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AUGUST 2023 27 "I think it was very exciting," fourth-year defender Devon Whitaker said of the Zoom call. "I think both she and her husband are very welcoming, and they're determined to get to work. "Change is hard, but change is also go- ing to be good for our program. It's going to push us in new ways, and I think that our team is pretty resilient." LaMonica also has been head coach at Mount St. Mary's and of the Baltimore Brave of the Women's Professional Lacrosse League. She's a former assistant at Towson and the University of Denver. To her UVA players, LaMonica said, she stressed the importance of building a "win- ning culture. In my mind, talent matters, but culture is what wins. So, we're going to work to build connections. We're going to develop a blue-collar work ethic. We want to be the hardest-working team in the ACC and have a team-first mentality. "With these anchor points, and then set- ting those expectations and holding the student-athletes to it, good things will come. A winning culture is a process and it takes time to cultivate, but it really comes down to the people. You've got to have great people whose values are in alignment with those things, and then that's when the magic can follow. I think this program is hungry to be able to compete for ACC championships and for NCAA championships. This is a place that absolutely can do that." In the McCue Center, the women's la- crosse and men's lacrosse offices are down the hall from each other. The Cavalier men have won two NCAA titles in head coach Lars Tiffany's seven seasons at Virginia. "I'm excited to bounce ideas off him and learn from him," said LaMonica, who was honored five times as Colonial Athletic As- sociation Coach of the Year. "He's just done an incredible job since coming here." The two UVA programs have historically been close, forging "bonds of friendship and many marriages together," Tiffany said, and he expects that to continue. LaMonica, who did not know Tiffany before taking the job, said it's "key that you have a great working relationship with your men's program. It's a brotherhood and sisterhood. That was part of why I was at Towson for so long. There were great working relationships." Tiffany recently added former Duke great Kevin Cassese to his staff. Cassese and Mike LaMonica played together on the United States team that in 1999 won the Under-19 world championships in Australia. "The lacrosse community is small," Sonia LaMonica said. In Australia, the sport is not especially popular, but lacrosse has gained a foothold in several parts of the country. "There's so much pride and it's a tight- knit community, same as you find here in the States, just on a much smaller scale," LaMonica said. She was introduced to the sport when she was 11 and in high school attracted the attention of Maryland's coaches. The Terps' star players over the years have included several Australians: Sarah Forbes, Sascha Newmarch, Hannah Nielsen and Jen Adams, among them. "So there's a rich little pipeline," LaMon- ica said. "I was just fortunate to be a young kid who loved to play, loved to run, loved to compete, and next thing I knew I was get- ting a phone call [from the Terps]: 'Would you like to come over?' "I mean, what are the odds? It's amazing what doors the sport can open if you just go for it." LaMonica, who helped Australia win the gold medal at the 2005 world champion- ships, plans to expand the Cavaliers' recruit- ing footprint. "I think it is a huge piece," LaMonica said, "because we're seeing talent coming out of non-traditional areas." In January, the Hoos announced their eight signees for 2023-24, and LaMonica likes the recruiting class. The Cavaliers al- lowed at least 15 goals in six of their final 12 games this season — they gave up 21 to Syracuse and 25 to Boston College — and she believes the incoming first-years will help shore up the defense. It's too early to say what Virginia's lineup will look like next season. For now, LaMon- ica said, she and her staff are just chipping away, one thing at a time. "We're going to build the culture and we're going to squeeze the most potential out of what we're working with, and we'll figure it out," she said. LaMonica won two NCAA titles and three ACC championships during her playing career at Maryland. (Photo courtesy Towson University) " A winning culture is a process and it takes time to cultivate, but it really comes down to the people. You've got to have great people whose values are in alignment with those things, and then that's when the magic can follow." LAMONICA