University of Massachusetts-Amherst Men's Lacrosse

Former University of Massachusetts defender Chris Gabrielli has returned to his alma mater, rejoining the UMass men’s lacrosse staff as an assistant coach in July 2025. Gabrielli, who played for the Gorillas from 1998-2001, also previously served as an assistant coach on Greg Cannella’s staff from 2002-2005. In his 23 years of coaching, he has helped teams to nine NCAA tournament appearances, eight NCAA quarterfinal appearances, six final four appearances and two championship game appearances. Gabrielli spent the past three seasons at Bryant University, most recently as the Bulldogs’ associate head coach. While at Bryant, he was the program’s defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator and helped the Bulldogs to the 2025 America East regular season title and an America East Conference tournament championship in 2023. From 2013-2022, Gabrielli served as the men’s lacrosse head coach at Providence College. and led the Friars to Big East Tournament appearances on four occasions (2016, 2017, 2019 and 2021). He was named New England Coach of the Year in 2013 and the Big East Coach of the Year in 2017. Gabrielli coached 20 All-Big East selections, two Big East Goalies of the Year, two All-Americans, the 2017 Big East Defenseman of the Year in and had four players drafted in either the MLL or NLL during his time in Providence. Prior to taking over the helm at Providence, Gabrielli spent six years as an assistant at Duke (2007-12). During that six-year period, Gabrielli helped t

CJ White joined the Massachusetts men's lacrosse staff in the fall of 2025 as director of player development He enters his first season with the Gorillas in ...

Cole Pecora joined the Massachusetts men's lacrosse staff in July 2024 as director of player development and was promoted to assistant coach in August 2025. ...

Kyle Smith ’14, a former standout attack for the University of Massachusetts, was named the fifth head coach in program history on August 29, 2025. He returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach in the summer of 2021 and was promoted to associate head coach on Greg Cannella’s staff in the summer of 2024. He enters his fifth season at his alma mater in 2026 and first as head coach. During Smith's tenure back with the Gorillas, Matt Knote earned Third Team USILA All-America honors and his players have combined for 13 Atlantic 10 All-Conference awards, eight NEILA All-New England selections, 47 NEILA All-Academic Team awards and five Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team honors. Smith returned to Amherst following a seven-year stint with Merrimack men's lacrosse, where he helped the Warriors to two Division II National Championships. Smith served as an assistant coach for the Warriors from 2014-2019 before being promoted to associate head coach in August 2019, helping the program transition from Division II to Division I. In Merrimack's two seasons at the Division I level, Smith coached two all-conference freshman team selections, one first-team all-conference honoree and one second-team all-conference player and helped guide the Warriors to a .500 record in just their second season of DI lacrosse. In five years as a Division II assistant coach, Smith was a part of the most successful era of Merrimack Lacrosse in program history as the squad advanced to the Final Four in both 2015