When he doesn’t have the pads on, Kaut is active on the sidelines. He didn’t want to be like other backup goalies, standing at the end of the bench just waiting for something to happen. He said his role isn’t just to be the backup goalie; it’s to be fully supportive of the coaches and the team, doing whatever it is he can to help.
“The only thing he cares about is winning. He wants his team to win. He wants us to win the championship,” Towers said. “Whether he’s the starter or the backup, that’s in fine print. What’s in bold print is anything that helps the team win, Kauter is on board with it.”
Kaut stands at the top of the box, helping the coaches keep the substitution box organized. He keeps an eagle eye on offsides. He’s consistently reviewing film. Towers said 5-10 times a game he points out something about the defense the staff might not have noticed.
Neumann said there isn’t anybody in the league that does more for their team than Kaut.
“I’m pretty shocked he hasn’t won the Teammate of the Year Award. It’s a little ridiculous,” Neumann said. “There are very few players that can be great players and great teammates when they don’t play. Austin is one of those guys.
“I’ve seen this kid take care of Blaze. I’ve seen this kid take care of every other teammate, invite us to his house, have us for team dinners, buy everyone meals with his own money. I don’t think you see another teammate run this box, run the sideline, run film, run review of plays, tell coaches when they should challenge and when they shouldn’t. The whole point being, his relationship, although he knows he deserves playing time, has never wavered with his teammates.”
Part of staying so active on the sideline is to help him stay in the moment and stay prepared. He’s watching the flow of the game, analyzing what the opposing offense is doing.
When Riorden was helped off the field in the second quarter, Kaut quickly flipped the switch from extra coach to All-Star goalie.
“Where’s my gloves and helmet?” Kaut recalled as his first thought in the moment. “Grabbing an offensive shooter on our team to get me out there warmed up. My first thing thought of is, ‘I’ve got to get ready.’ And then the second thing is, ‘Hey, Blaze, are you alright? How you doing?’”
Kaut made eight saves in the two and a half quarters he played, posting a 53.3 save percentage, fourth-best in the league after one week. His fourth save of the game helped him become just the eighth goalie in professional field lacrosse history to reach 1,000 saves. His eighth save pushed him to seventh all time, one ahead of his friend Dougherty.
Even after a rough third quarter during which Denver took the lead thanks to a six-goal period, Kaut stood in the huddle before the fourth, told the team he wasn’t playing up to the standard he held for himself but for everyone to keep doing what they were doing, and he would pick up the slack. Carolina then outscored Denver 7-1 in the fourth quarter to win the game.
After the game, Towers — from a suggestion by Jack Rowlett — awarded Kaut the game ball.
“I don’t think there wasn’t a single guy who wasn’t clapping cheering, or excited — genuinely excited, too — about him getting in there, getting reps, and honestly, getting us the win,” Neumann said. “Kauter has been a guy who has taken care of a lot of us for multiple years, anything we’ve ever needed.”
On SportsCenter, PLL president and co-founder Paul Rabil said Riorden’s knee injury was a kneecap subluxation. Towers said he did not expect it to be a season-ending injury. In fact, Riorden was on the active roster for both of Carolina’s homecoming games in week two, although Towers anticipates Kaut starting both contests.
For however long the team needs him to be the starter, Kaut will be ready. And whenever Riorden is ready to come back, Kaut will be ready to return to his role supporting him.
It’s a lesson he hopes younger players of any position can learn.
“Somebody always thinks, ‘I’m better than him. I should be starting.’ It doesn’t matter if it’s the goalie position or other positions,” Kaut said. “I think it goes by the wayside of being a good teammate and understanding your role on the team. If the other person is better than you, either work harder to beat them out, or if you can’t get there, you can’t be that guy, then you need to be the best person in the role you’re in.
“Until you can get that role, and keep it and be the guy, you have to be the support staff to the best of your ability to earn that right to get in there on gameday and be the starter.”