Shannon Smith was just 22 years old when she was named as the ninth head coach in Hofstra University women’s lacrosse history. She was two months removed from the end of her playing career at Northwestern University where she won three national championships, was named a First-Team All-American three times and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA tournament two times.

Now, in her 13th season as head coach for the Pride, she continues to pay it forward to the sport that has given her so much.

“One of my favorite parts of this job is watching kids come in as freshmen and where they grow to as a student, as an athlete and more importantly, as a leader and as a person,” Smith said. “I just really do cherish what we have and what we’re able to continue to build.”

It’s clear to see the impact Smith has had on the program during her tenure: She was named the coach of the year in the (CAA) in 2015, en route to a CAA regular season title.  In 2021, she led the team to its first NCAA tournament appearance in 14 years and earned the record for the most wins in program history with her 95th career win this season on Feb. 14.

Even with all the accolades Smith has garnered in her career, she’s the first to acknowledge the roles that everyone else has played in her success.

“Those wins wouldn’t be possible without every player that has come through this program since I’ve been here the past 13 years, and there’s been a lot of really great wins over those years,” Smith said. “Winning is hard … At the end of the day, a really huge team effort, and just thankful for all the great people that have come through the program, whether it’s a coach or a player and the relationships you are able to build.”

Smith emphasized the value of the relationships she’s fostered through lacrosse, and how those connections continue to pay off today.

“I have lifelong best friends from playing in club [lacrosse] and playing in college and throughout, I think relationships are everything,” Smith said. “The lacrosse world is small; I’m very thankful for all the opportunities that I was able to have at a young age and even      at my age now … I think sometimes you go through it quickly and you want the next thing; how else can I be successful? When you really look back at it you just got to be really thankful for the support that you had, the people that helped you and the relationships you’ve been able to form.”

Smith’s ability to take a step back and recognize that growth isn’t linear is a quality she’s instilled in her team.  The road to improvement is a marathon, not a sprint, especially this season.

“We are so young and inexperienced with upperclassmen that are playing that we don’t really have a lot of experience, so everything we do is really day-by-day,” Smith said. “How can we get better today than where we were yesterday? I think that’s just really important, it allows us to focus on the now and not get too far ahead and dwell on the past. [We] use everything as a learning lesson and continue to grow. I think that’s something that’s really been working with our team.”

Smith has learned more about lacrosse than most people will ever know in their lifetime. While her experience as a player has helped prepare her as a coach, she’s learned that coaching has taught her more about being a player than her time on the field did.

“I think that even throughout my years now coaching, you kind of get an understanding of ‘Oh, that’s why that was happening’ when you were a player in college,” Smith said. “It kind of opens up your eyes to different things and I think that’s the biggest thing. I said I would always love to be a player now because you learn so much more about the game.”

This is just one of many lessons Smith has passed down to her players and has urged them to adopt in their careers.

“After you coach a lot, you can definitely learn as a player, right?” Smith said. “So, we encourage the kids to be around club lacrosse or camps during the summer because it really helps you grow as a player.”

There is no better example of this than Hofstra assistant coach Alexa Mattera, who played under Smith from 2017 to 2021. In her five seasons with the Pride, she scored 125 goals and tallied 152 points, ranking in the top 10 in program history for both stats. She started her coaching career back in 2017 with two lacrosse clubs, Long Island Top Guns Inc. and LacroSSe by 3 Inc. After one season as an assistant coach at Long Island University, Mattera reunited with Smith and joined her staff. Now in her third year, she is a prime example of the influence Smith has had on the program.

“I think that [Mattera] is a tremendous person, was an unbelievable player [and was] tremendous to have on staff,” Smith said. “[I] love working with her and just to watch her grow over these past three years…and she pushes me to be a better coach and has opened up my eyes to different ways that I can grow as a coach as well … A special bond… she puts a lot of time in, she’s really passionate about the program.  [I’m] just really thankful to have someone that [I] can trust that’s a part of that staff now.”

After more than a decade at Hofstra, Smith feels like she’s just getting started and believes she still has room for improvement.

“I wouldn’t have changed it for the world,” Smith said. “In those 13 years, you learn a lot and every year brings its own new learning lessons and growth as a coach. The players make you want to be a better person, a better coach. You got to continue to have a growth mindset, right? Continue to get the feedback, continue to figure out how you can grow and how you can continue to push the envelope with your program to make the program stronger.”

The Pride got out to one of their best starts in the program’s history this season, winning their first four games for the fourth time ever, and the second time since Smith took over in 2013. For everything that Smith has taught her players on the field, it’s the life lessons that they’ll take away from their time at Hofstra that mean the most to Smith.

“For me, it’s building the relationships with the kids and making sure they know that you’re always there for them, and that you love them, and you support them and you’re going to push them to be the best versions of themselves, both as a person and as a player,” Smith said. “I think the biggest thing that I’ve learned over these years, and we tell the kids a lot, [is] ‘you’re capable of more than you think. If you put your mind to something, you’re capable of doing it. Dream big and always bet on yourself.’ I think those are three important things and something that we really try to make sure our players know as well.”