PORTLAND, Ore. - For the first time ever, Multnomah University is excited to announce the additions of Jill Vacanti and Keegan Matsukado to the Athletic Department staff as the Head Women's and Head Men's Lacrosse Coaches, respectively.
"I am very excited to welcome Jill and Keegan to our team," said Athletic Director Michael Anderson. "Both of them did an excellent job during the interview process and we are confident that they will do a great job laying the right foundation for our Men's and Women's Lacrosse programs."
Women's Head Coach Jill Vacanti is originally from Rochester, New York, but moved to the PNW post-graduation and has lived in Portland for a year. She was a four-year starter at Duquesne University as an attack and played for the club team Lady Rock in New York throughout high school. Vacanti has been coaching at Lax Northwest, a prominent club in the area, since she moved here. She is in charge of coaching and overseeing the class of 2023 team. Vacanti also served as the Head Girl's Lacrosse Coach at Wilson High School here in Portland.
"I'm really excited to start the Women's Lacrosse program at Multnomah University," said Vacanti, "The sport is growing in the Pacific Northwest, and I'm confident that the addition of collegiate level programs like ours will continue that development and offer athletes within the region more opportunity to play at the next level. It's an honor to be a part of the MU family, and I look forward to what the future holds for our program and the university overall!"
"Jill had an outstanding lacrosse career at Duquesne University," said Anderson "She has a deep knowledge of women's lacrosse nationwide and is a highly motivated individual, which will serve her well as she builds the program. It is clear she is passionate about growing the game in the Pacific Northwest. Her experience with Wilson High School and the local club scene will be beneficial as she starts recruiting student-athletes. We expect her to continue her passion, as she grows the team!"
Men's Head Coach Keegan Matsukado is a Portland native, graduating from David Douglas High School. He then went on to play at Portland State for four years (2006-2010) and was one of the founding members of the program. Prior to Multnomah, Matsukado served as the Head Men's Lacrosse Coach at the University of Portland. During that time, he became well acquainted with the lacrosse world in the PNW, where his teams played in the conference tournament several times.
"I am very excited for the opportunity to bring Men's Lacrosse to Multnomah University and to bring an NAIA program to the Pacific Northwest," said Matsukado "The sport of lacrosse has been growing for years and to see Multnomah take this step is inspiring. I cannot wait to bring a team together to represent this school and community."
"Keegan is no stranger to the collegiate lacrosse scene in Portland," said Anderson "As the former University of Portland Head Men's Lacrosse Coach, he has a unique skillset and experience to build a team here in Portland. He understands what lacrosse means to this city and we anticipate he will use that knowledge to grow the program. He is already working diligently to duplicate the success he has had!"
Both coaches have started their duties, as of December, and have begun to recruit lacrosse student-athletes for the Fall of 2021. Both programs will began practicing and playing on Multnomah University's new, multi-million dollar turf field in the 2021-2022 academic year!
If you are an athlete looking to play lacrosse for Multnomah University, please contact our coaches to be a part of the founding team.
Women's Lacrosse: Jill Vacanti (585-478-2650), jillvacanti@multnomah.edu, @multnomahwlax (Instagram)
Men's Lacrosse: Keegan Matsukado (503-830-8863), keeganmatsukado@multnomah.edu, @multnomahmlax (Instagram)
