In the moments after Real Salt Lake’s first shutout in months, head coach Pablo Mastroeni didn’t want to rush to judgment about who would start in goal the next time his team took the field.
“I don’t want to speak too soon,” he said after the 2-0 win over New England last weekend. “But last game, giving up a real soft goal early changed the mindset of the group.”
It might also be time for RSL to change keepers.
Veteran Zac MacMath has started 19 games for Salt Lake this season, good for eight wins, four losses and seven draws.
But recent mistakes in goal and the progress of 19-year-old Gavin Beavers has given Mastroeni something to think about.
“The last thing I want to do is affect a player’s confidence by making a decision that isn’t best for the team,” Mastroeni said.
But the coach had high praise for his teenage keeper.
“Gavin came up huge on quite a few,” the coach said. “I’m sure that’s going to fill him with a ton of confidence.”
Beavers has allowed 11 goals while saving 29 in his eight starts this year. The two saves he made against New England preserved his third clean sheet of the year.
“It feels great,” Beavers said. “Obviously there’s still a lot of work to be done and there’s still a lot left in the year.”
Beavers credited MacMath and RSL’s group of goalkeepers and coaches for readying him for the moment.
“At the end of the day, we want to help the team in whatever way we can,” he said. “[MacMath] has helped me out, telling me things at halftime, little things to maybe see and look for, which is super helpful. It’s always nice to know that he has my back and we’re both trying to do the same thing for the team.”
But as the playoffs approach, Mastroeni noted, “games get tighter.”
And last weekend’s win over New England was RSL’s first shutout since June 15.
“It’s our first shut out in I don’t know how long, which is just as important as scoring goals,” Mastroeni said. “… They wear gloves for a reason and we need them to make saves.”