Stevenson's 2016 campaign turned when the team knocked off three-time reigning NCAA Division III champion Tufts, 11-10, on March 22 – an outcome that kicked off a 12-game win streak.
And that upset of the Jumbos was anchored by the play of goalkeeper Garrett Egnaczyk.
The freshman replaced senior Connor Skeen midway through the first quarter and finished with 10 saves. After rotating between Skeen and senior Ben Richards, the Mustangs settled on Egnaczyk, who recorded a 7.56 goals-against average and a .536 save percentage in 13 games including 10 starts.
"When we were struggling in the goal a little bit there with Ben Richards not starting out great and then leaving the team and then Connor Skeen stepping in but not playing great in that first quarter against Tufts, we just thought we had to give Garrett a shot," coach Paul Cantabene said. "He stepped in and made the most of it. Sometimes when a guy gets his five minutes of fame, you've got to make the most of it, and I think Garrett is one of those guys who stepped in and had a lot of confidence and played so great after that. [Playing] goalkeeper is about confidence. You've got to get a guy in there who think he can make saves. You can't have a guy in there who is scared to make saves. Garrett was real confident in the goal, and he made the most of his time."
Inserting a freshman goalie might seem like a daunting risk, but the 2013 squad captured the national title with freshman Dimitri Pecunes (Calvert Hall) as the starter.
"We've been successful before with goalies who haven't played a lot," Cantabene said. "So we're not afraid to give guys who are inexperienced an opportunity. And sometimes the guys just need an opportunity to prove what they can do."
With Skeen graduating and Richards no longer on the roster, Egnaczyk appears to be the undisputed starter for 2017. But Marc Poust, who appeared in three games as a freshman in 2015 before sitting out this past spring, is planning to return, and Cantabene said he will not hesitate to turn to someone else if Egnaczyk gets complacent in the offseason.
"We really have emphasized that he needs to get better next year and be a leader right from the start, somebody that we can count on," Cantabene said. "I think he's made of the character and core values that he's going to be great."