Will Mark: From Unknown Prospect to Legendary Goalie

SAM CORCORAN: When you think of Syracuse lacrosse legends, not many players on the defensive side come to mind. But SU goaltender WIll Mark has flipped the script and made his mark as one of the greatest to ever do it. The grad student is on pace to crack 900 saves, leads all active netminders in that category, and could be SU’s first all-American in goal since 2011. But Mark’s successes came through many challenges and obstacles.

WILL MARK: Growing up, I was never the first pick. I wasn’t a highly-rated recruit, and, you know, that can be hard to kind of push by that.

CORCORAN: The odds were stacked against Mark from a young age. West Coast kid, undersized, and a B-Team Player for Alcatraz Outlaws.

JONATHAN CHRISTMAS: He was probably the third or fourth goalie, and he had a chip on his shoulder about it. I think it showed a lot of character that he stayed, you know, in the program, when we had the B-Team and just got quality reps as much as he could.

CORCORAN: That chip stayed on Mark’s shoulder as he left the Bay Area for boarding school.

CHRISTMAS: When I saw the fact that he could go to one of the top schools on the West Coast, but he’s like “Nope, I want more. You know, I want to be playing against the best of the best every single day.” I was like “yeah, this kid’s gonna be special.”

CORCORAN: And that chip has remained with him throughout his collegiate career.

MARK: For me, it was always just, you know, focusing on, you know, what I could do to be the best goalie possible, focusing on myself, on my team, and just being as positive and, you know, confident as possible.

GARY GAIT: He wants to be great and he brings all the work that comes with it. And that’s why he’s been, you know, awesome for us.

CORCORAN: Now with the Orange, the pressure and attention on Mark seems tremendous at points. But SU’s netminder hasn’t changed his mindset during his push for greatness.

MARK: My training, you know, how I’m treating the position on a daily basis, how I’m warming up. And so, you know, while a lot is going on off the field, it’s just, you know, consistency is the key to my success.

Sam Corcoran, CitrusTV