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Size matters.

That phrase can also be applied to playing the goaltender position in lacrosse.

Ryan Erler is a perfect example. At 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, the rising senior at Smithtown West High School (NY) uses his large frame to take up space in the cage, making it difficult for opposing offensive players to find open space.

Couple that size with skills and you have a Division I-caliber.

That’s exactly what Erler, a first-year starter for  West this past spring, now is following his commitment last week to Stony Brook, a decision first reported by Joe Lombardi on LaxLessons.com’s Lacrosse Insider premium coverage section.

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Erler, a righty, finished with 222 saves and a save percentage of 67. He was all-division, all-county and Section 11 Division 1 goalie of the year.

Now, here’s a Q&A with Ryan on his commitment.

What were the main factors in your decision?
I chose Stony Brook for three reasons:

• The quality of the education that I will receive.
• The coaching staff at Stony Brook is awesome and made me feel right at home.  The strength of the lacrosse team was obviously a factor too.
• The fact that it is close to home and my family will be able to attend my games.

What other schools were you considering and what schools did you visit?
I strongly considered Hartford, Binghamton, Drexel and Hofstra.

Have you decided what academic major you plan to pursue?
I plan to major in Business. I am hoping to eventually work in Finance.

What are your strengths as a player and how would you describe your style of play?
I am very vocal in net and am able to lead the defense well.  I am also big and take up a lot of space in the net and I’m quick.  As far as style of play, I think that I am confident.

What area of your game do you need to work on?
I definitely need to hit the gym and start strength training.

How did you get introduced to lacrosse and what other sports have you played?
I have four siblings and they have all played lacrosse.  I started playing in pre school when that wasn’t so common.  I also played football, and I played baseball and wrestled when I was younger.

What travel team do you play on what showcase events did you participate in?
I play for the Long Island Tide, and this year as a team we participated in Hotbeds.  I also was a goalie for the Nassau-Suffolk Showcase rising senior team.

Any final thoughts and people you want to thank for helping you reach this point?
I had a great spring season with Smithtown West which helped me find my home for the next four years.

I want to thank my club coach, Kevin Kaffl, who always believed in me and knew that a great program would find me.

I want to thank Coach Moltisanti, my varsity coach at Smithtown West, for giving me the opportunity to prove myself, and I want to thank my family for being there for me all these years.

Have a recruiting commitment to report? Send an email to info@laxlessons.com, contact Joe Lombardi directly at joe@laxlessons.com or send a Tweet to @Joe_Lombardi or @LaxLessons.