WSOC: Lasell announces new coaching staff for 2021 season

NEWTON, Mass. – Lasell University women's soccer coach Vito La Francesca has announced the new coaching staff for the 2021 season.

Assistant coach Greg Hagan has been elevated to Associate Head Coach, and three outstanding program alumnae will return to Lasell as new assistant coaches – Megan Cullen '17, Sarah LaClair '18, and Sabrina Morais '19. Coach La Francesca also announced that former Associate Head Coach Mack Kingman has departed to become a full-time assistant coach at Pfeiffer University in Misenheimer, North Carolina.

"I am so excited and thrilled to have Megan, Sarah and Sabrina join our staff," said La Francesca. "We are bringing back three amazing people who know our system and were all big impact players for our program.   Greg has been amazing addition the past couple of years and has worked hard on the recruiting side. We are thrilled to promote him to Associate Head Coach."

"I would also like to acknowledge the impact that Mack Kingman has had on our program," added La Francesca. "She was a four-year standout player who earned many significant honors, including All-America in 2016, and she has been invaluable as an assistant coach and associate head coach for four years. She will be greatly missed and we wish her nothing but the best with the Pfeiffer University women's soccer program."

Hagan is now in his third season with the Lasers after joining in 2018. Prior to coaching at Lasell, he was the head coach with the Mount Ida College women's soccer program from 2011-2016 before moving onto Wheaton College for the 2017 season. A 2009 graduate of Mount Ida College, was also a two-year player for the Mustangs after transferring from then JUCO, Dean College. He was named captain at Mount Ida for his senior season.

Cullen was a four-year veteran for the Lasers (2013-16) who was a captain her senior season and helped the team to four Great Northeast Athletic Conference championships. She was a three-time selection to the All-Conference team, including GNAC Offensive Player of the Year in 2015, and was a two-time All-New England honoree. A Sport Management major at Lasell, Cullen has been coaching soccer since graduating, serving as assistant coach at Holy Cross and a U14 Girls team in Dublin, Ireland, as well as the head coach of the Seacoast United Soccer Club's U13 and U11 Girls' teams in Kingston, N.H.

LaClair was a four-year veteran goalkeeper for the Lasers (2014-17) who was a captain her senior season and helped the team to four Great Northeast Athletic Conference championships. She was a four-time selection to the All-Conference Team and All-Tournament Team, and was named GNAC Goalkeeper of the Year in 2017. She holds the Lasell career record with 23 shutouts in goal. LaClair has experience with playing club soccer, including stints with the FC Stars and the Chicopee Heat, and she helped run two soccer clinics in Costa Rica in 2015.

Morais was a four-year veteran for the Lasers (2015-18) who was a captain her senior season and helped the team to three Great Northeast Athletic Conference championships. She was a three-time All-GNAC selection and a two-time All-New England honoree, and was also named to the GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team. An Athletic Training major at Lasell, Morais currently works as a medical assistant for Pro Sports Orthopedics and an athletic trainer and field coordinator for Global Premier Soccer. Morais has several years of coaching experience with high school and club soccer programs.

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