Former Roanoke College All-American lacrosse player Bill Beroza is stepping down as Head Coach of the Israel National Field Lacrosse Team. Beroza is a 1977 graduate of Roanoke College and a member of the college athletic Hall of Fame as well as both the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and the US Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
Beroza was named Israel’s first head coach at the program’s inception in 2011 and is credited with guiding the blue-and-white from an amateur upstart to a perennial international contender. He, and Jeff Schwartz, who coached Israel in 2016, own a 23-8 all-time record in major championship events over his eight-year term.
“I feel incredibly lucky to have shared the sidelines with so many exceptional and qualified people since our debut in Amsterdam (at the 2012 European Championships),” said Beroza, who will continue to serve the Association as a Board Member and National Teams Chairman. “I’d like to offer a heartfelt thank you to my assistant coaches, scouts and support staff for their commitment and their contributions since we started Israel Lacrosse.”
Beroza and Association leadership conducted an extensive formal and informal interview and review process that began promptly after the 2018 FIL World Championships in Israel drew to a close. Selected to replace Beroza was Max Silberlicht, a fulltime assistant coach for the Boston University men’s lacrosse team who served as head coach of Latvia from 2016-2018
The Israel Lacrosse Association is the National Governing Body of lacrosse in Israel, aiming to promote lacrosse in the Jewish State by allocating resources, programming and inspiring participation from all over the country. The organization’s vision is based on the belief that lacrosse has an important and significant role in strengthening the ties of Diaspora Jewry to Israel.
