ITHACA, N.Y. — Cornell women's lacrosse moves Ashley O'Brien into a full-time coaching position and hires Rachel Rosenberg as its new Director of Lacrosse Operations.
"We are very excited to have Ashley O'Brien moving into a full-time coaching position with the Big Red," said The Karin Bain Kukral '82 Head Coach of Women's Lacrosse Jenny Graap.
O'Brien will assume the role of a full-time goalie coach for Cornell women's lacrosse.
"I cannot overstate my excitement in accepting this position and the gratitude that I have for Jenny [Graap] and this program," said Ashley O'Brien. "The Cornell women's lacrosse family wrapped its arms around me from the moment I arrived and I cannot think of a better way to repay that Big Red hug than helping the team fight to win an Ivy title."
O'Brien will use her specific expertise when it comes to the goal-tending aspect of the sport to help in that fight.
"Ashley [O'Brien] has done a fantastic job in the dual role of operations and coaching," said Graap, "but our four goalkeepers will really benefit from her expertise and time in developing their specialized position."
O'Brien was a four-year starting goalie for Buffalo State Women's Lacrosse from 2008-2011. Over those four years, she was atop the Buffalo State record book ending her career first in career saves with 556 and first in goals against average with an average of 9.51. O'Brien was also named a First-Team SUNYAC All-Conference Goalie twice over her four years.
"As a former collegiate goalie,"OB " truly understands the nuances of that critical position," said Graap. "Our Cornell keepers will have more attention and feedback to maximize their skills and contributions to our team's success."
With O'Brien moving into a full-time goalie coach position, this makes way for Cornell women's lacrosse to bring in a new Director of Lacrosse Operations, Rachel Rosenberg.
"We feel so fortunate to have found a collegiate lacrosse player who has finished her graduate work and wants to be immersed in the running of a Division I program," said Graap. "Rachel [Rosenberg] will be a fantastic addition to our Big Red staff."
Rosenberg was a defensive lacrosse player at Ithaca College from 2017 through 2022. While at Ithaca College, Rosenberg was named a 2022 IWLCA First-Team All-American, 2022 Liberty League Defensive Player of the Year, 2021 IWLCA Second-Team All-American and a two-time team captain. She also served as a Graduate Assistant at Ithaca College from 2022-23.
Before coming to Cornell, Rosenberg finished her playing career at Stony Brook University for the 2023-24 season. She also was a member of the Israel Women's National Team during her playing career.
"I am both excited and deeply grateful for the opportunity to join the Cornell Women's Lacrosse staff," said Rosenberg. "I'm eager to contribute to the team's success this spring and look forward to learning from and collaborating with such a talented and dedicated group of coaches and players."
The Big Red will head into its season with these new staff changes as it opens 2025 with a scrimmage on Saturday, Feb. 8 against Le Moyne College at 12:00 p.m.
