Goalkeeper Tom Kraemer entered the week ranked second in Division III in goals-against average (5.05) and tied for 25th in save percentage (.625). The junior's play may be surprising to some, but not to Frostburg State coach Tommy Pearce.
Even before the 2014 season, Kraemer was challenging Tyler Haines for the right to start in the cage. But a tumultuous winter that shortened the number of outdoor practices in the preseason forced the coaches to go with experience in Haines, a Westminster resident and Winters Mill graduate who started every game and recorded a 7.76 goals-against average and a .580 save percentage.
"Even last year, we thought it was going to be a tough call going into the season," Pearce recalled Thursday morning. "We thought we had a goalie that if he had started for us last year, we would've been in pretty good shape, and we were fortunate to have him come in this year."
Kraemer, who beat out junior Tyler Schmitz (South Carroll) in the preseason, has validated Pearce's faith. At 6-foot-1, 220 pounds, Kraemer is a formidable presence in the cage and has improved his communication skills to help the No. 17 Bobcats rank ninth in the nation in clearing percentage (89.4 percent).
"It's not so much his passes as much as it is his patience and involvement in the clearing game itself," Pearce said. "We weren't worried about his passes. It was about directing traffic and making good decisions."
Frostburg State (14-0 overall and 5-0 in the Capital Athletic Conference) ranks fourth in the country in fewest goals per game at 5.5, and Pearce said Kraemer's development has been crucial to the defense.
"We're getting what we expected from T.K.," Pearce said. "We think he's a really good goalie. He's a big kid, he's a good stopper. … His save percentage and his contribution to our clearing percentage are a big reason why we've had the success we've had so far."