PDS alumnus Caputo enjoyed some highlights during a fantastic final season for Williams Men’s Lax

SHOOTING STAR: Cal Caputo is looking to throw the ball into 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, with 61 points on 44 goals and 17 assists as the Ephs went 9-7. Star forward Caputo totaled 161 points during his collegiate career, with 120 goals and 41 assists. (Photo by Shiv Patel, courtesy of Williams College Athletics)

By Bill Alden

Cal Caputo was in the national spotlight for a day in April after creating a brilliant moment for the Williams College men’s lacrosse team.

With a stunning over-the-shoulder goal, he gave Williams a 10-9 overtime victory over rival Middlebury on April 24. Former Princeton Day School star Caputo’s shot made ESPN SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays of the Day.

“It was pretty surreal, 24 hours after that one,” forward Caputo said. “By noon, everyone I knew was texting me. It was probably over 100. It’s like a dream you have when you’re doing sports. You always make the SportsCenter noise (‘da da da, da da da’) after a cool play.”

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

In the spring, Caputo and Williams’ offense were ready to pick up the pace.

“We were really excited to have a little more pace,” Caputo said. “We brought a lot of guys back on the offensive end 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-paced NESCAC team.”

The Ephs were hoping for a selection that consisted mainly of seniors, so that they could have an exciting season.

“We had a really big senior class, so I think as seniors we’ve been waiting to take the lead for a while,” said Caputo, who was a team captain this spring. “The sense of urgency was really strong. There were just so many seniors and we’ve been playing together for two years now. I felt like we were really maturing as a team. There was a real sense of a lot of confidence and a sense of belief in our team and our senior leadership.”

Caputo was given confidence after a great performance in the season opener, scoring eight personal goals as Williams defeated Babson 14-13.

“That was awesome; as a captain this year, I was a lot more concerned about how the team looked,” Caputo said. “It was just really nice to get back out there and just worry about my job on the field and try to solidify that instead of worrying about everybody else. Personally and as a team, that was a good start.”

As the season progressed, Caputo tried to diversify his game.

“My sophomore year, my whole job was just sitting on the crease and getting a quick stick in there,” Caputo said. “As it developed my senior year, there was more ball on my stick on starts. I’m more of a shoot-first guy, but I’ve tried to spread the wealth a little bit more. It comes down to transition and man-up. I tried to add some dodging and feeding as I matured and got older at Williams.”

In late March, the Ephs got going, scoring a 17-11 win over Trinity, beating No. 6 Christopher Newport 18-12 and defeating Connecticut College 24-8 before losing to No. 4 and eventual NCAA Division III champion Tufts 17-15.

“In that four-game series, I felt like we would have beaten anyone in the country if we had played them back then,” said Caputo, who particularly enjoyed the win over Christopher Newport, outscoring former PDS teammate and good friend Coby Auslander. “It’s a little frustrating that we didn’t last as long as I would have liked. We were up 9-1 against Tufts — it was definitely frustrating. I think that was the highest level we’ve played at in my Williams career. Everybody contributed, we had freshmen playing like seniors. It was really exciting to be a 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 stretch, the Ephs won their final three regular-season games, including a marathon win over Middlebury.

“We were really close as a group with the way the guys performed the rest of the season,” Caputo said. “We didn’t give up after things looked a little bleak, which is really special.”

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

“I definitely missed a shot or two in the first overtime, I wouldn’t have forgiven myself if we had lost that game,” Caputo said. “It’s one of those things where you just black out and your instincts take over. I caught the ball just out of reach of the speed stick, so I threw a fake. I’ve practiced it a million times in the backyard and my basement. I just threw it instinctively. Thank God it went in because coach probably would have let me walk home. It was awesome.”

Although his senior season ended on a down note, as Williams lost 14-4 to Bowdoin in the NESCAC quarterfinals to finish with a 9-7 score, Caputo gave it his all until the very end.

“My job is definitely to put the ball in the net, but at the same time, as you mature and more eyes are on you, there are different ways to add value when you’re out there,” Caputo said. “Some games stand out more than others, but I didn’t have any regrets in terms of what I did. Obviously I missed a shot here and there, but I never walked into the locker room with my head down about the effort I put in. Anything that I really had control over, I was pretty proud of. I’d like to think I was on an upward trajectory.”

While Caputo is proud of his All-American and All-NESCAC honors, the support he received from those around him meant more than just the honor.

“I would trade them in a heartbeat for more team success, but at the same time it’s nice to have that as a way to quantify hard work or see it pay off in a tangible way,” Caputo said. “It’s nice and also great to have friends and family see it and reach out to you. It shows that they’ve followed your athletic career and they care, it always means a lot. The support that comes from it is amazing.”

Although Caputo considered continuing his flagging career by playing as a student at the University of Virginia, he opted to enter the workforce.

“I looked at the fifth-year route, but I didn’t feel like I needed to do that,” said Caputo, who took a sales consulting and research role at AlphaSights. “It was like, ‘I could do it at a really, really high level, but otherwise I had a job in New York City living with some of my best friends, so I’m looking forward to that.’”

Caputo looks forward to remaining active in football in his spare time.

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

While Caputo enjoyed his brief moment in the ESPN spotlight, the highlight of his time at Williams was the bond he developed with his teammates.

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