Welcome to #BestOfLax. Help us celebrate the past year of lacrosse by voting in 15 polls spread over the course of December. All voting will be conducted on Twitter (@usalacrossemag), and fans will have 24 hours to let their voices be heard.

For more information — including upcoming categories, rules and more — check out our introductory post to #BestOfLax.

In crunch time, these goalies stood on their heads.

The most acrobatic, unfathomable saves of the year came in intense moments, and these goalies did not fail to impress. By leading their teams to victory, they even earned themselves a nominee in #BestOfLax.

Here are the nominees for Best Save.

For the goalie who showed out in the biggest moment.

VOTE NOW in our #BestOfLax poll to determine the goalie who made the Best Save in 2021.

NOMINEES: https://t.co/dj7iYfRQtN

— USA Lacrosse Magazine (@USALacrosseMag) December 13, 2021

BEST SAVE

For the goalie who showed out in the biggest moment.

MIKE ADLER

Up by a goal in an ACC rivalry game against Syracuse, Mike Adler stood on his head. With just mere seconds remaining, Adler hugged the near pipe with Stephen Rehfuss staring him down. Attempting to tie, Rehfuss unleashed an acrobatic shot (which deserves praise of its own, by the way), but Adler stood strong and stopped the shot high.

Adler's save against Syracuse was the top play on this week's #LaxTop5@mikeyadler1 | #GoDuke pic.twitter.com/p6GOZimone

— Duke Men's Lacrosse (@DukeMLAX) April 5, 2021

COLTON KING

Colton King combined acrobatics with instincts to make one of the saves of the year. King covered seemingly the entire crease, even falling to his knees and still reaching high to deny the shot attempt. Just check it out.

pic.twitter.com/tdmfXoNwMQ

— Sacred Heart Men's Lacrosse (@SHUmenslax) February 25, 2021

SOPHIA LEROSE

You’re not alone if you found yourself re-watching the field-level replay of Sophia LeRose’s last-second save against Maryland. LeRose was doing it, too.

Watch the replay a second (or third, or fourth) time and you’ll count four Duke defenders swarming Maryland’s Libby May with just about 3 seconds left in the game and the Blue Devils clinging to a one-goal lead. With four sticks in May’s face, she fired a shot to the top-right corner of the cage from just inside the left wing of the 8-meter arc. It was perfectly placed, putting extra pressure on LeRose. By doing their jobs, the defenders also made LeRose’s job considerably harder.

She got her stick up just in time and popped the ball into the air. Maryland’s Catie May hauled in the rebound, but the buzzer had already sounded, sending Duke to its first NCAA quarterfinal since 2015.

SOPHIA LEROSE STOPS IT AT THE BUZZER. @DukeWLAX SURVIVES.@MarylandWLax roared back in the second half, but LeRose stopped the last-second shot to seal it. pic.twitter.com/P3XMwx35vv

— USA Lacrosse Magazine (@USALacrosseMag) May 16, 2021

SAM SHAFER

Talk about clutch. A 6-foot-3, 235-pound goalie, Shafer seemingly defied physics as he kicked out his leg, reached with his stick toward the far pipe but kept his body nearside, deflecting Alex Simmons’ shot with his right shoulder as time expired and Loyola held on to defeat Denver 14-13 in an NCAA tournament game. Benched at one point of the season, Shafer was the avatar of a resurrected Greyhounds team who nearly clipped Duke in the quarterfinals as well. The save on Simmons was his 16th of the game.

SAM SHAFER WITH THE SAVE OF A LIFETIME. WOW. @LoyolaMLAX survives at the buzzer, downs @DU_MLAX 14-13. pic.twitter.com/48DdspfHts

— USA Lacrosse Magazine (@USALacrosseMag) May 17, 2021