Livingston HS Goalie Frank Bagolie Shines in IIJL Championship for Israel

Over the summer, Livingston High School (N.J.) Boy’s varsity lacrosse goalie Frank Bagolie was busy improving his craft. Bagolie manned the net for Team Israel against top squads from all over the world in the 2023 International Indoor (box) Junior Lacrosse (IIJL) 18U Championships in Utica, N.Y., in August.

Bagolie, a high school junior, made 53 saves in a 22-8 defeat to top-seeded Team USA, earning an impressive 71-percentage rate. For his efforts, Chris Fox, general manager of Team Canada and a board member of the IIJL, named him Player of the Game.

“I was really happy to play against such high-level competition from around the world representing Israel,” Bagolie said. “I played as hard as I could, and I am honored that they chose me as Player of the Game. It felt awesome.”

Last season, Bagolie surpassed the single-season 200 save mark, recording 210 stops with a solid 59 save percentage, as well as garnering 30 ground balls for the Lancers.

As winter training begins, he is also gearing up for the college recruiting process with high hopes of playing lacrosse at the next level in the future.

Team Israel (photo above) went on to beat Poland to win the bronze medal, bestowing Bagolie with a sense of satisfaction that went way beyond the pitch because, he noted, it helped him connect with his lineage while promoting the game in Israel and other countries.

“Winning the bronze medal was great but representing Israel on the lacrosse field has been a source of immense pride and honor for me,” he explained.  “It has allowed me to connect with my heritage and has been a privilege to be part of something larger than myself and to contribute to the growth of lacrosse in Israel and elsewhere.”

— Jerry Del Priore

Photos: Bagolie Family.