The particle spreading can only be easily achived in maya 2009+ since the earlier versions of particles cannot change states out the box.

Goals can work you would want to animate the influence of gravity/ the goal over time or based on current hight from the surface level or just animate a texture.

If this is for a showreel to get work in this kind of effects it would usually be done in realflow / maya pipeline or houdini.

If the majority of your reel is not dynamics vfx work it wont be in your interest to do somthing that requires such a specific skill set.

Good luck.