By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The first two years of her Bridgewater State University field hockey career were spent playing the forward position.

Brianna Gagnon (Tewksbury, Mass.) was tied for second on the team with five goals and tied for third with 10 points as a sophomore in 2023.

But when the health science major reported to preseason practice this summer, she donned goalkeeper equipment and prepared for a position switch.

The Bears lacked depth at the keeper spot with only one other goalie on the roster, so Gagnon made the move from offense to defense in her junior season.

Gagnon already knew something about being a goalie after starting at that position as a freshman and sophomore at Tewksbury Memorial High School in 2018 and 2019.

She has started five of the Bears' six games this season, going 2-3, including a shutout in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference opener against Salem State University.

Gagnon was named the MASCAC defensive player of the week after making three saves in the 1-0 win over the Vikings.

"She's definitely stepped up and was willing to step into the role," said BSU coach Ashley Bishop, whose team is 3-3 after an 8-2 win over Anna Maria College on Wednesday. "We talked about it a bit in the spring. I said, 'You should take the gear home. I don't know what's going to happen in the fall, but we'd at least have you suit up in the preseason and give it a try.'"

That led to Gagnon winning the job and leaving the forward position.

Gagnon was the Tewksbury goalie her first two years of high school before switching to the midfield spot.

"I talked to my coach last spring, letting her know if she needed another goalie, I'd be willing to do it," said Gagnon. "I had played in high school, so it was not like I was jumping into a whole new position. I already had experience.

"In high school, I moved to midfielder as a junior to take advantage of my speed and I never thought I would be stepping back in the net again. I had to get used to different shots and how to stop them. But in the preseason, I really picked it up again."

Gagnon was one of BSU's top scoring threats as a sophomore last year. The athleticism and long reach that made her effective in front of the net were attributes that Bishop felt would help as a keeper.

"She was fast and was good at the deflections and tip-ins," said Bishop. "She has such a long reach and is athletic and is good at finding the net. Her strength as a forward are things that goalies do. They're very transferable skills.

"You need the athleticism as a goalie. The pads are really cumbersome, shots are coming in left and right. She's fast laterally and she can get on the ground and pop right up because she's athletic. She has good hand-eye coordination. She's competitive and doesn't want to lose. She brought that aggression from when she was a forward to the goal."

Gagnon was a soccer goalie growing up and didn't start playing field hockey until getting to high school.

Tewksbury did not have a goalie, so Gagnon filled that role in her first year of high school.

"No one really wanted to be a goalie and I had some experience in soccer," said Gagnon. "It definitely was hard at first, a little overwhelming. I didn't want to let down my team. I was hard on myself because I wanted to give the team the best that I could."

Now, four seasons after moving to midfield in high school and playing up front at BSU, Gagnon is back in goal where it all started in her field hockey career.

"A little part of me does miss being out in the field, but I'm starting to grow the love that I have for being a goalie again," said Gagnon. "It is a little bit hard when I'm in the net and I want to be up there on the forward line and trying to score for my team."

Said Bishop: "She's been great. She responded really well. She's really fast and dynamic and really committed when she's in the cage. She's made the transition really well."

Gagnon, who is studying to be an athletic trainer, helped give BSU its first MASCAC shutout since Sept. 28, 2021 against Fitchburg State when the Bears blanked Salem State last week.

"I was very excited for that shutout,'' said Gagnon. "The last five minutes, I gave myself a pep talk like, 'You've got this, five more minutes. You want this for the team. You want to open the MASCAC with a win.'

"After that, it really made me more confident. I didn't want to disappoint my team by letting a goal in and go into overtime."

At 3-3, BSU is already just one win shy of equaling last season's win total.

"We definitely do look a lot better," said Gagnon. "We have some really good freshmen who are bringing a lot of good attributes to this team. We're only going to grow this season."