Bridget Ballard is in her third season as an assistant coach with the Cal lacrosse program as well as her third campaign as a collegiate coach in 2025. In each of her first two seasons, the Golden Bears have equaled their most wins since 2019. Cal reached that five-win mark in two fewer games in 2024 than in 2023 and also equaled the pair of conference wins the squad won in 2023 in three fewer contests.
Therer have been many memorable accomplishments during Ballard's tenure with the Bears highlighted by three dramatic Pac-12 victories over Oregon. In 2023, Cal a 13-12 winner in Eugene in the first meeting of the season between the clubs to give the Bears their first Pac-12 road win since 2019 with goalkeeper Alicia Souliotis holding the Ducks scoreless while recording a pair of saves over the game's final 5:33. In the second meeting of the season in Berkeley, goalkeeper Riley Drullinger was the star of a 14-13 win with a career-high 18 saves and the final one coming on an Oregon free position shot with four seconds remaining. In the first meeting of 2024 in Eugene, the Bears trailed 7-5 before scoring the final three goals of the contest capped by Kennedy Mason's game-winner on an assist from Josie Lillquist with six seconds remaining.
Cal's 2014 Cal squad finished 5-10 overall and 2-5 in the Pac-12, remaining in contention for a spot in the six-team Pac-12 Tournament until falling in their season finale to regular-season Pac-12 champion and No. 19 Stanford. In addition to wins in its season-opener against Akron and an April 20 victory in its regular-season home finale against San Diego State, Wong's 2024 squad registered a three-game win streak March 10-16 (Winthrop, Butler, at Oregon) that was the program's longest since a four-gamer from Feb. 22 - March 8, 2019. During the three-game win streak, Cal allowed just 18 total goals and no more than eight in any of the three wins. The three straight games of eight or fewer opponent goals marked the first time the Bears had accomplished that feat since a three-game stretch from April 18-25, 2010. Defense was the signature ingredient of the 2024 team through much of the season with Cal gave up 10 or more goals only eight times in its first 11 contests before allowing 12 or more or in each of its final four. Still, Cal finished the regular season ranked fifth in the Pac-12 and tied for 47th nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 11.00 goals per game. Cal’s offense came on late in the season including a string of three straight games with double-digit goals at Arizona State and at home against UC Davis and San Diego State over three of its final four contests to mark the first time Cal had three straight games of double-digit goals since March 9-17, 2023 (Howard, American, Oregon).
In Ballard's first season at Cal in 2023, the Bears moved up one spot to the No. 5 seed at the Pac-12 Championship after picking up a pair of conference wins in 10 games while Cal finished 5-13 overall. Maya Lawliss and Amanda Morse were second-team All-Pac-12 selections. Kennedy Goss set Cal's single-season record for draw controls (83) in 2023 and in the process also became the school's all-time leader before finishing her career in 2024 fourth all-time in the Pac-12. The team shone academically as well as an IWLCA Academic Honor Squad with eight members on the IWLCA Division I Academic Honor Roll and 16 on the Pac-12's Spring Academic Honor Roll. Cal also notably hosted HBCU opponent Howard in a regular-season game and for the first time ever was the host school for the Pac-12 Tournament.
Prior to joining the Cal program, Ballard worked as a club coach for Building Blocks Lacrosse and also served as an assistant coach for one season at Chatham High School, where she helped lead her alma mater to the 2017 New Jersey state finals after being a two-time US Lacrosse All-American as a prep.
Ballard spent four seasons as a collegiate lacrosse student-athlete at Loyola University Maryland (2017-20), where her four teams racked up a combined 48-18 record and made a pair of second-round appearances in the NCAA Tournament in her final two full campaigns in 2018 and 2019. The Greyhounds' 2020 season was ended by COVID after a 5-0 start.
"We are incredibly excited to have Bridget join us here at Cal," head coach Jennifer Wong said upon the hiring of Ballard in November of 2022. "Her experience at Loyola, playing for Jen Adams, has prepared her to make an immediate impact with our program. She brings a wealth of lacrosse knowledge as well as passion for the game.
Caroline Corzel and I look forward to working with her as she joins the college coaching profession."
"I am extremely excited to work alongside coach Wong and coach Corzel," Ballard said upon her hiring. "We share so much passion for this sport and for the development of our talented players, not just as athletes but as people. I look forward to bringing my experience and knowledge of the game to the practice field and sideline, and I am looking forward to seeing our program at Cal become stronger and stronger."
Ballard also spent one month in July of 2015 as a volunteer, coach and mentor with the South African Lacrosse Project that worked in conjunction with the Waterberg Welfare Society to provide meals to orphans and at-risk children in Limpopo, South Africa.
Ballard received her bachelor's degree from Loyola University in PR/Advertising in 2020 and has worked in the field since her graduation most recently as an account executive in New York City for Nike Communications, Inc.
Bridget Ballard Coaching History
Seasons: Team – Position
2023: California – Assistant Coach
2024: California – Assistant Coach
2025: California – Assistant Coach
Bridget Ballard File
Hometown: Chatham, NJ
High School: Chatham HS
College: Loyola University, 2020, BA, PR/Advertising
Last Updated
April 28, 2024
