Notre Dame senior goalie Samantha Giacolone is accustomed to directing—making sure her defense stops the ball or giving her the best chance to make a save. Now, it appears, she is able to add a directorial debut of another kind.
Giacolone is the subject of Notre Dame’s latest edition of “Inside the Mind,” a video series that is told from the athlete’s point of view. Past participants have been Heisman Trophy candidate and current Philadelphia Eagle Josh Adams, captain and current AHL forward Jake Evans, and NCAA champion and two-time Olympian fencer Lee Kiefer.
“They are among the best players in their programs,” Giacolone said. “It gave me chills to be inside their heads – it makes you amped up. I’ve watched them before I’ve played to get me going. I hope that mine does the same for others, but showing women as strong as equals to men, that we’re powerful sports figures in the sports world, is going to be huge.”
Giacolone’s role in the film is unique compared to her contemporaries. Firstly, while the previous films have focused solely on the protagonist and a specific play they see, this one involves the teammates in front of Giacolone. This was by design.
Our defensive unit is in sync,” Giacolone noted. “If you’re in my mind you need to be in theirs as well.”
Secondly, the two-time first-team All-ACC netminder took control of the set. Giacolone was afforded the opportunity to take a directorial view of the project, working with Notre Dame producer and videographer Cody Baker.
“It was really fun for me,” Giacolone said. “I have never done anything like this…Working behind the scenes with Cody Baker, drawing up the play we wanted to talk about, and drawing what I wanted to see: a strong woman and show people that we’re warriors and we’re not just playing a silly game.”
The perspective of a goalie is unique. It can be exciting and action-filled as well as lonely and demoralizing. Giacolone was careful to include this as the mentality of a goalie is shaped by multiple facets of a game — opponents, teammates and personal performance.