UR senior Mitch Goldberg went from lacrosse player, to student coach, and back again
UR's Mitch Goldberg was all-league in the Southern Conference in 2015 and all-league in the Atlantic Sun Conference the year before.
Mitch Goldberg suffered a left knee injury in April of 2016 against Virginia, then sat out the remainder of that season and last season.
The University of Richmond lacrosse program lost a staff member and regained a prolific scorer during the offseason. Assistant coach Mitch Goldberg left. Fifth-year senior Mitch Goldberg returned.
Goldberg was the Spiders’ top offensive player from their inaugural season of 2014 through April of 2016, when he seriously injured his left knee against Virginia at Robins Stadium. Goldberg missed the remainder of that season, and all of 2017.
“Once I realized I wasn’t able to play last year, coach (Dan Chemotti) wanted to keep me involved, and I wanted to stay involved,” said Goldberg.
Chemotti invited Goldberg to become a student assistant coach while rehabilitating, an arrangement that Chemotti feels benefited both parties.
“(Goldberg) would see things in the game that no other coach would see. He was able to communicate with the guys very clearly,” said Chemotti, whose team went 12-4 in 2017.
Goldberg’s duties as an offensive assistant – analyzing defenses and aiding with the formulation of strategy – made Goldberg an improved player, Chemotti believes. Goldberg acquired a fresh perspective as a result of work with the coaching staff.
“You definitely realize how difficult it is to manage people. I’ve experienced that a little bit being a captain, but it’s different being a coach,” said Goldberg, named All-Southern Conference in 2015 and All-Atlantic Sun Conference in 2014. “It gave me a lot of respect for coaches in general, the psychology of getting people to come together for a common goal.”
Goldberg, a resident of Damascus, Md., on Saturday plays his first game at Robins Stadium since injuring his knee. Bucknell (2-0) visits the Spiders (0-1) at noon (no admission charge).
Goldberg reported for his student-assistant position with uncommon insight regarding college coaching. His father, Barry Goldberg, has been the women’s volleyball coach at American University for three decades.
Goldberg, undecided at this stage if he will explore coaching on a full-time basis, was among 14 freshmen who formed the core of Richmond’s first team in 2014. Goldberg remains at UR along with former standout goalie Benny Pugh, a four-year regular who was added to the Spiders coaching staff.
“Losing all of those guys makes a difference on the field and off the field,” said Goldberg, who graduated with a business degree and is working toward a master’s degree in nonprofit studies. “But we definitely have new leaders emerging.”
The Spiders, picked to finish second in the Southern Conference behind two-time defending champion Air Force, opened last Saturday with a 9-6 loss at UMBC. Goldberg scored one goal.
“I thought our guys played really hard. I thought we could have played a lot smarter,” said Chemotti. “Certainly there are new names and faces out there, but it’s a group we still believe in an awful lot. We have a lot of confidence in this group.”
The four-team Southern Conference tournament will be held at Robins Stadium May 3 and May 5
