’s defense during fall training and scrimmages. “She attacks the ball. She invests time into it outside of practice as well. That factors in. She’s smart in how she plays, she’s got good stature, and she’s got good instincts. Put it all together, and that leads to good things in the crease.”
Deciding to transfer from Navy, where she played with her sister, Jade, an attacker and 2022 graduate, gave Torres the chance to stay close to home while continuing to face strong competition in the CAA, which welcomed Stony Brook into the conference this year.
“I was really grateful to have gone to Navy for two years,” Torres said. “I learned a lot of lessons from the Naval Academy. I was able to play for a Hall of Fame coach. I was able to play for a group of very strong women. I was very grateful for that opportunity. I was able to play with my sister for two years.
“… I loved the opportunity, the Naval Academy was amazing, but a lot of people forget that lacrosse isn’t the only thing you have to do there. You have your military obligations, you have school. But I was happy I was able to do that for two years, get a couple good seasons under my belt and then transfer to Towson.”
At Towson, Torres, who is majoring in political science and plans to pursue law after graduating, said she was welcomed warmly by teammates, including Brogan, Hannah Delahaye and twins Paige and Paiton Abbott, all juniors.
“I entered the portal, decided to go to Towson, and the next day [I] was a random girl in their house,” Torres said. “They needed a roommate. We had no idea who each other were. But it really worked out, and they’re my best friends here. They helped me transition from a really structured military lifestyle to a more normal college experience. They still help me manage my time and organization.”
The highlight sequence against Penn State came in an eventual 13-12 loss to the Nittany Lions, a game that LaMonica described as a “call to action” for the Tigers to raise their expectations, as well as a leadership and growth opportunity for Torres.
“It can be challenging being a newcomer when it comes to leadership, and I think Jo’s identifying in herself that she can be more of a leader, and people are going to respond and listen to her,” LaMonica said. “That’s not always an easy door to walk through in a first year at a new school. But I think because Jo does what she does and she’s the backbone of the defense, she’s realizing that people are going to pay attention and respond in a positive way to her.”
The Tigers followed that narrow loss to Penn State with three straight wins, including a 15-14, double-overtime victory against Vanderbilt in Nashville during which Torres made seven saves.
As Towson looks down the rest of the schedule, an April 22 matchup with Stony Brook stands out as a tough test. The Tigers are motivated to return to the CAA final — a game they lost in overtime to Drexel last season — and if they do, they’ll be playing at home, as Towson is hosting the CAA tournament in early May.
To help her team reach that goal, Torres is staying in the moment. Values instilled in Torres by longtime personal goalie coach Meg Taylor keep her focused, and the Tigers’ collective “inch-by-inch” mantra is an apt partner to her mindset.
“You have to be mentally locked in, and once you get that first save, you’re golden,” Torres said. “There’s some games where I’ll let some in, and the other team will go on a run. But the next save is always the most important save.”
Photo Credit: John Malamphy/Towson Athletics
Originally published April 19, 20023