Matt McKane is a standout goalie on the ADVNC SF & NDP ‘25 team who is committed to Notre Dame, where he will play for the two-time defending national champions, starting next Fall.
Matt McKane’s first game as a goalie.
Matt was drawn to lacrosse the very first time he saw the sport. “I remember vividly going on a family walk in the Presidio in San Francisco when I was in Kindergarten,” recalled Matt. “I remember seeing a bunch of kids playing for All West (now ADVNC North Bay) and it looked so cool. I had never seen anything like it before. I signed up for the After School Program the next year, when I was in first grade, and I fell in love with lacrosse right away. I also played other sports: basketball, soccer and baseball. But I knew right away that lacrosse was going to be my main sport.”
McKane at Santa Cruz Overnight Camp.
“I can still see him dancing in the goal to the music at the All-West overnight camp at UC Santa Cruz and then picking up his stick and waving to me when the ball came his way,” said Matt’s mom, Kelly McKane. “That joy and passion continues to this day. While he may not dance in the goal anymore, he loves being out there, and it shows.
Whichever sport Matt played, he played a position with a similar skill set. He was a catcher in baseball and a goalie in soccer. “I started playing goalie in lacrosse, right away,” said Matt. “I just loved wearing all the gear. You definitely have to be a little unique to get in the cage and face fast shots. You have to be fearless.”
Although Matt played some long pole defense in those first couple years, his desire was to be in the goal.
“It didn’t surprise me when he wanted to be goalie,” said Matt’s dad, Mark McKane. “He took to loving lacrosse immediately. And knowing how much he loved wearing all the gear in those other sports, goalie fit him perfectly. His passion for both playing and watching lacrosse was off the charts, right away.”
Both Matt and Mark recalled having a conversation, gauging Matt’s passion for lacrosse in the 7th grade. “I had been going to a summer camp in Canada, along with my older brother, Michael. I wanted to share that experience with him. I was set to go back to camp for 6 weeks that summer. But if I went, that would mean not playing travel lacrosse that coming summer. I just knew deep down that lacrosse was my calling, and I needed to stop going to summer camp and focus solely on lacrosse.”
McKane is an All-American goalie at Marin Academy.
“I remember having that conversation with Matt, vividly. I told Matt that if he wanted to stop going to camp and focus on lacrosse, that we would support him, but it had to be his decision. He made that decision, and has never looked back.”
“From the post-it note he placed on his wall with the daily workout he planned to prepare for his first travel team tryout, Matt has been extremely driven to push himself to be better and to learn as much as he can about the game from others,” said Kell McKane. “He's constantly watching college and professional games and highlights and rewatching his games to learn from them. Matt likes to be the first guy to the field and always tries to find shooters to meet up with for extra shots. He's not afraid to reach out to older goalies for advice or to ask his coaches what he can do better. Seeing how much he enjoys connecting with and coaching younger goalies has also been fun. He learns a lot from working with them, too.”
As Matt decided to focus squarely on lacrosse and becoming a better goalie, he started practicing both the physical and mental side of the game. “I’ve learned to not think and just react,” said Matt. “I try and get in a flow state. I focus on the box breathing technique I’ve learned. I let my body do what I’ve practiced thousands of times. When I’m playing well, I sort of black out. I won’t remember an entire game. I don’t keep track of my saves, I just let it all go. I think that’s really fun.”
Matt said this mentality did not come naturally. He had to learn it. He credits all of his coaches over the years, from his club and high school coaches, to his coaches with Goaliesmith with teaching him different aspects of the game. He also credits watching lots of film on older goalies he looks up to. “I want to emulate the best. I watch Blaze Riordan (4-time Goalie of the Year in the PLL) a lot. Blaze hits all four corners of the cage and I started doing that, to center myself mentally. If you watch me, you’ll see me hit both corners, then the left pipe, then the right pipe. I probably do it 50 times a game. I’m sure it annoys people, but it has worked wonders for me.”
McKane at Notre Dame.
After playing for other club teams in the Bay Area, Matt made the decision to switch to ADVNC entering his sophomore year in High School. “I was playing for the Pacific Northwest at the Nike Nationals in Maryland,” recalled Matt. “I was talking with my Nike teammates, Jack Barton and Matt Scheible and telling them how much I love playing on that team. Jack said that team is basically the exact same team as ADVNC NDP, and he said that I should join that team. I remember going right into my parents room at the hotel and telling them I wanted to start playing for ADVNC.”
