Matt Vierheller's past two starts have been plagued by uncharacteristic struggles, including an abbreviated outing in Mount St. Mary's 16-4 loss against St. Joseph's on Saturday.
But the freshman's troubles have not persuaded head coach Tom Gravante or associate head coach and defensive coordinator Tim McIntee to consider benching Vierheller for Saturday's clash with Northeast Conference rival Bryant.
"Coach McIntee said Matt is still the No. 1 goalie, and I stand behind Tim's decision," Gravante said Thursday. "He's the No. 1 guy. I know that he has the confidence of his defense as well."
Vierheller played just 17 minutes, 30 seconds against the Hawks on Saturday, surrendering eight goals and making just one save. That followed a performance in which he gave up 10 goals and registered 12 stops in the team's 10-7 loss at Robert Morris on April 8.
Gravante said the defense and offense failed to support Vierheller in the loss to St. Joseph's.
"It's a team thing," Gravante said. "We didn't give Matt any help at St. Joe's. … We didn't really help Matt offensively. It's a team game. We have to give pick-me-ups to the defense when the defense might be struggling and vice versa. Our entire team on Saturday was a disaster at both ends of the field."
The Mountaineers (4-8 overall and 1-3 conference) do have an option in junior Frankie McCarthy, who made 19 saves in a 12-11 win against Bucknell on April 4. McCarthy also replaced Vierheller against the Hawks, allowing eight goals and posting seven stops in 42:30.
But Vierheller does rank seventh in Division I in save percentage (.587), 13th in goals-against average (8.26), and 20th in saves per game (10.5). And Gravante said Vierheller has raised his intensity level in practice after Saturday's poor showing.
"I believe Matt is angry," Gravante said. "We've seen Matt get mad a few times this week already. He's driven like that. He's that type of kid. We anticipated that he might have a 'freshman' game, and we're hopeful that was it against St. Joe's and that he'll be back. He's a worker. He's a hard-working kid both in the classroom and on the field. So I'm standing behind Matt and Coach McIntee's decision."