University of Massachusets Athletics
Women's Lacrosse
Roche, Brianna
Brianna Roche
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- bcroche@admin.umass.edu
- Phone:
- 545-5418
Brianna Roche joined the UMass women's lacrosse program in August 2014 as an assistant coach before being named associate head coach by Angela McMahon in 2016. The native of Arlington, Mass., joined the Minutewomen after serving the previous two seasons (2013, 2014) as head coach at Franklin Pierce. "I am thrilled to have Brianna as part of our staff. She brings a unique and inspiring coaching and playing experience that will is extremely beneficial to our staff and our student-athletes," said McMahon. "Her work ethic and ability to motivate is exceptional, and it has been great to coach alongside her."
Roche's impact on the program in 2015 was immediately noticed. She helped coach an offensive unit that was largely replacing the bulk of its scoring from 2014. The Minutewomen finished the year with a top-25 scoring offense in the NCAA rankings with four players scoring 40-or-more points paced by 75 from Erika Eipp who was the Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year. Roche also coached the draw specialists for UMass - a group which saw Hannah Murphy set a new single-season program record with 113 draws for the spring.
The second season of Roche's tutelage saw improvement across the board as the Minutewomen finished the year with the nation's No. 3 scoring offense and ranked No. 7 nationally in draw controls. Eipp was named an All-American and the Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year after a 97-point campaign that included a program-record 55 assists. Murphy was also named an All-American and the Atlantic 10 Midfielder of the Year once again after setting a school and A-10 record with 152 draw controls. Overall, UMass had one of the most balanced offenses in the country with seven players recording 40-plus points.
For the 2013 and 2014 campaigns, Roche was the head coach at Franklin Pierce University as the first dedicated head coach in program history. Prior to Franklin Pierce, Roche was an assistant coach for the women's lacrosse program at Oberlin College in 2012-13. The year before, she spent a season serving as the head coach at her high school alma mater, Arlington High School, where she guided the Spy Ponders to 12 wins (after just two the previous year) and a post-season appearance.
Beyond her coaching experience, Roche boasts an extensive background contributing to clinics and instructional camps. She has spent several years coaching at lacrosse camps hosted by Johns Hopkins University, her alma mater. In addition, she has operated clinics for youth lacrosse programs and served as the head coach for the Metro Boston squad at the Bay State Games. Roche was a four-year letterwinner at Johns Hopkins, where she patrolled the midfield and played in every game from the start of her sophomore season through the end of her career, after missing the second half of her freshman campaign with a knee injury. Though she earned a starting role as a senior, arguably her best season came as a sophomore in 2009, when she poured in 17 goals while playing primarily as a reserve. In all, over 59 career games, including 24 starts, she tallied 47-2-49 with 51 ground balls, 22 draw controls and 11 caused turnovers. She was selected to the American Lacrosse Conference Academic Honor Roll during her junior year. Roche was also a two-time captain for the Blue Jays.
Roche graduated from Johns Hopkins in 2011 with a bachelor's degree in sociology. Formerly Brianna Cronin, she is married to James Roche who was a former minor league baseball player and standout at Bentley College.
Last updated on June 14, 2016
Roche's impact on the program in 2015 was immediately noticed. She helped coach an offensive unit that was largely replacing the bulk of its scoring from 2014. The Minutewomen finished the year with a top-25 scoring offense in the NCAA rankings with four players scoring 40-or-more points paced by 75 from Erika Eipp who was the Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year. Roche also coached the draw specialists for UMass - a group which saw Hannah Murphy set a new single-season program record with 113 draws for the spring.
The second season of Roche's tutelage saw improvement across the board as the Minutewomen finished the year with the nation's No. 3 scoring offense and ranked No. 7 nationally in draw controls. Eipp was named an All-American and the Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year after a 97-point campaign that included a program-record 55 assists. Murphy was also named an All-American and the Atlantic 10 Midfielder of the Year once again after setting a school and A-10 record with 152 draw controls. Overall, UMass had one of the most balanced offenses in the country with seven players recording 40-plus points.
For the 2013 and 2014 campaigns, Roche was the head coach at Franklin Pierce University as the first dedicated head coach in program history. Prior to Franklin Pierce, Roche was an assistant coach for the women's lacrosse program at Oberlin College in 2012-13. The year before, she spent a season serving as the head coach at her high school alma mater, Arlington High School, where she guided the Spy Ponders to 12 wins (after just two the previous year) and a post-season appearance.
Beyond her coaching experience, Roche boasts an extensive background contributing to clinics and instructional camps. She has spent several years coaching at lacrosse camps hosted by Johns Hopkins University, her alma mater. In addition, she has operated clinics for youth lacrosse programs and served as the head coach for the Metro Boston squad at the Bay State Games. Roche was a four-year letterwinner at Johns Hopkins, where she patrolled the midfield and played in every game from the start of her sophomore season through the end of her career, after missing the second half of her freshman campaign with a knee injury. Though she earned a starting role as a senior, arguably her best season came as a sophomore in 2009, when she poured in 17 goals while playing primarily as a reserve. In all, over 59 career games, including 24 starts, she tallied 47-2-49 with 51 ground balls, 22 draw controls and 11 caused turnovers. She was selected to the American Lacrosse Conference Academic Honor Roll during her junior year. Roche was also a two-time captain for the Blue Jays.
Roche graduated from Johns Hopkins in 2011 with a bachelor's degree in sociology. Formerly Brianna Cronin, she is married to James Roche who was a former minor league baseball player and standout at Bentley College.
Last updated on June 14, 2016
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