In a season of ups and downs, Stony Brook men’s soccer has had one consistent factor night in and night out.
Tom McMahon started playing soccer at around two or three years old, taking on the goalkeeper position in his freshman year of high school at Clear Creek in League City, Texas.
“The goalkeeper on my club team ended up quitting,” McMahon said.
“So we needed a goalkeeper and I said ‘ah what the hell I’ll jump in’ and I was like ‘hey I kind of like it’ so I stuck with it.”
Sticking with it paid major dividends for both McMahon and Stony Brook, as he has become a stalwart defensively for the Seawolves in just his first year on the pitch.
“I always wanted to play in college, from a young age I wanted to play in college,” McMahon said.
“It just worked out. I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to come here and play.”
McMahon did not grow into a .743 save percentage goalkeeper overnight, however.
He credits his redshirt year with giving him the poise he now exhibits as Stony Brook’s lead goalkeeper.
“I thought it was pretty important. Especially in the spring, getting good minutes in the spring really helped me calm down and get relaxed and be more confident coming into this season,” McMahon said.
“It’s weird going from a place where you were always one of the best players on the team, to coming here where you’re just one of the 27 guys and everybody you’re playing against has been the best player on their high school team, one of the best players on their club team. It’s a big adjustment.”
McMahon has seemingly made the adjustment with ease, starting in 11 of Stony Brook’s 12 matches this season.
He has three shutouts and has allowed one goal or less from the opposition in the majority of his starts as a Seawolf.
He also has a 1.59 goals against average this season and his 49 saves are the second-most in the America East Conference.
All this was accomplished as just a redshirt freshman on a very young squad.
“I think that’s one of the most interesting things, when you don’t have too many older players; you have to rely on everybody,” McMahon said.
“People will look up to [Alejandro Fritz,] Martin [Giordano] and Keith [McKenna] because they’ve been there, but even now most of the starters are freshman, redshirt freshmen and sophomores so really the leadership has to come from everybody not just a couple players,”
McMahon’s game extends beyond protecting the back of the net, though.
When the ball is in opposing territory, McMahon makes an effort to step out of the box and be vocal with his teammates.
“That’s one thing I’ve been working on, really staying connected with the team,” McMahon said.
“It’s easier to communicate with them, make sure everybody’s in good spots or if they need me, if I’m 40 yards away that’s a harder ball for them to get me and get out of pressure versus a 15 to 20 yard ball if I’m stepped up. Just a way to relieve pressure and for them to know I’m there. Anything over their head, worse comes to worst I can come out and clear.”
McMahon comes off as a veteran of the game, someone that has spent years playing soccer at this level.
Yet he is only a redshirt freshman, though he does not sound like one when discussing the season’s rocky start.
His manner of dealing with losses or missed saves?
“I kind of lick the wounds and get ready for the next one,” McMahon said.
“Remember the stuff we did well and forget the stuff you did poorly and get ready for the next game.”
Spoken like a true veteran.
On a team lacking experience with a 3-7-1 overall record as conference play heats up, McMahon has stayed the course as a player the Seawolves can expect to perform to his fullest on any given night.
