Cooney announces men’s lacrosse coaching staff for 2013

Men’s lacrosse head coach Pat Cooney has announced that David Haddeland and Bill Villareal will join the coaching staff as assistant coaches in the 2013 season.

Haddeland, who will serve as the offensive coordinator, brings nine years of coaching experience to Salve Regina. A New York native, he was a standout midfielder and attackman for Springfield College from 1998-2002. Following his playing career, Haddeland continued his success at the coaching level.

He led the Mahopac High School men’s varsity lacrosse team as a co-coach alongside his brother for four years, producing four All-American and 23 All-Section players during his tenure. Haddeland led his team to the 2011 Class A Section 1 championship, regional championship and was named the Section 1 2011 coach of the year. After relocating to Rhode Island, he became a physical education teacher at Bishop Hendricken High School.

A seasoned veteran of coaching at all levels, Villareal will serve as a defensive and efficiency coach and focus on fostering leadership attributes. A Maryland native, he was a defenseman at the U.S. Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport. Villareal continued his playing career at the U.S. Naval Academy, where he was a four-year defenseman and competed in the NCAA Division I tournament.

A longtime coach for Rhode Island lacrosse programs, he led the 2006 Rhode Island Girls U-13 festival team and coached the 2011 and 2012 Brine New England Regional Girls HS Underclassmen All-American team in the National Lacrosse Classic. Villareal was recently named the head coach for the 2013 Brine New England Regional Girls High School Underclassmen All-American team.

The men’s lacrosse team has been selected to finish eighth in the Commonwealth Coast Conference preseason poll. This year, Cooney will welcome 17 freshmen to the squad. With the young team, tri-captains Taylor Braun ’13, Chad Hollenshade ’14 and Michael Horn ’13 will look to be leaders on and off the field.