Coach brings golden touch to Merrimack lacrosse team

Katie Lambert is, at 25, one of the youngest -- and one of the most successful -- college lacrosse coaches in the nation.

Last year she led Merrimack College to its most successful season in the history of the program. And the year before, just a few months after graduating from Stonehill College in 2003, she took over a losing program and, in the first year, she led the Warriors to a 10-6 record. It included winning nine of its final 12 games.

Looking back, Lambert, it seems, has been successful in everything she has tried.

She was a three-sport standout at Thayer Academy in Braintree, and she was the stuff of legend at Stonehill.

Lambert left a record -- dangerous as it is to predict -- that may never be matched. She was a four-time All-American, scoring a national record of 220 goals. Her 326 career points is third on the Division 2 all-time list.

Without missing a beat, she made the transition from player to head coach the following season.

''My first year at Merrimack we broke the school record for wins in a season, and I think we broke seven school records," Lambert said. ''Last year we broke six school records. This is my third year there, and things are improving. This year there seems to be a lot of room for improvement, too."

Her success as a coach does not surprise Mike Daly, her mentor at Stonehill.

''She was born to coach," said Daly. ''When she played for us, it was like having another coach on the field. She has a unique passion for the game, and she is so driven to succeed. It's only a matter of time before she brings Merrimack a national championship."

When Lambert was playing, she never thought much about coaching. ''But a good friend of mine from Milton, Caroline Cahill, who was the field hockey coach at Merrimack at the time, talked to the administration about hiring me. So, I went up and three years later I'm still there."

She says she enjoys the recruiting phase of her job, even though ''we don't have a lot of money or scholarships to throw around."

She added: ''It's difficult because we are in the same league as Stonehill and we know their legacy. But I do think my name still holds a little clout in lacrosse circles and that helps some in the recruiting process."

''She is a terrific recruiter," Daly said. ''She is tireless."

Lambert said there is an advantage to being a young coach. ''A lot of times these kids are going through the same things I did just a few years ago," said Lambert.

''Most lacrosse coaches," she added, ''are 40-somethings and don't necessarily understand what these kids are going through. I can relate, and I think that helps."

Lambert says the key to her success is her players' attitude.

''They are truly the greatest kids in the world," Lambert said.

It has been that way from the day she got to the Merrimack campus. The first player to greet her was Erin Black of Walpole, now a senior.

''I knew Erin when I played at Stonehill," said Lambert. Carolyn Cahill ''was taking me around on a tour and she had two kids meet with us. One of them was Erin. The only thing they said to me was that if I decided to coach at Merrimack, they would do anything I asked them to do and they've done everything I've asked of them."

She has the nucleus of a good team.

Marissa Sanseverino and Alison Colarusso of North Andover are her top returnees. Sanseverino earned All-America honors last year, leading the defense, which allowed just 8.5 goals a game, ranking eighth in the nation.

Colarusso broke her own school record with 64 goals. She ranked fourth nationally averaging 4 goals per game.

Merrimack's season begins Tuesday when the Warriors travel to Bloomsburg (Pa.) University.

Lambert still gets on the field and scrimmages with her players.

''The girls know it's going to be a good practice if I come in with my sneakers and shorts on," Lambert said.