If you ask Culver Academy Prep boys’ lacrosse coach Jonathan Posner about star senior goalie Matt Schmidt, he will tell you that he is not the most athletic player on the team.

But with a yeoman-like approach toward preparing for each match, Schmidt will go down as one of the program’s most accomplished goalies.

Schmidt stopped 169 of the 219 shots he faced this season, totaling a save percentage of 77.1 percent, despite a challenging schedule that included wins over Canadian powerhouse Hill Academy and four teams that were ranked in the national top 25 at the time.

Because of his effort leading Culver to a 21-1 overall record and Inter-Ac Invitational title, Schmidt has been named Epoch/US Lacrosse Magazine Midwest Player of the Year.

Nike/US Lacrosse High School Rankings

National Boys' Top 25 | National Girls' Top 25
Northeast Boys' Top 10 | Northeast Girls' Top 10
Mid-Atlantic Boys' Top 10 | Mid-Atlantic Girls' Top 10
South Boys' Top 10 | South Girls' Top 10
Midwest Boys' Top 10 | Midwest Girls' Top 10
West Boys' Top 10 | West Girls' Top 10

“He is not naturally gifted,” Posner said. “He has to work hard for everything he gets. Again, he is not the greatest athlete. When he came to Culver, he wasn’t the strongest guy on the team, he wasn’t the fittest guy on the team. He had to work extremely hard to be where he is. I can say he is a pretty good athlete, he is not a great athlete, but he became a great player because of his work ethic.”

Schmidt, who is headed to Notre Dame, hardly thinks of it as work. Lacrosse is his devotion.

“It’s all lacrosse, especially this summer, preparing for Notre Dame,” Schmidt said. “Whether it be preparing or working out or playing, that’s what I love doing.”

Schmidt ended his three-year stint at Culver on a high note in May. He was named MVP of the Inter-Ac Invitational in Philadelphia, which Culver won by defeating No. 19 Haverford School (Pa.) 9-5 in the championship game to avenge the Eagles’ lone loss.

Without Schmidt, Culver would not have earned the title, Posner said.

“They had point-blank shots, shots that we were thinking were going in,” Posner said. “If we don’t have Matt in that game, we wouldn’t have win that game. He put his team on his back and made unbelievable saves. And there were many of those games this year.”

As decorated a season as the No. 3-ranked Eagles had, winning the Inter-Ac Invitational was Schmidt’s best memory at Culver, he said.

The team also beat No. 9 McDonogh (Md.), then-No. 11 St. Paul’s (Md.) and then-No. 17 Gonzaga (D.C.) in late March, immediately after falling to Haverford School in double overtime.

“Our only loss of the year was against Haverford in double overtime, and we set a goal to see these guys again,” Schmidt said. “Fortunately, we got to play them again in May and got a different outcome. We accomplished all of our goals in that game, and we ended a great season.”

And a great high school career for Schmidt.

The Columbus, Ohio, native left Columbus Academy after his freshman season in hopes of landing a major Division I offer. In doing so, Schmidt had to leave not only an exclusive academic institution, but his best friend and family.

But the decision to leave Columbus ultimately was fruitful, as Schmidt landed his opportunity at Notre Dame, where he will study business. He also was considering several Ivy League schools.

With Schmidt’s arrival to Notre Dame, the Irish will gain a natural leader. Off the field, he is a company commander for Culver, which means he leads a unit of 50 other students. With Culver being a school rooted in military traditions, the position comes with a lot of responsibility, Posner said, including assisting other students academically or taking responsibility when someone in the unit makes a mistake. 

“At Culver, [students] have their academics and their athletics, so to have an added responsibility, most kids don’t want it,” Posner said. “It takes a lot of time but Matt is competitive and he took it on and he did a great job.”

The leadership skills that Schmidt picked up off the field helped translate to success on the field at Culver, and that likely will continue into college.

“I think a lot of the best goalies are leaders because they’re able to lead the defense in giving them the shots they want to see,” Schmidt said. “As a goalie, being able to lead the defense and communicate with them and having them do what I need them to do while doing what I need to be doing in making the saves puts us in a good position to win games.”

