When I first walked into the office of Colgate University’s new women’s lacrosse head coach, Alyssa Guido, to interview her for this article, her dog, Brandon, jogged right up to me, tail wagging. I soon realized that even Guido’s dog fit right in with the new themes of the Colgate women’s lacrosse program this year: happy, fun and energetic.
My conversation with Guido was all smiles from there. All around us were indicators that this was the office of a head coach who is already comfortable leading the ship — small whiteboards to design plays sprawled out on a table, a coffee station offered to anyone who walks in and Brandon’s well-loved pig chew toy lying next to the couch.
Lucy Licata, a senior captain on the team, explained that a big part of how Guido fostered a connection with her players was through her office.
“She wanted her office to very much be an open-door policy,” Licata said. “You’re able to just run up, grab a coffee, pet Brandon, say hi and go back down to practice. And that’s been really fun to kind of just get to know her on a personal level amidst training for the season.”
Guido has been with the team for just over six months. Hired as head coach in July, she and her new players have been in perpetual motion attempting to mesh coaching style with team skill and establish strong relationships, all in preparation for the fast-approaching season ahead.
Amid the controversies leading up to Kathy Taylor’s resignation as women’s lacrosse head coach in May 2024, Colgate’s program is looking to establish a new chapter in the team’s success. Their first step? Hiring Guido.
“I think they wanted somebody that was going to care about the players as human beings, too,” said Guido. “A part of the reason for them bringing me in is they saw that I wanted to change the program but also give the players that love and care.”
Guido has three goals in mind for her first season with the program.
“My big three things coming in were building confidence, building relationships and building trust,” Guido said.
For her, it starts with a mutual flow of dialogue, whether that be through an open-door policy or by meeting with each individual class at the beginning of the season to listen to their honest opinions about the program.
“By asking questions and being open to the responses, you build that relationship, and you start to build trust,” Guido continued. “And then, when you go out into the field, and you take a little bit of what they have given you for feedback and you use it, they can do well with it, right? That’s the confidence part.”
These goals have already been echoed by several players on the team, including Licata, who can actively see Guido’s values being implemented into the program’s culture.
“I think she’s really emphasizing the values of communication and teamsmanship,” Licata said. “On-the-field communication is crucial to success, but also an open line of communication between the players and the coaches is so necessary in order to have a successful program, both on and off the field.”
Licata also mentioned that as a captain, she feels that Guido trusts her opinions and is always there to listen to any concerns or team needs.
Other players, like junior attack Caroline Panzirer, attribute Guido’s ability to establish relationships with her team to her enthusiastic personality.
“She’s definitely super energetic and super fun,” Panzirer said. “She’s got a great, positive mindset, and she’s super passionate about lacrosse and very much knows what she’s talking about. It made me that much more excited just to be back and play for her.”
Guido’s personal interactions with her players also translates to on-the-field energy.
“Every drill we do is always focused on hyping each other up and implementing coaching points. Every time she’s pumped up, it gets us pumped up, and then it’s just a positive feedback loop, and it makes it that much more fun,” Panzirer said.
Both Licata and Panzirer noted the fast pace and new coaching style that Guido brings to team practices, which helps keep attitudes high.
“I love the new school style of coaching she brought in,” Licata said. “She’s progressing with the game, so she’s a fan of trick shots and the other new things that have been coming up.”
Players also commended her energy off the field.
“She’s very funny,” Licata continued. “She loves to joke around, which is such a good quality as a coach and she definitely has such a great balance of keeping things exciting and light, but also pushing intensity when we need it.”
Guido made it clear that just because she’s fun and energetic doesn’t mean her coaching is any less effective.
“There are going to be days when we’re going to push you and we’re going to push you really hard. But we’re not going to push you off a ledge,” Guido said. “Because if we just came in and said, ‘It’s okay, you got it,’ all the time, they’re not going to grow.”
So when Guido does push players, it comes out of her belief that the Colgate’s women’s lacrosse program can really thrive, which is another point she’s been trying to emphasize to her team.
“As a staff, we tell them constantly that this program, this team, can be so successful.” Guido said. “We want to hear ourselves talk like we truly believe and know we can accomplish more than we have before.”
In 2024, Colgate finished with a record of 3-14, and was ranked eighth in the Patriot League. Two goals that Guido is pushing for this season are finishing top four in the Patriot League and having a winning record in their non-conference season, both of which she says are very attainable.
“We really want to redefine what Colgate women’s lacrosse is,” Licata said, voicing similar targets. “I think our main goals are just to win the games we should win and win the games we shouldn’t.”
Both the players and coaches believe they have just the team to achieve that.
“They have passion. There’s never a question of effort, they’re always giving us everything they have,” said Guido. “And that’s what I love about them, is that we never have to ask for more effort, ever. We know that they know and they believe that they are a very good team, and that’s what we have, we have a bunch of people who want to fight.”
Panzirer also talked about the team’s cohesion this year.
“I think everybody truly plays for each other, and that’s something that’s so special and so fun to be a part of,” Panzirer said. “We always joke how because our team is our best friends, we don’t have any other friends on this campus because we spend so much time with each other. We really love each other truly, so much. Everything we do is with and for each other.”