“We told Matt that he could switch to ADVNC if he wanted to, but he had to be the one to reach out to ADVNC and Coach Chris Rotell (ADVNC Founder & CEO),” said Mark McKane.
“I reached out to Coach Rotelli, and then after my season with my old team ended, I went and tried out for ADVNC. Switching to ADVNC has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I’ve gotten so close with the guys on ADVNC. They are people who want to succeed in both lacrosse and life. They all have such great goals for themselves, and they have become some of my greatest friends.”
McKane at Crabfeast with ADVNC NDP.
“Many people talk about the ADVNC community, and it's true,” said Kelly McKane. “Matt joined the program during his 10th grade year, and we felt immediately welcomed by a supportive network of players, families, and coaches. Matt has made friends for life, and they continue to push him, and support him on and off the field. Playing with ADVNC has helped Matt not only to continue to develop as a player but also to develop as a teammate.”
“We were really struck by how open and welcoming all the ADVNC families were,” said Mark McKane. “The level of parent commitment within ADVNC really showed. The ADVNC parents are all very focused on raising good young men, not just winning games. There is a special sauce within the ADVNC Program.”
“I didn’t feel like the new kid at all,” said Matt. “I didn’t feel like there was any hurdle for me to jump over. Everything was very smooth when I started playing for ADVNC. It felt like I was joining a family.”
The McKane’s met with Chris Rotelli heading into his recruiting summer. “He talked to me a lot about setting my expectations correctly,” said Matt. “He told me to stay modest, and let my lacrosse do the talking. He made sure my mindset was right, heading into that big summer.”
Matt played very well that summer, and when September 1st came, and coaches could officially reach out, Matt received a lot of interest.
“Coach Rotelli was in constant contact with Matt, helping him with the strategy of recruiting,” said Mark McKane. “He helped us develop a plan on how to interact with the coaches, and how to set up a trip to see a bunch of schools that Matt was interested in, all in one trip.”
Matt took several school visits before heading to South Bend to visit Notre Dame, the school that was at the very top of his list. “When I first got to campus, I had a nice lunch with Coach Corrigan, Coach Wellner and Coach Wojcik. They asked me a lot about what I liked about the school, and I probably went on a little long. I told them how much I liked everything about Notre Dame, and that I would just love to get to come to college there. When I was finished, Coach Corrigan said, you have an offer to come here, if you want. So after lunch,my parents and I talked about what just happened. We had already discussed how Notre Dame was my dream school. So I went back and told the coaches I was ready to commit right then. From that moment, I felt like I was joining a family, just as I felt when I joined ADVNC. It was amazing.”
“We didn’t expect an offer to come that quickly,” Mark McKane said. “That was a very important lunch Matt had. The whole thing is just incredible. We are so proud.”
“Coach Rotelli was incredibly helpful to Matt and our family during the recruiting process,” said Kelly McKane. “From the first conversations about setting expectations to helping Matt navigate and manage the roller coaster of emotions during recruiting visits and everything in between, Coach Rotelli was a steady source of support and timely information”.
Looking back on the entire journey, Matt is quick to credit several others who have helped him along the way. “My coach at Marin Academy, Skyler Hopkins, has taught me a lot about how to be a leader,” said Matt. “Going back to when I was choosing high schools, he talked to me about how my experience at MA would be different than at other schools. I started as a freshman. I learned a lot about the social dynamics of being a leader at a young age. I’ve learned so many life lessons through that experience that I take with me everywhere I go.”
Matt also credits West Coast Starz Director, Jono Zissi for helping him develop over the years as well as helping him in the recruiting process.
In addition to watching Blaze Riordan, Matt also has a relationship with two standout goalies, Matt Nunes, the current goalie at UVa, and Liam Entenmann, the former goalie at Notre Dame and current goalie for the Atlas in the PLL. “I watch so much film on both those guys,” Matt said. “Both guys are rockstars. I went to a Notre Dame camp last summer, and got some one on one time with Liam. I picked his brain for a long time. I asked him everything from his mindset, to his in-game routine, to what he eats for breakfast. He is fantastic, and I’ve learned so much from him.”
Matt has this advice for young goalies who want to follow in his footsteps. “It takes a lot of dedication and hard work,” said Matt. “I just love seeing shots. No one is just born with insane skills, you have to work at it. Work on your reaction time and your hands, your footwork and your mindset. I watch a ton of film. I love film. I love watching old games on YouTube. You also have to work just as hard in the classroom as on the field. If you don’t have good grades, doors won’t open for you at the college level. But you also have to want to do this. My parents never forced me to do any of this. You have to truly love the game.”