Angelina Price takes over in goal for Wildcats boys lacrosse team

Angelina Price has been toiling behind-the-scenes for years. “Cheeto,” as everyone calls her, has patiently waited for an opportunity in the shadows of now graduated NCAA Division I goalie Jaden Galfano. Now in her senior year, the role of starting Shoreham-Wading River boys lacrosse goalie is finally hers.

Price has been playing lacrosse since kindergarten. Even though she started with the girls back then, she always wanted to play with the boys. 

“I’m very competitive,” Price said. “When I saw them on the other field playing hard and having fun, I wanted to be a part of that. Not that the girls aren’t competitive, I just wanted the challenge. I wanted the physicality.”

Her parents were against the idea at first. But after seeing goalkeeper Devon Wills become the first female player to sign to the New York Lizards of Major League Lacrosse, she kept badgering for permission until they finally gave in. 

“I was very persistent,” Price said. “I wanted to be like Devon. She was someone I looked up to. My parents had no choice but to let me have a try.”

Price started playing with the boys around the same time her nickname was born. In second grade, preparing for a practice session with trainer Steve Costello, Price downed a bag of Cheetos so quickly on the way over the dusty orange coating was all over her face. When Costello saw her, he decided that “Cheeto” should be her nickname — and it stuck.

Playing goalie in lacrosse is brutal. You don’t have much protection, especially on the legs. Bruises are a way of life. 

“When I was little I used to have my dad just hit me with the ball.” Price said, laughing about it now. “I was in third grade playing for Team 91 against Team Spallina, and I flinched when a shot came my way. I wanted my dad to get that fear out of me. So, yeah, I got a couple screws loose for sure.”

All the years playing travel lacrosse and playing reserve on the varsity boys team have brought her to this big moment in her high school career. It’s finally her time.

“I told her coming into this season that it’s her job to lose,” SWR head coach Mike Taylor said. “She prepares more than anyone on the field. She wants to always have an edge on the opponent. She studies the game constantly.”

Price has made 25 saves this year for the Wildcats and has led them to a 2-1 Division II record. In the last two league matchups, Shoreham-Wading River only allowed five goals per game. 

“She’s been on varsity for three years now, and she’s played in some big games for us when Jaden struggled,” Taylor said. “So even though she hasn’t started until this year, we had no worries putting her in. She’s been in tough spots before. I’ve never met someone before that’s all compete, all the time.”

Her competitive spirit and poise on the field has led her to commit to playing in college for the women’s lacrosse team at the U.S Naval Academy next year.

“She’s one of the top girls lacrosse goalie recruits in the nation,” Taylor said. “She could undoubtedly make a major impact on our girls team, but she’s going to play boys lacrosse until they force her not to.”

“I think playing with the boys prepares me better for my future,” Price said. “I see shots coming in from the outside at top speed. When I transition to playing with the girls again, there’s going to be an adjustment, but I trust my preparation.”

But sometimes playing with the boys comes with some not so nice things. People try to get under her skin. 

“Some teams will say some nasty things to me during the game,” Price said. “But it doesn’t bother me to be honest. If they’re talking about me, I must be doing something good.”

What keeps her going is the inspiration she wants to provide for the younger players, especially girls. 

“I’ve had little girls come up to me and say how cool it is that I play with the boys,” Price said. “And that they want to try to do it too. It’s really a full circle moment for me, and it’s very special because that’s exactly what Devon Wills did for me when I was their age.”

SWR made it all the way to the Suffolk County Class C championship last year. Price is aiming to lead them right back to that game once again.

“I love my team,” Price said. “We have so much talent on the field. They all believe in me and that means everything. I can’t wait to see what more this season brings for us.”