黑料专区

As a star midfielder over four seasons for the women鈥檚 lacrosse teams of 黑料专区, her alma mater, Julia Barbato 鈥�24 in all the tangible ways that matter. She started in 56 of the 58 games in which she played. She scored 153 career goals and had 73 career assists (226 points). In the Falcon record books, she鈥檚 now second among women鈥檚 lacrosse players in career points (226), third in career assists (73), fourth in career goals (153), and 10th in career caused turnovers (74). She and Lindsey Boswell 鈥�05, now the Head Coach of women鈥檚 lacrosse at High Point University, are the only Falcons to compile 14 points (goals and/or assists) in a women鈥檚 lacrosse game.

Barbato also showed great leadership and other important intangibles on the field and in the locker room during her career as a lacrosse player. This helps explain why, in 2025, less than a year after graduating, she was named Interim Head Coach of the women鈥檚 lacrosse program at Pfeiffer. She this season.

鈥淚鈥檓 thrilled that I got the Head Coach job,鈥� Barbato said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a dream come true to lead a team on which I once played.鈥�

Barbato says she lobbied , her predecessor, for a chance to 鈥渂e a volunteer assistant and just come back and help because I loved coaching.鈥� She also coached for travel lacrosse teams on fall weekends during her student days at Pfeiffer.

Barbato, 23, is one of the youngest head coaches in NCAA history. Her current Pfeiffer appointment is similar to the one secured by , the former field hockey superstar at UNC Chapel Hill who became Head Coach of the Tarheels鈥� field hockey program in 2023, shortly after graduating. Both Barbato and Matson began their head-coaching careers without the seasoning that most players of any collegiate sport gain as assistant coaches for several years, often bouncing from team to team until an opportunity to run a program emerges.

Jeff Childress 鈥�89, a former Falcon athlete who now serves as Special Assistant to the President and Interim Athletic Director at Pfeiffer, suggested that Barbato was more than up to the challenges of a head-coaching role, pointing out that Barbato鈥檚 Falcons have gotten off to a 4-0 start this season.  Roster numbers on her team are also on the rise, arguably the most critical factor in ensuring that the women鈥檚 lacrosse program at Pfeiffer thrives.

鈥淛ulia played for and gained insights from several coaches while she was on the women鈥檚 lacrosse team at Pfeiffer,鈥� Childress said. 鈥淚 think she gained a lot of valuable experience learning first-hand what she felt was important as a player and now she relates very well with our players and parents.鈥�

Childress added that Barbato leads by example: 鈥淭he players on her team know that she only wants the best for them and the team. Julia does a very good job of planning ahead. She has let the team members know her expectations and holds them accountable. She is a player鈥檚 coach.鈥�

Like Matson, Barbato has been coaching several former teammates, including Analise Robinson 鈥�26, a midfielder who played with Barbato from 2022 through 2024.

Robinson suggested that the change in her relationship with Barbato has gone smoothly.

鈥淚 always respected Julia when we were teammates, so the transition was seamless,鈥� Robinson said. 鈥淪he knows me and my playing style more than anyone, so she truly does know how to coach to my strengths and how to challenge me to be better every day.鈥�

As Barbato settles in as Head Coach, she continues tackling what she views as her biggest challenge: 鈥渟eeing the bigger picture.鈥�

鈥淎s players, we focus mainly on what our role is and winning the game,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut as a coach, you have to strategize all at once on the plans, logistics, culture, and winning.鈥�

The top 鈥渃ulture鈥� priority for Barbato is recruiting. As Interim Head Coach, she inherited a team of about 12 players, the number needed to field a complete side in lacrosse, including a goalkeeper. She now has 17 players and wants to have at least 24 in order to a) ensure two sides of 12 can scrimmage against each other in practice and b) enlarge the pool of substitutes at her disposal during games.

As a recruiter, Barbato looks forward to 鈥渢alking up鈥� Pfeiffer and the role of women鈥檚 lacrosse on campus, over a coaching tenure she wants to last for many years to come. 鈥淚 love to tell people how great Pfeiffer is,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 could talk about it all day long.鈥