PressBox recently chatted with UMBC women’s lacrosse graduate student Isabella Fontana about why she became a goalie, how she has developed at the position and more. The 5-foot-1 goalie posted a 9.96 goals-against average and .431 save percentage in 2024. Fontana is a native of Chevy Chase, Md., and graduate of The Academy of the Holy Cross.
PressBox: How did you become interested in lacrosse?
Isabella Fontana: When I was in first grade, at my elementary school it was kind of like everyone was just starting to play lacrosse. I just joined a team and I played it the first couple years, and then I really wanted to try the position of goalie. I think once I became a goalie that’s what made me really interested in it. It was kind of a challenge that I wasn’t familiar with, and I just wanted to get better and better to help out my team. Ever since a young age — probably third or fourth grade since I started playing goalie — I’ve been very interested in it. I’ve loved all sports my entire life and just really the enjoyed the challenge and the passion to get better and be in a team sport and compete to win.
PB: When did you start playing goalie? Why did you stick with it?
IF: Probably third or fourth grade I started transitioning into it. Probably fifth grade I was a full-time goalie. Honestly, it was something that came a little bit more easily than the field, and I just felt like I had one job, which was to save the ball. Once I was in goal, I felt free and just enjoyed saving the ball and the challenge. Everything wasn’t going to go my way, but I thought it was simple and it was easy to pick up. Since I kind of fell in love with it, it’s something I’ve enjoyed to this day. I don’t know if there’s a specific reason why I love it, but it’s something I enjoyed at a young age and now it’s my backbone in life.
PB: Did you also play goalie in field hockey and ice hockey growing up?
IF: I did not. I actually enjoyed the field in both of those sports. I thought being a goalie in one sport was enough and in those sports I enjoyed scoring.
PB: Who was the biggest influence on your game growing up?
IF: I would definitely say [former Maryland goalie] Megan Taylor was a big influence in addition to all the people that I trained with, some local people, anyone who was older than me. I love to this day watching goalies and learning from people little techniques here and there if it’s a college game, if it’s someone younger than me, anything I can pick up from someone else. I’d say Megan Taylor’s the biggest one because I would say I’m like her and I’m also relatively short and she’s the same, so I thought we played a pretty similar style.
PB: How have you learned to develop as a goalie to continue to get better?
IF: I think breaking down a lot of our practice. We do a lot of film work and a lot of specific shot work and making it as simple as possible because the foundation for goalies is very important — the way you step to the ball, the way you move your hands, the way you see it, your positioning. Every little small piece makes a big difference and if you’re an inch off of your positioning, you might not save it because of that. A lot of reps and breaking down different situations and different shots and how you could get to the ball faster to overall develop the game, so actually taking a step back and looking at in a way that isn’t so fast-paced. With goalies it’s very important to have the off time in addition to playing with the team, just working one-on-one with people. Developing that relationship with the goalie coach that I’ve had over the past couple years in addition to my college coaches now is really important to make sure we get time to develop my skills in addition to my skills with the team.
PB: What’s your favorite memory at UMBC so far?
IF: I would say last year we beat Albany, [12-11], in the regular season and that was really fun. It was a very big team-effort win. Nothing was perfect, but it just came together and we ended up winning by one. It was probably the best feeling because they were No. 1 in the conference at the time, so we overtook that position after we beat them.
PB: Who’s your best friend on the team and what’s a story that underscores your friendship?
IF: It’s actually funny, I don’t think I would have a particular best friend. I have always tried to live my life being friends with everyone, so we have 31 people on our team and I have 30 best friends. One of them wouldn’t define any of it. I take pride in the fact that I would text any one of them on a given day and they would respond in addition to going out to lunch with any single one of them. I can’t say I have the same relationship with everybody, but everyone that I have a relationship with on my team is a little different and it adds something to my personality and my character. I hope that I add something to their character. I can’t narrow it down to one.
PB: Who was a player you looked up to when you first got to UMBC?
IF: There’s a couple different people I looked up to. I would say I looked up to the older goalie whose name was Lexi Roberts. She helped me transition from high school to college. She was ahead of me, so the banter behind the goal between different goalies is really helpful. [Former attacker] Claire Bockstie … was in the grade above me. She worked very hard and produced massive results [and was someone] I looked up to and wanted to strive to be when I was older.
PB: What advice would you give to younger players going through the recruiting process?
IF: I would say keep all your options open. You never know where you’re going to end up. Don’t discount a school based on one little thing. Reach out to as many schools as possible. You never know who’s watching. You never know who’s going to see a game. You’d never know if you didn’t reach out to them that they were watching. Being open to any school and reaching out as much as possible to [earn] your way to the next level is really important.
PB: What are your goals for after goals for after lacrosse?
IF: I want to continue my competitive spirit and athletic mindset into something I do in the future. I’m currently looking for a job and I want to [take] all the things that I’ve learned throughout my time within sports to continue it to the next level with whichever path that I take. A lot of leadership and teamwork within the sports community is really important. I pride myself in using both of those skills to the best of my ability and I want to continue that throughout the rest of my life.
Photo Credit: Jack Miller
Issue 291: February / March 2025
Originally published Feb. 19, 2025
