Joe Lodato was named the head coach of Keystone College’s men’s lacrosse team effective August 15, 2016, taking over the lead of the Giants’ program after spending last season as the head coach at Northampton Community College following a two-year stint as an assistant coach at Misericordia University.
Lodato inherited a team low on numbers in his first year at Keystone in the spring of 2017 and guided the team to a 1-12 (0-7 CSAC) record in his inaugural season with the Giants. Lodato earned his first victory at Keystone on March 29, 2017 as the Giants defeated Medaille College 10-6 in a non-conference game while establishing new program records for shots (51) and groundballs (50) in a game while matching the fewest goals allowed in a game in the program's three-year history. Following the season, Keystone was honored as the CSAC 3-D Award recipient which recognizes the team that best exemplifies the NCAA Division III principles of “Discover, Develop, Dedicate.” Lodato was also honored as the recipient of the Keystone College Coaches' Sportsmanship Award for his contributions to the program and to the athletic department as a whole. Additionally, three of Lodato's players earned CSAC All-Academic Team honors for excellence in the classroom. And even though the Giants went winless during the 2018 season, senior Caleb Strope became the first player in the program's history to earn all-CSAC honors, landing a spot on the list of honorable mentions.
Lodato guided Northampton to a 2-8 overall record including a 2-4 mark in NJCAA Region XIX play with a squad composed of all but one freshmen who he recruited after being hired the previous May. Lodato coached three players who earned All-Region XIX honors and two others who garnered Academic All-Region accolades this past spring for Northampton. The Spartans won two of its final three games of the season and set a school record for goals in a game in the team’s season finale win over Valley Forge Military Academy.
Prior to the head coaching position at Northampton, Lodato spent two years as an assistant coach at Misericordia where he was active in all facets of the program while helping lead the Cougars to a MAC Freedom Conference runner-up finish and ECAC South Region playoff appearance in 2015. Lodato was instrumental in helping the program surpass recruiting and academic goals while helping to mentor five MAC Freedom All-Conference players and a pair of MAC All-Academic honorees.
Lodato has been active in the lacrosse community by coaching at the club level and running tournaments. This past March, he began his role as the Tournament Director and Marketing Director for Laxpalooza Lacrosse Tournaments, coordinating and overseeing seven tournaments in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He has also been an assistant coach for the Leading Edge South Travel Elite Team since 2015, has served as a youth lacrosse instructor, working at various camps and clinics in Monmouth and Ocean County, New Jersey since 2011, and was the founder, director, and head coach of Jersey Shore Lacrosse from 2011-2013.
Lodato was an assistant coach for the boys’ lacrosse team at Holmdel High School from 2012-2013, serving as the defensive coordinator for the Hornets while also conducting strength and conditioning programs at Holmdel.
Lodato jumped into the coaching ranks following a four-year playing career as member of Misericordia’s men’s lacrosse team. A team captain, Lodato was the Cougars’ top face-off man and a key cog in the team’s possession game as well as on defense. A standout in the classroom as well, he was selected to the MAC All-Sportsmanship Team in 2011 and was a two-year member of Misericordia’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
A native of Toms River, New Jersey, Lodato earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Secondary Education History with a minor in Political Science from Misericordia in 2011. He also serves as Keystone's game management coordinator.
Coaching Record at Keystone
2017 1-12 (0-7 CSAC)
2018 0-14 (0-7 CSAC)
2 seasons 1-26 (.037) overall / 0-14 (.000) CSAC
