Adirondack Lynx

Lynx Coaching Staff Announced

First Season Skippers tapped to fill Positions

image: Matt Wink

PJ Motsiff (above), Betsy Drambour, and Meghan Pastiglione are the coaches for the Adirondack Lynx 1st season in 2006.

March 15, 2006

As the Adirondack Lynx begin their inaugural season they will call upon the leadership of Paul Motsiff to fill the role of Head Coach. Betsy Drambour and Meghan Pastiglione have come on board as the assistants. In order to get the new expansion team up and running this summer, he will wear 2 hats, General Manager and Head Coach. Motsiff realizes these both are huge responsibilities, but feels it is necessary this year in order to keep the pulse of the team.

He states, "This year is going to be so important in establishing expectations in many areas....Training, Psychological, Fitness, game day expectations, etc. It is a level of play on the female side that has never been seen in upstate New York. I want to make sure that the players, fans, and sponsors are delivered a first rate product that has a professional feel." Motsiff could not have selected any better assistants than the two "locals" that have come on board.

Paul (PJ) Motsiff is coming to this position hoping success breeds success. This past summer his Black Watch Premier U19 girls went undefeated (8-0-1) in the Northeast Division of the Super Y League and made it to the National Finals. He also trained a U23 team with Black Watch and played friendlies and tournaments the past 2 years. A number of those Black Watch girls will also be on the roster this summer for the Lynx. Prior to being involved in the club environment Motsiff coached at Ballston Spa High School where his teams have won divisional and league titles. He was nominated three times for coach of the year from 2001-2004. His college coaching career also brought him to SUNY Cortland and the College of Saint Rose prior to the Lynx position.

...It is a level of play on the female side that has never been seen in upstate New York. I want to make sure that the players, fans, and sponsors are delivered a first rate product that has a professional feel.”     - Adirondack Head Coach PJ Motsiff

Meghan Pastiglione is the current coach of the Girl's Adirondack Empire State Scholastic Team. In her playing days she was an All-American out of Niskayuna High School. She then went on to play college ball for Anson Dorrance at the University of North Carolina. Meghan is so excited to be working with this level of player. She will be able to add to the needed intensity of the team because of living and breathing the UNC "Competitive Cauldron".

Betsy Drambour currently trains youth club teams for the Albany Alleycats. She hails from Clifton Park where she too was an All-American in High School when she played for Shenendehowa. Betsy went on to George Mason where her team was consistently one of the best in the country. In 1985 playing as a defender, she was voted Best Defensive Player of the Final Four as her team downed UNC for the National Championship. Drambour was no stranger to training at the highest level...She spent a number of years on the youth national team as well as on the Women's National Team. Like Pastiglione, she trained under Anson Dorrance and knows what it will take to get this team to compete at the highest level in this country. After training with April Heinrichs, Christine Lilly, and Mia Hamm, Drambour will be able to raise the bar in terms of the expectations that will be surrounding the Adirondack Lynx training environment.