EPOCH/US LACROSSE MIDWEST PLAYER OF THE YEAR

MATT SCHMIDT
School: Culver Academy Prep
Year: Senior
Position: Goalie
Stats: 169 saves, 77.1 save percentage
Coach Jonathan Posner: “Matt is not satisfied at being average at anything. He wants to be the best at everything he does. He is one of those great success stories of coming in and being a pretty good goalie, but he had a lot of room to grow and he never was content at being an average goalie. His growth in my time coaching — I’ve been coaching in 19 years — it’s as big as anyone that I have coached. He went from being a pretty good goalie to exceptional.”
Also notable: Jack Dolan, Upper Arlington (Ohio); Nelson Gaechter, New Trier (Ill.); Hub Hejna, East Grand Rapids (Mich.)

NIKE/US LACROSSE MIDWEST TOP 10 (FINAL)

1. Culver Prep Academy (Ind.), 21-1

The Eagles concluded their season on May 20 by winning the Inter-Ac Invitational in Philadelphia. They beat national No. 19 Haverford School (Pa.) in the final to avenge their lone loss of the season. Culver, which is ranked third nationally, also had three other wins against top 25 teams, beating No. 9 McDonogh (Md.), then-No. 11 St. Paul’s (Md.) and then-No. 17 Gonzaga (D.C.). Goalie Matt Schmidt blocked 169 of the 219 shots he faced this season for a 77.1 percent save rate.

2. Brother Rice (Mich.), 20-4

The Warriors clinched their 13th straight state championship with an 8-7 victory over Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.) on June 10, following an 8-6 win over Rockford (Mich.) in the semifinals. Two of Brother Rice’s losses came against Culver and the other two were one-goal decisions against Cathedral (Ind.) and Canandaigua (N.Y.). The Warriors had 10 first-team all-state selections, led by Michigan’s Mr. Lacrosse Jack Kelly.

3. Cathedral (Ind.), 21-4

The Irish finished 2017 with their second straight state title, defeating Carmel (Ind.) 8-5 in the final June 3 to avenge their lone in-state loss. After an 0-2 start to the season, Cathedral bounced back with wins against Cincinnati St. Xavier (Ohio) and Brother Rice (Mich.), and its only other setback was against Canadian power Everest Academy. Kavan Braun led the way for Cathedral.

4. New Trier (Ill.), 20-4

The Trevians were crowned Illinois state champs on June 3 following their 9-6 win over Loyola Academy (Ill.), which avenged a 7-6 loss from April 29. New Trier’s season was highlighted by a pair of wins over MICDS (Mo.) and a victory over DeSmet Jesuit (Mo.). Nelson Gaechter finished the season with 58 goals.

5. East Grand Rapids (Mich.), 19-1 

The Pioneers won the Michigan Division II state title with an 11-9 victory over Forest Hills Central (Mich.) on June 10 to finish the season on a 14-game win streak. The title was East Grand Rapids’ first since 2009. Hub Hejna (Colorado College) scored an astounding 93 goals and 66 assists to lead the Pioneers, whose lone loss was an 8-7 decision against Rockford on April 18.

6. MICDS (Mo.), 17-5

The Rams won their fourth straight state title on May 27, beating Chaminade Prep (Mo.) in the final. All five of MICDS’ losses this season were decided by three goals or less, including an overtime decision against Brother Rice (Mich.) and two games against New Trier (Ill.). Harry Wellford (Virginia) finished his time at MICDS with 163 goals and 125 assists.

7. Archbishop Moeller (Ohio), 17-7

The Crusaders played their best when it mattered most, winning their last 10 games of the season en route to Ohio’s Division I state title. They beat Cleveland St. Ignatius (Ohio) 9-8 in double overtime in the final June 3. Moeller’s impressive run also included wins over Ohio powerhouse Upper Arlington in the state semifinals and a win over St. Xavier (Ohio) in the regional finals.

8. Loyola Academy (Ill.), 17-8

The Ramblers could not defend their 2016 state title, falling to New Trier (Ill.) 9-6 in the championship game June 3. Loyola played arguably the toughest schedule in the region, losing six games to teams from the Maryland, D.C. and New York areas, but had most of its success in-state. Among the regular-season high points were wins against New Trier (Ill.) and Grayslake North (Ill.).

9. Upper Arlington (Ohio), 20-3

The Golden Bears’ impressive season ended in the state semifinals against Moeller on May 31, as they couldn’t avenge a regular-season loss to the Crusaders. The only other team to beat Upper Arlington this season was Dublin Coffman (Ohio). Jack Dolan led the Bears’ attack with 53 goals.

10. Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.), 15-6

The Shamrocks nearly ended Brother Rice’s run as Michigan state champs, but wound up short in an 8-7 contest on June 10 in the title game. Detroit Catholic Central had victories over New Trier (Ill.) and one-loss Hartland (Mich.).