Liz Frisoli enters her second season as the head coach of the Wagner College women's lacrosse team after leading the 2014 Seahawks to the Northeast Conference (NEC) Championship Game for the first time in program history.
Frisoli has been a driving force behind the revival of Wagner women’s lacrosse as the Seahawks look to continue their quest into becoming a NEC powerhouse. In her first season at the helm, Frisoli's Seahawks won a school-record seven consecutive games during their drive to the NEC Title game, a mark that bettered the previous school-record six-game winning streak set in 2001.
En route to their run to the championship game, the Green & White fashioned an11-7overall record, including a 6-1 (.857) league mark, that propelled Wagner to the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. The .857 winning percentage in NEC play established a program record while the 11 victories tied the school record for single-season wins, equaling the 11 wins attained by the 2002 team that finished with an 11-6 mark.
In the program's first-ever NEC semifinal win, Wagner scored early and often against Robert Morris and never looked back, advancing to it first-ever NEC final with an emphatic 17-7 victory over the No. 3-seeded Colonials. This win also marked the first NEC Tournament win the 16 year-history of the Wagner women’s lacrosse program.
Under Frisoli’s leadership, Wagner had a school-record five Seahawks earn All-Northeast Conference honors. Sophomore midfielder,
Shea Gegan (Manasquan, NJ/Manasquan) was named Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first student-athlete in program history to earn an individual honor. Gegan was also tabbed First-Team All-NEC, along with senior defender
Caitlin Daly (Ridgewood, NJ/Ridgewood). Sophomore attackers
Stephanie Peterson (Vernon, NJ/Vernon Township) and
Kimmy Tumolo (Mullica Hill, NJ/Clearview) were named Second-Team All-NEC while freshman midfielder
Olivia Streilein (Mt. Laurel, NJ/Lenape) earned a spot on the NEC All-Rookie Team.
In addition to her head-coaching duties, Frisoli is the coordinator of the Seahawks’ defense, and in 2014 she oversaw a unit that ranked No. 1 in the nation in caused turnovers per game with a 13.39 average, boasted a No. 6 ranking in ground balls per game (19.61), while ranking No. 31 nationally in scoring defense, allowing their opponents an average of just 9.28 goals per game. Wagner also led the NEC in these three categories.
Prior to arriving at Wagner College, Frisoli established a Division III program at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, AL. Frisoli spent the 2011-2012 academic year scouring the nation for talent, eventually landing 19 student-athletes from 13 different states. In her first season coaching for Huntingdon, Frisoli guided the Hawks to an 8-6 record in their inaugural season.
"We are extremely excited to welcome Liz Frisoli as our new Head Women's Lacrosse coach," said Athletic Director, Walt Hameline upon her hiring. "Liz is a tireless recruiter who's tremendously energetic, enthusiastic and passionate about the game of lacrosse and player development. I am confident this formula will allow her to build a winning tradition for our women's lacrosse program look and we look forward to Liz's contributions to the Seahawk community."
"I'm thrilled to be the next head coach for Wagner College women's lacrosse," said Frisoli. "During my visit, I fell in love with the campus and really gained a sense and feel for the Wagner College community. I think the program has a solid foundation and, with the girls' strong work ethic, I think we can really make some noise in the NEC (Northeast Conference)."
"I'd like to thank the athletic administration at Wagner College for placing their faith and confidence in me to lead the Seahawk program,” she added.
Frisoli, who spent the 2011 season as an assistant coach at Curry College (MA), was a standout player in high school, college as well as on the international level. At Winchester High School in her native Winchester, MA, Frisoli was team MVP and captain of both the Sachems' lacrosse and field hockey teams.
Her talent caught the attention of recruiters from a host of colleges before electing to continue her studies and athletic career at the College of the Holy Cross, where she developed into a top defender. As a senior in 2005, Frisoli was named First-Team All-Patriot League and was the Patriot League's runner-up for Defender of the Year. Frisoli went on to play for the 2005 South Australian lacrosse champion Glenelg Seahawks of Adelaide, Australia, playing alongside three 2005 FIL World Cup champions.
Her lacrosse background also includes stints as director/coach of La Jolla (CA) Youth Lacrosse and as a marketing/sales associate for Adrenaline Lacrosse in San Diego. Frisoli also spent several years as a sports reporter and anchor for CBS television stations in Providence, Rhode Island, and Yuma, Arizona
Frisoli earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Holy Cross in 2005 and a Master of Education degree from the University of Massachusetts-Boston in 2010.
