SHOOTING STAR: Cal Caputo looks to unload the ball in action this spring during his senior season for the Williams College men’s lacrosse team. Former Princeton Day school standout Caputo led Williams in scoring this spring, tallying 61 points on 44 goals and 17 assists as the Ephs went 9-7. Star attacker Caputo totaled 161 points over his college career as he scored 120 goals with 41 assists. (Photo by Shiv Patel, provided courtesy of Williams College Athletics)

By Bill Alden

Cal Caputo thrust himself into the national spotlight for a day in April after producing a moment of brilliance for the Williams College men’s lacrosse team.

Tallying a flashy over-the-shoulder goal to give Williams a 10-9 triple overtime win against rival Middlebury on April 24, former Princeton Day School standout Caputo’s shot made the ESPN SportsCenter Top 10 Plays of the Day.

“It was quite the surreal 24 hours after that one,” said attacker Caputo. “By the afternoon, everyone I knew sent me a text. There were probably 100 plus. It is like a dream you have when you are going through sports. You always make the SportsCenter sound (“da da da, da da da”) after a cool play.”

Caputo’s highlight goal helped culminate quite a college career for the 5’7, 148-pounder as he came up big with 161 points on 120 goals and 41 assists, the 10th most career points in program history. He was named as an United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Honorable Mention All-American and a New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) All-Conference Second Team performer in his senior campaign.

Coming into the spring, Caputo and the Williams attack was primed to pick up the pace.

“We were really excited to be a little more high tempo,” said Caputo. “We returned a lot of guys on the offensive side and a lot of our guys in the middle of the field. We were excited to change our identity a little bit and just be a traditional fast-tempo NESCAC team.”

The Ephs were looking to lean on a senior-heavy squad to produce an exciting season.

“We had a really big senior class so I think as seniors, we had been waiting to be in charge for a while,” said Caputo, who served as a team captain this spring. “The sense of urgency was really strong. It was just so many seniors and we have been playing together for two years now. I felt like we really matured as a team. There was a strong feeling a lot of confidence and a sense of belief in our team and our senior leadership.”

Caputo gained confidence from coming up with a career-day performance in the season opener, pouring in personal-best eight goals as Williams edged Babson 14-13.

“That was awesome; as a captain this year, I worried a lot more about how the team was looking,” said Caputo. “It was just really nice to start playing again and just worry about my on-the-field job and try to cement that instead of stressing about everyone else. Personally, and as a team, that was a good start.”

As the season went on, Caputo looked to diversity his game.

“Sophomore year my whole job was just sit on the crease and quick stick it,” said Caputo. “As it has developed through senior year, there was more ball on my stick initiating. I am more of a shoot-first guy but I tried to spread the wealth a little bit more. It comes on transition and the man-up. I tried to add some dodging and feeding as I matured and got older at Williams.”

In late March, the Ephs hit their stride, burying their shots as they defeated Trinity 17-11, topped No. 6 Christopher Newport 18-12, and routed Connecticut College 24-8 before falling 17-15 to No. 4 and eventual NCAA Division III national champion Tufts.

“In that four-game stretch I felt we would have beaten anyone in the country if we played them then,” said Caputo, who particularly savored the victory over Christopher Newport as he out-dueled former PDS teammate and close friend Coby Auslander. “It is a little frustrating that we didn’t keep it going as much as I would have liked. We were up 9-1 on Tufts — it was definitely frustrating. I think that was the highest level we have played at in my Williams career. Everyone was contributing, we had freshmen playing like seniors. It was really exciting to be part of.”

After hitting a rough patch, losing 12-4 to No. 15 Amherst and 14-6 to No. 12 Bowdoin in a three-game span, the Ephs won their final three regular season games, including the marathon victory over Middlebury.

“We were really close as a group with the way the guys brought in over the remainder of the season,” said Caputo. “We didn’t give up after it was looking a little grim, which is really special.”

In the win over Middlebury, Caputo didn’t give up despite misfiring early in overtime.

“I definitely missed a shot or two in the first overtime, I would not have forgiven myself if we lost that game,” said Caputo. “That is one of the things where you just black out and instincts take over. I caught it just a little outside of quick stick range, so I threw a fake in. I have practiced it in the backyard and my basement a million times. I just instinctually threw it. Thank God it went in because the coach probably would have had me walking home. It was great.”

While his senior season ended on a down note as Williams fell 14-4 to Bowdoin in the NESCAC quarterfinals to finish with a 9-7 record, Caputo gave his all to the final gun.

“My job is certainly to put the ball in the back of the net but at the same time as you mature and get more eyes on you, there are different ways you can add value when you are out there,” said Caputo. “Some games jump more off the score sheet than others, but I felt no regrets in terms of performance. Obviously there is a missed shot here or there but I never walked to the locker room hanging my head about the effort I put in. Anything that I could really control, I was pretty proud of. I would like to think I trending up.”

While Caputo is proud of his All-American and All-NESCAC accolades, the support he got from those close to him meant more than the honors.

“I would trade them for more team success in a second but at the same time it is nice to have that as a way to quantify or tangibly see hard work paying off,” said Caputo. “It is nice and also great to have friends and family seeing it and reaching out. It shows that they have been following and caring about your sports career, it always means a lot. The support from it is great.”

Although Caputo considered extending his lax career by playing as a grad student at the University of Virginia, he opted to get into the working world.

“I looked into the fifth year route but it wasn’t something I felt like I needed to do,” said Caputo, who took a sales consultant and research position with AlphaSights. “It was just like if I could do it at a really, really high level, I would but otherwise I had a job in New York City living with some of my best friends, so I am looking forward to that.”

Caputo is looking forward to staying in the game during his free time.

“I want to play men’s league 100 percent,” said Caputo. “Coaching is definitely something I would love to do in the future, maybe with Harlem Lacrosse or a program like that.”

While Caputo enjoyed his fleeting moment in the ESPN spotlight, the highlight of his Williams experience was the bonds he developed with his teammates.

“When I look back, the lacrosse experience is the very first thing that comes to my mind, it was what I loved about Williams,” said Caputo. “It is a cold, challenging school for most of the year. To have 40 of your best friends to go through it with meant the world to me. Those are guys I will be close to for the rest of my life. The relationships I built with my teammates is what I cherish the most about it by far.”