The 2025 offseason was one of change for the California Redwoods on and off the field. That motif continues at the onset of camp with a battle for the new open starting goalie position.
For the past four seasons, Jack Kelly has been a member of the Redwoods. He’s been the team’s starting goalie for the past two seasons. With the news that Kelly was placed on the physically unable to perform list, there will be a new starter for the Redwoods going into the 2025 season.
Now, California has an open competition between second-year goalies Chayse Ierlan and Matt Knote and undrafted rookie Jack Fracyon.
“The pro game is all about whoever can make the most stops. We’re trying to get as much rubber as we can for those guys without overdoing it. They’ve responded really well,” California defensive coordinator Chris Collins said. “I haven’t been through a training camp where we’ve really challenged the goalies this much because in the past, the Redwoods have always had veteran goaltending, whether it was Tim Troutner or Jack Kelly. This is the first time it’s two young guys, so you have to change things up.”
Knote was signed by the Redwoods and brought to training camp in 2024. While Knote was eventually released to the player pool, Collins said the coaching staff was impressed with his effort and production; he added that part of the reason they brought Knote back to camp this year was because of how he did during the 2024 training camp.
After not making the 25-man roster, he was picked up by the Denver Outlaws last year. He did not appear in a game. Collins said Knote has great hands and that he plays bigger than his 5-foot-10 frame suggests.
Ierlan was a fourth-round pick by California in 2024. He appeared in two games for the Redwoods in 2024. In the second, an Aug. 3 matchup against the Outlaws, he had five saves while conceding 10 scores. Not only is Ierlan a big goalie who plays big, Collins said he brings a lot of big-game experience from his time at Cornell and Johns Hopkins.
Fracyon wasn’t expected to arrive at camp until Monday evening; he just finished his college career at Penn State on Saturday, losing to Cornell in the NCAA Tournament semifinals.
He will have a small window to be able to show what he can do at the professional level, but Collins said the communication has been positive and that Fracyon is eager to take advantage of whatever opportunity he can get.
“Whether it’s one day, one session, one practice,” Collins said, “[Fracyon] is like, ‘I want to be there. I’ve always dreamed about playing pro lacrosse.’”
Collins said Ierlan and Knote have had a healthy battle in training camp thus far. He said the most important thing the team tries to do during training camp is maximize shot volume and intensity while creating looks from shots at different angles, distances and speeds.
It’ll be more than just stopping shots that will determine who starts for the team against the Outlaws on May 30.
“You have to find ways to separate yourself,” Collins said. “Goalies are going to make saves. At this level, you need the goalies that are going to be able to steal one, but most importantly, the goalies that are confident enough to hit the reset button when they give up a goal. In this league, you’re going to get shelled, and you still have to find a way to rebound, stay engaged and get ready for the next one.”
While the Redwoods don’t have the veterans in camp they are accustomed to, Collins – a former professional goalie – is enjoying stepping into that role and being that person for them.
“For me, it’s very cool because I can share everything and anything with those guys just so they can keep hearing what it’s like to see these guys, these types of shooters, the box-influenced type of guys, the indoor, the outdoor, everything they’re going to see,” he said. “The lacrosse conversation and IQ part of it has been the most intriguing part for me.”
