For fans of the recent New York Jets hard knocks episodes, you’ve heard the phrase “we go as you go”. Head Coach Robert Salah uses the saying to motivate his best players, letting them know that their performances and effort dictate the success of their teammates. Such is the case for every professional goalie and the Chrome are no exception. When a goalie plays poorly it puts the entire team on the back foot, making it feel impossible to climb out of a hole. When a goalie is hot, a team can feel unbeatable. Luckily for the Chrome, they have Sean Sconone.

The Chrome may be 1-7 but that shouldn’t be attributed to goalie play. A majority of the time this season I find myself thinking that Sconone is one of the reasons that Chrome are able to keep the games competitive. Sconone has had only one bad game, a 28% save percentage against an elite Cannons offense in the third week of the season. A great professional goalie needs to be able to handle the highs and lows and Sconone embraces the goldfish characteristic of a short memory.

“I think that week three was an off game for me personally, but as a goalie you need to wipe the bad plays from your mind and take it one step at a time. One possession at a time,” said Sconone.

One thing that makes handling the pressures of being a goalie easier for Sconone is the support of his coaches and teammates. 

“Being a goalie is challenging. These are the best players in the world and you know that they are going to make great plays/shots that are going to beat me. I have an unbelievable defense and coaching staff that always have my back and understand the position so well.”

It’s the support of his teammates that gives him the confidence to bounce back from a goal.

The Chrome defense ranks second in the league in scores against, a stat that signifies not only strong goalie play but the play of the defense as a unit. Sconone mentions that what makes the defense so unique is “the bond that we have along with our mindset. We have three Division-I coaches on our defense and they all bring a different perspective to each week's game plan.”

Those weekly game plans have paid dividends as the Chrome defense is widely considered to be the strength of the team. The team may go as Sconone goes, but without the help of his teammates, he wouldn’t have come this far.

Tune in Saturday at 8:00PM ET as Chrome takes on the Redwoods in Seattle on ESPN+.