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Goalies are weird.

To be fair, superlatives aren’t always the best way to describe people. But when it comes to players like Adelphi’s Dylan Renner, that adjective is all too familiar to goalies.

“He’s a [expletive] nut,” Adelphi assistant coach Brian Volpi said. “On defense, he just tells our guys to protect the middle and he will save everything else, and our guys really buy into that leadership.”

The 2025 USA Lacrosse Magazine Division II Men’s Preseason Player of the Year might not be the kind of guy you recognize walking down the street, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s the cornerstone of an Adelphi team looking to repeat as NCAA champion.

With a playstyle reminiscent of current Carolina Chaos goalie Blaze Riorden, Renner took the Division II world by storm last season as the nation’s top goaltender. Now, there are great goalies every year, but few netminders have been able to change the way offenses play against them quite like Renner has. And he does that with a mixture of old-school work ethic and new-school technique.

Renner explodes to smother the ball. It’s not something you notice with most goalies. Usually, there’s a lot of raking or collapsing to clamp on the ball or cover it ‑ but to move to a loose ball the same way you see goalies move to make a save is one of the characteristics that separates Renner from other top goalies.

“He is big, but he’s agile,” Volpi said. “Dylan doesn’t have to beat you in a 40-yard dash, he just has to control the crease in a 6-by-6 area. And he excels at that.”

When you combine that agility with Renner’s ability to play angles on a low arc, you get the kind of numbers that set Renner apart from every other goalie last season.

Renner ranked second in Division II in goals against average. His save percentage was 64.7 percent, first in the nation among all three NCAA divisions. He also finished third overall in total saves, which is bolstered by Adelphi’s playoff run but is still an incredible feat considering how much rubber flies in Division II.

In fact, Renner reached double-digit save totals in every game but three. Adelphi’s average margin of victory in those three games was 10.6 goals. He’s off to a similarly great start in 2025, posting a save rate of 56.9 percent in No. 1 Adelphi’s 6-0 start.

But the Panthers weren’t dominant for the entire 2024 season. They were called the Cardiac Cats for a reason. Despite going 9-0 in conference play, seven of their games were decided by three goals or less, including the NCAA title tilt.

The Northeast-10 is one of the most densely constructed conferences across college lacrosse, but it doesn’t always get the respect it deserves.

“A lot of people think that you’re only playing two or three games out of the year where it matters, but there are times when it is gauntlet,” Renner said. “There are times going into a game where you think, ‘Oh, this won’t be that bad,’ but every game we play we have to give it our best because we know that everyone is going to give their best against us. Everyone wants to take us down, everyone wants to knock us off.”

A good goalie can change a game, but a great goalie changes the way you try to score. It’s clear that he frustrates offenses, especially ones that attack from the back or rely on wing shots.

It’s hard to believe that Renner’s journey started at a different school.

“You know, he’s just such an incredible kid,” Adelphi head coach Gordon Purdie said. “He came to us after a year at LIU after we sort of missed out on recruiting him. When he went into the portal, Coach Volpi said, ‘We have to get this guy.’ So, we did, and it’s been huge for us.”

At the end of his freshman year at LIU, Renner was faced with a choice. Wait out All-American goaltender Will Mark or find a better fit. He bet on himself and went with the latter.

“There wasn’t a lot of difference from being in a Division I program to being in a Division II program,” Renner said. “It’s the same ball. Guys can still play lacrosse. Maybe they are a little shorter or have less weight on them, but there are a lot of guys that could be playing Division II if they wanted. My preparation didn’t change - go out there and try to make a name.”

Purdie almost lost him in the offseason, as Renner tested the waters in the transfer portal. Luckily, Renner made his way back home.

“You know, after last season, he went into the portal and we had some sleepless nights,” Purdie said. “I had Division I coaches calling me about him, but it was a relief now that we have him back. He’s been a huge part of our team. He’s a leader.”

The bond between Volpi and Renner is a special one. Most players don’t get to have a coach who not only played their exact position but had success in the same program. Volpi, a former police officer, has been on the Adelphi staff for 14 years. He’s never been one to mince words. The bond he has formed with Renner is threaded with tough love.

“I remember one practice, I had trouble getting my leg across on off-side low shots,” Renner said. “And Coach Volpi would just keep firing the ball there and drilling me in the leg. He just kept saying, ‘You’ve got to move it. You have to stop it.’ And I was just like, ‘This is practice, come on. I’m just trying to get warmed up here.’ And he just kept drilling me and telling me to move it. I just got out of class, it’s the middle of January, and I can’t even feel my leg. And he said, ‘I promise you it’s going to work, you have to start moving it.’ And just from getting hit there constantly for that practice and after, it eventually worked because I was just sick of getting hit in the same spot.”

What sort of an effect does a goalie with this much stopping power have on his own team? Unsurprisingly, Renner is a ruiner of days in practice.

“I believe that whatever you do in practice, you’re going to do that in the game,” Renner said. “Growing up, I had two brothers, and we were super competitive with each other with everything. I don’t like taking plays off. I don’t like giving up free goals. I always say to one of our attackmen, ‘Listen, I’m going to chirp you. I think you’re so talented. And I think in the season, a lot of people are going to try to get in your head. So, I’m going to say whatever I can in practice so that when we get to the games, when people start talking to you, it won’t phase you.’”

What is a typical chirp from the best goaltender in Division II?

“This might not be one of the nicest ones, but when one of our attackmen takes a shot that I know they think is really good and I eat it up, I’ll say, ‘Wow, you’re really talented. That was such a great take. You must have felt so good about that one.’ And then I look him in the face.”

Volpi enjoys the effect that he can have on shooters just with his presence.

“In practice, if the offense gets a few goals in on him and starts talking, you’ll hear him say, ‘Oh, you shouldn’t have done that.’ And then it’s over for them that practice,” Volpi said.

Renner has “see ball, save ball” written on a piece of tape on the chin of his helmet.

“Look, goalies are weird,” Renner said. “People say I have these weird sayings. One of my old teammates asked me once, ‘What do you think about when you save the ball?’ And the answer is nothing. I don’t think goalie is that hard compared to other positions. See the ball. Save the ball.”