When Michael Gvozden talks, it's hard for people to listen.
Gvozden, the sophomore goalkeeper for the Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse team, has grown hoarse, and his voice has taken on a raspy quality after several weeks of directing and screaming at his defense during practice.
Gvozden's predicament is a result of adjusting to his new role as the starter for the defending national champions.
But Gvozden doesn't mind sipping tea and gulping down spoonfuls of lemon juice as long as he can contribute to the No. 1 Blue Jays' bid for a second consecutive crown and third in the past four years.
"That's something I've always wanted," said Gvozden, who led Severna Park to state titles in 2004 and 2006. "I want to be in the position to win a championship. There's a ton of great teams out there, and we're one of the teams in the running for it. But I want to be in that position."
Johns Hopkins is one of several teams resting its championship hopes on a first-year starting goalie. After two seasons on the bench, junior Matt Coughlin gets his chance at No. 6 Navy, freshman T.C. DiBartolo becomes the immediate starter at Mount St. Mary's and junior Austin Konkel gets the nod at Denver.
No. 3 Virginia will select a first-year starter from among the trio of senior Bud Petit, sophomore Mark Wade and freshman Adam Ghitelman. No. 4 Cornell's open competition involves senior Jake Myers, Butler transfer and junior Kyle Harer and freshman Mat Martinez.
Leaning on a new goalkeeper is a risky yet necessary proposition. Princeton senior Alex Hewit and Notre Dame senior Joey Kemp became starters in their sophomore and freshman years, respectively, and took their lumps until becoming the two best goalies in the country.
ESPN lacrosse analyst Quint Kessenich said the biggest adjustment for new goalies is communicating with their defenses.
"It's like being Ray Lewis and how he's calling a blitz or a coverage or making check-downs at the line," said Kessenich, who - as a freshman goalie - sparked Johns Hopkins to a national title in 1987. "Lacrosse goalies are very similar. He is relaying the signals from the coach and setting up the defense in either a zone or man-to-man, [determining] who's the hot guy, who's the slide guy, who's the double guy. The communication aspect is challenging for young goalies."
Coughlin, who backed up Colin Finnegan for the Midshipmen, agreed.
"That's what I've been struggling with right now," Coughlin said. "It's a unique role, but the veterans on the team have been helping me get comfortable with that. I'm learning as I go."
Navy coach Richie Meade said there's a simple expectation for his goalie.
"Whoever plays for us is going to be pretty good," Meade said. "That's our expectation."
A similar standard is in place for Gvozden, who watched Jesse Schwartzman become a two-time tournament Most Outstanding Player for the Blue Jays. To match Schwartzman's level, Gvozden gets to practice early, leaves late and visits coach Dave Pietramala's office every night.
"The best thing about Mike is that he wants to be great," Pietramala said. "He's willing to work on things that he's not great at, and we can rest easy knowing that he is working hard."
With teammates such as seniors Paul Rabil, Kevin Huntley and Stephen Peyser leading the offense, Gvozden said he is aware that he might be the most scrutinized player this season.
"Hopkins has a history as a program, and with my luck, goalie is the most criticized position," he said. "But that's fine with me. I'm really just trying to tune everybody else out and just try to play. Whatever expectations are there, I'm just trying not to let that faze me. I just want to go out there and learn from Coach and just play as best as I can."
edward.lee@baltsun.com