LGR 219: Kylee Russell on Important Tips for Starting Out as a Goalie

Developing Confidence Through Extra Goalie Training with Kylee Russell

In this episode of the LAX Goalie Rat Podcast, Coach Damon Wilson sits down with 2026 goalie Kylee Russell from Lake Mary High School (FL). Kylee shares how a spontaneous decision to step into the cage changed her lacrosse career, the importance of finding coaches who support goalie-specific development, and the mindset that has helped her become one of Florida's top young goalies.

From building confidence as a beginner to earning All-Conference honors as a freshman, Kylee explains the drills, habits, and mental routines that continue to shape her game.

In This Episode

• How Kylee accidentally became a goalie after volunteering during practice
• Why extra goalie-specific training accelerated her development
• The role her dad played as her first goalie coach
• Simple drills that helped eliminate fear of the ball
• Why field experience made her a smarter goalie
• How to handle game-day nerves and quiet negative thoughts
• The importance of communicating and leading from the crease
• What Coach Sash has taught her about goalie positioning and movement
• Why cardio is one of the most overlooked parts of goalie training
• Lessons learned from watching elite goalies like Kate Devir and Blaze Riorden
• Her dream of playing Division I lacrosse and how she's working toward it

Key Takeaways

🥍 Advocate for your own development. Kylee credits much of her improvement to asking her coach for time during practice to work specifically on the areas she needed most.

🥍 Repetition builds confidence. Consistent hand-eye coordination work, stepping drills, and getting thousands of quality reps helped remove the fear of the ball.

🥍 The mental game matters. Kylee shares how music, stretching, extended warmups, and simple success drills help her reset before and during games.

🥍 Leadership starts with communication. Even as a freshman, she embraced directing her defense and becoming a vocal presence on the field.

🥍 Keep learning. Kylee studies college and professional goalies, attends clinics, works with multiple goalie coaches, and is always looking for new ways to improve.

Quote of the Episode

"I needed that extra training to focus on what I needed to improve, and he understood that. I was very lucky to have a coach that supported me with growing as a goalie."

Resources Mentioned

• The LAX Goalie Rat Academy
• Coach Sash goalie clinics
• The Lacrosse Goalie Summit
• Kate Devir (University of Denver)
• Blaze Riorden

Connect

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the LAX Goalie Rat Podcast and leave a review to help more goalies discover the show.

For goalies looking for year-round instruction, Coach Damon also mentions the LAX Goalie Rat Academy, an online training community featuring over 130 hours of goalie instruction, monthly live coaching sessions, and training from elite coaches. Membership starts at $40/month, with the flexibility to cancel anytime.