In four years as head coach of the JWU (Providence) field hockey program, Lisa Lopes has posted a 71-13 record (.845 winning pct.) and guided the Wildcats to four-straight Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championships (2021-24).
In 2024, JWU posted a perfect 12-0 mark in conference play to earn the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament, where it took down Dean (3-0), St. Joseph’s (ME) (2-1), and Simmons (4-2) to capture the program’s fourth chip. Haley Budenas was tabbed GNAC Defensive Player of the Year and headlined the list of six all-conference honorees. Budenas and Megan Salsinha went on to receive National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-Region 1 Second Team accolades while 11 garnered a spot on the NFHCA Division III National Academic Squad.
The 2022 edition of the Wildcats won a program-record 19 games and captured their second-consecutive conference title and NCAA Tournament berth. JWU outscored its opponents 80-18 and closed the season with a 0.86 goals against average (GAA). For her efforts, Lopes was named GNAC Coach of the Year.
A total of eight student-athletes were named to all-conference teams in 2022 while three more earned spots on the all-rookie team. Off the field, 12 student-athletes named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division III National Academic Squad, eight of whom were Scholars of Distinction.
Lopes oversaw an 11-win improvement during her first season at JWU in 2021 as the Wildcats went from winning six games the previous campaign to 17. Led by GNAC Offensive Player of the Year Jillian Miele, and GNAC Defensive POY Claire Decker, JWU won its first-ever GNAC Championship on the road at Colby-Sawyer to advance to the NCAA Tournament. Miele, meanwhile, became the first student-athlete in program history to earn National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-America honors.
Prior to her arrival at JWU, Lopes spent nine seasons on the coaching staff at Providence College (2011-19), the last six as associate head coach. She was involved in all of the day-to-day operations of the field hockey program, including practice planning, on field coaching, individual workouts and video analysis. Lopes also spearheaded the Friars recruiting efforts.
Lopes coached a trio of All-America selections and 16 All-Region selections at PC. From 2016 until her departure from the program for JWU following the 2019 campaign, the Friars posted a .618 winning pct. (47-29) and qualified for the BIG EAST playoffs all four seasons.
Lopes came to Providence after two seasons as an assistant coach at Miami (OH) University (2009-10). While at Miami, she served as the recruiting coordinator and assisted with the day-to-day operations of the field hockey program, including game preparation, scouting, practice planning, individual instruction, video analysis and team and individual scheduling. She also managed all facets of team travel for the program.
In two years at UM, the Redhawks advanced to a pair of Mid-Atlantic Conference (MAC) Championship and captured the program’s first regular season championship in 2010. Lopes’ recruiting efforts were instrumental to the team’s success in year two as five student-athletes emerged as starters and became important contributors.
Lopes cut her teeth in the collegiate coaching ranks as a graduate assistant at Wilkes University, a Division III institution in Pennsylvania. She spent two seasons as a member of the Colonels program, helping them to a school-record 18 wins and a No. 20 national ranking during the 2008 campaign. She also spent four years coaching with the International Field Hockey Club of Kentucky and two years with the Valley Styx Club.
Lopes spent six years working with the USA Field Hockey Futures Program. In 2009, she gained experience as a clinician at the National Coaches Convention, where she presented as part of a defensive drill panel. During the summer of 2012, Lopes served as a selector for the National Futures Championship for the U-16 division and also earned her U.S. Field Hockey Level II Certification. During the summer of 2013, Lopes participated in the NCAA Women Coaches Academy in Atlanta, Georgia.Â
A four-year member and two-time Team MVP of the field hockey program at the University of Louisville (2003-06), Lopes was a three-year captain who twice earned All-BIG EAST Second Team honors (2005-06). She was an All-MAC First Team pick as a sophomore and went on to earn All-Tournament Team honors later that season.
As a junior, Lopes garnered NFHCA Division I All-West Region Second Team honors before earning First Team accolades as a senior. Lopes participated in the 2006 NFHCA All-Star Game and was named UL’s Female Anthem Leadership Award. In addition to her success on the playing field, Lopes was a four-time NFHCA National Academic Squad honoree and two-time BIG EAST Academic All-Star.
A native of Dallas, Pennsylvania, Lopes earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education and special education from Louisville in 2007, and completed her master's degree in instructional technology from Wilkes in 2009. Her husband, Sam, is the head coach of the Providence women’s soccer team. Married in 2015, the couple has two sons.
