Friday's edition of The Sun detailed the relationship between Navy senior goalkeeper RJ Wickham and volunteer assistant coach Mickey Jarboe, a former Midshipmen who was twice named the country's top goalie.
Jarboe said one thing he didn't want to change was Wickham's fiery attitude, which is usually in full bloom during games. From directing his defensemen to evading stick checks and clearing the ball on his own, the Penn Yan, N.Y., native and Penn Yan Academy graduate is an emotional player, which he said goes back to his roots.
"I've always been like that," Wickham said. "Even going back to high school, I played on a very emotional team. A lot of the players were emotional. Michael Manley from Duke was my close-D guy, and we were always fired up for the game. It's fun to play with emotion because you get more out of it."
The fine line for Wickham is leaving that emotion on the field, which Jarboe said Wickham does a good job of doing.
"That's where it gets difficult," Wickham acknowledged. "You have to find the switch. But once I'm on the field, I'm in lacrosse mode and game mode. Once I get off, I switch it off and go about my business."
Navy coach Rick Sowell can identify with his goalie and said he doesn't try to rein in Wickham's temperament.
"I don't mind," Sowell said. "I've coached a goalie similar to him over the years, and I know me as a player, I was emotional. If I made a mistake, I'd be upset with myself. The trick is to make sure that doesn't linger. Maybe giving up a goal or making a bad play, you've got to have a short-term memory. Maybe there's a quick outburst of emotion, but you've got to tune yourself back in and focus on making the next play."