Everywhere she has been in her field hockey career, Martu Loncarica has succeeded.
So when the newly appointed head coach of La Salle field hockey talks about her goals and vision for her new program, she doesn’t mince words.
“We have a vision of winning a championship in five years,” proclaimed Loncarica. "We have been part of that transformation everywhere we have gone as coaches and players. We know what it takes to take a program to the next level.”
From the early days of her field hockey career up until current day, Loncarica has made an immediate splash everywhere she has went. Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Loncarica arrived at Syracuse University following a standout career playing club hockey in her native country. Her impact was instantaneous, as the Orange won the Big East Championship before advancing to the NCAA Final Four for the first time in program history in her first season on campus.
Loncarica would go on to be named an All-American three times while leading her team to three-consecutive Big East Conference regular season titles in her first three seasons. She shattered the Syracuse career-assist record with 65, and capped her collegiate career with 139 points.
This pattern of instant success continued in her coaching career. When Loncarica arrived at William & Mary as an assistant coach in 2017, the Tribe had never won a Colonial Athletic Association Championship. Loncarica helped lead William & Mary to the title game in her first season, before winning the title in her second season on campus.
Her most recent stint before coming to La Salle at Saint Joseph’s was no different. Upon her return to the Hawks in 2019 after previously spending time as a volunteer assistant, her team continued what she helped kick start years before, as Saint Joseph’s won their third-consecutive Atlantic 10 title in her first year back on the sideline.
Now, as she brings all of her talent, experience, and intensity to La Salle, where she is primed to once again turn her program into a force to be reckoned with. Her first move: bring in a staff that has also done it before, starting with her old colleague and fellow All-American, Katie Grant.
“I knew right off the bat that I wanted to bring in Katie because we have known each other for a long time,” explained Loncarica. “She’s a needle in a haystack type of coach. I’ve always known that if I started a program somewhere, she would be my first choice for various reasons, but mostly because she builds good relationships with her players, has passion for the game, and she’s a great person.”
Grant is a fantastic player in her own right—in her four years at Duke, she helped lead the Blue Devils to four NCAA tournaments and three national championship game appearances. Like Loncarica, Grant was also a three-time All-American before beginning her coaching career, as her 223 career points top the Blue Devils all-time charts by a wide margin.
“Martu and I had coached together previously and we connect on both the personal side and the field hockey side,” said Grant, who coached with Loncarica at St. Joe’s. “She has an awesome opportunity here and I knew she was so ready to take on the challenge of leading a program, so I knew right away that I wanted to join her.”
With Grant in place, Loncarica shifted her attention to Miranda Rigg, the James Madison star who played for the U.S. Women’s National Team.
“I was looking for someone who was young out of college, and I was lucky enough to not only land a person who has played for the national team and wanted to coach, but also someone who I connected with as a person,” added Loncarica.
A star forward at James Madison, Rigg ended her collegiate career with 101 career points and 45 goals, twice earning nods as a member of the All-CAA first team. Loncarica had seen Rigg's ability first hand, as she coached against Rigg's Dukes while an assistant at William & Mary. The Fredericksburg, Va. native has also competed in two international caps for the U.S. Women’s National Team, most recently competing in the FIH Pro League in Belgium.
“We talked more about life than just field hockey when I interviewed with her, and it made me feel comfortable,” explained Rigg. “When we began to talk about the job and her vision of what she wants to do here, it was clear this was a huge opportunity for me to join Martu and build something new and exciting.”
Rounding out the staff is volunteer assistant Anna Zarkoski Gueriot, the first Richmond field hockey student-athlete to be named an All-American, an achievement she accomplished twice. In her second All-American campaign, she led the nation in save percentage at an eye-opening clip of 0.834. Like Rigg, Anna also played for USA Field Hockey, competing in the 2012 Pan American Cup, 2013 Youth Olympic Festival, and the 2015 Four Nations Tournament in South Africa.
This coaching staff, made up of four world-class players, brings elements to the sideline that not every group of coaches can bring. Their players know that they have reached the pinnacles before, giving the staff the credibility and their players the motivation to follow in their footsteps.
“All four of us have been on the other side, so we know what it takes to play with that intensity and be recognized for it,” said Martu. “There is another layer inside of everyone that you can reach if you push yourself. It’s an intangible that everyone has the ability to tap into. We had it as players, so we know what it takes to dig deep. Now as coaches, we are teaching our players to dig deeper and find the best version of themselves because everyone can be better, no matter how good they are. All of our players can do it—it’s just the power of the mind.
“That’s always been how I coach,” continued Loncarica. “It’s not just about the technical aspects of the game—it’s about helping our players find the intangibles inside of them and help them recognize that they can accomplish anything that they set their mind to.”
As Loncarica and her staff continue to help grow their student athletes both on and off the field, she knows that their background as players helps reinforce her message.
“Since we have had success doing the things we are preaching to our players, we have credibility,” explained Loncarica. “They know we’re not just talking for the sake of talking. However, there is more to sending a message than just the content—every player is different, so the way we deliver these messages is important and varies by situation.”
In just a little over a month on campus together, this philosophy has already begun to pay dividends in the early portion of the season. La Salle is 4-4 to begin the year, averaging the third-most goals in the A-10 with 2.375 per game.
Sofia Pla, a true freshman from Buenos Aries, Argentina just as Loncarica, has been a pivotal part of this success. In her first eight career games, Pla has found the back of the cage a staggering seven times, leading all freshmen while ranking second in the A-10.
Among the many reasons for Pla and her team’s success comes from their coaching staff’s ability to literally practice what they preach.
“One of the best things about having good players as coaches is they can actually demonstrate the exercises we are doing,” said Pla. “They can even imitate a player from an opposing team that we will be facing so we can get used to that type of game.”
Being able to participate in drills and scrimmages at a high level is a perk for La Salle in practice, and something that both the coaches and players enjoy.
“We are all young enough that we can physically still go out and do the drill,” said Grant. “Being able to do that is something different that we can bring to the table.
“Since Anna can only be at practices once a week, Riggsy has taken on the goalkeepers by taking shots on them in practice and warmups—she’s able to do some things offensively that is helpful for them in preparing for practice and games,” continued Grant. “Martu and I don’t hop in all the time, but we do when we feel we need to. Sometimes it’s to show exactly what we are looking for or to raise the level of play. We pick and choose our moments, but we are always ready to go.”
The culmination of this regime’s principles, vision, experience and personality has already begun to shape the future of La Salle field hockey, and with the start of A-10 conference play coming on Friday, Sept. 24, the Explorers will have a good opportunity to see where they stand among the conference’s top teams. And while Loncarica has made it clear her goal is to win, she has other short term goals for this season.
“For this year, the goal is to come together as a team, develop an identity, and start building for the years to come,” said Loncarica. “Before the season started, we decided that we wanted that identity to be strong competitors that are hard to play against and have a high energy while also being respectful to our opponents. We want to be a family.”
So far, the early returns have matched that billing. In eight games this season, La Salle has held a lead in all but one game while forcing two strong opponents, Rider and Drexel, into overtime, proving to be a tough out every single game.
“I want us to feel like we all belong in a family where everyone can trust each other and rely on each other,” added Loncarica. “I want us to be incredibly connected. We are going to focus on the process and getting one-percent better every day so that by the time we get to the offseason, we will see the power of accumulation and realize how far we have come by having the the mindset of improving every day.”
With this coaching staff in place, the Explorers have the tools to do just that in 2021 and beyond.