Sonia LaMonica

LaMonica took over UVA’s storied program for the 2023-24 season after serving as the head women’s lacrosse coach at Towson for 13 seasons and one season at Mt. Saint Mary’s. LaMonica enters her second season in charge of the Cavalier program in 2025 owning an all-time coaching record of 162-105.

LaMonica By the Numbers

• 6 Conference Coach of the Year Awards (5x CAA, 1x ACC)
• 5 All-ACC Selections
• 3 All-Freshman Selections
• 7 NCAA Tournament Appearances (1 at UVA)
• 4 CAA titles

2024 Season (ACC Co-Coach of the Year)
LaMonica and her team cruised to a 14-6 victory over Liberty in her first game in charge and would go on to win nine of the first 10 games of the season—Virginia’s best start to a campaign since the 2007 national runner-up season.

The Cavaliers would go on to stockpile some of the best wins of any team in the country including a road victory over No. 4 Notre Dame, and emphatic dispatching of No. 7 James Madison at home, and a thrilling overtime win over No. 3 Boston College on senior day.

Virginia went 6-3 in ACC play matching a single season program-high for wins in conference play while taking down the likes of Boston College for the first time in eight seasons. The pair of wins over opponents ranked in the top-four marked the first time Virginia accomplished such a feat in nine seasons. The Cavaliers would eventually avenge their regular-season loss to North Carolina with a 13-12 victory in the ACC quarterfinals—their first win over UNC since the 2014 season. UVA reached the ACC Semifinal before falling to Syracuse.

The Cavaliers earned the fifth overall seed in the NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Championship, its highest since the 2008 season when Virginia was seeded fourth. The Cavaliers earned the right to host the first two rounds of the tournament for the first time since the 2019 season. The first round featured a 21-6 dispatching of LIU in which Virginia set a program record for most goals scored in an NCAA tournament game. The Cavaliers fell to No. 10 Florida in the second round of the championship.

LaMonica was named ACC Co-Coach of the Year, sharing the honor with former collegiate teammate Acacia Walker-Weinstein of Boston College. Five Cavaliers were named to the All-ACC teams while three were named to the All-Freshman team including ACC freshman of the Year Kate Galica.

Prior to Virginia
During her tenure at Towson, LaMonica led the Tigers to seven NCAA Tournament appearances and four Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Tournament Championships. She has been named the CAA Coach of the Year five times.

Towson finished first or second in the CAA in 10 of her 14 seasons at the helm and made nine CAA tournament championship game appearances, including six-straight. LaMonica has coached six players to All-America honors and has had numerous All-CAA and All-Region honorees.

LaMonica consistently challenged her teams with tough schedules against top-ranked opponents. Towson finished .500 or better in 12 of the 14 seasons she oversaw the program, with one of the two being cut short due to the pandemic.

A native of Darlington, South Australia, LaMonica (pronounced La – MAHN – ick – uh) was named the 10th head coach in the history of the Towson women’s lacrosse program after the 2010 season. She returned to lead the Tigers after a one-year stint as the head coach at Mount St. Mary’s.

As the Mountaineers’ head coach, LaMonica led Mount St. Mary’s to an 8-9 record in 2010 and a berth in the Northeast Conference (NEC) semifinals. She coached five players who earned All-NEC honors.

Prior to becoming the Mountaineers’ head coach, LaMonica spent two seasons as a member of Missy Doherty’s staff at Towson and helped the Tigers win a pair of Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) championships.

Before joining the Tigers’ staff, LaMonica was an assistant coach at the University of Denver, helping the Pioneers to a 15-5 record during the 2006 season. She coached the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Player and Rookie of the Year along with three all-conference selections and the program’s first IWLCA All-West/Midwest region honoree.

LaMonica also served as head coach of the Women’s Professional Lacrosse League’s (WPLL) Baltimore Brave. LaMonica led the Brave to the league championship in 2019 and guided the team to the title game in the inaugural season a year earlier.

In addition to her success as a coach, LaMonica is a member of the Australian National Team. She helped Australia win the gold medal at the 2005 World Cup Championship and a silver medal at the 2009 World Cup Championship. In the summer of 2013, LaMonica played a key role in helping Australia earn a bronze medal at the World Cup Championship in Canada.

Named to the 2005 IFWLA All-World Team, she was also a member of the U-19 Australian National Team that won the silver medal at the 1999 World Championships and was also the recipient of the U21 South Australian Sportswoman of the Year award.

A 2003 graduate of Maryland, LaMonica was a three-year starter for the Terrapins. She earned first team All-America honors and was a candidate for the Tewaaraton Trophy during her senior season after leading Maryland to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) championship. A team captain during her senior season, she was a member of three ACC championship teams and helped the Terrapins win the 2000 and 2001 NCAA titles.

LaMonica scored 111 goals in her college career, including 49 goals as a senior, along with 55 assists.

Personal
Formerly Sonia Judd, LaMonica is married to former Maryland men’s lacrosse standout Michael LaMonica. The couple resides in Crozet, Va., with their sons, Luca and Bodhi and daughter, Marley.

Michael LaMonica, a member of the Towson coaching staff, will join Sonia as an assistant coach for the Cavaliers.