A former All-America defenseman for the Tigers, Dan Cocchi '03 serves as the Tigers’ assistant coach and defensive coordinator and concluded his seventh season in 2018.
On January 30, 2016, Cocchi was inducted into the Long Island Metro Lacrosse Foundation’s Hall of Fame, the first Tiger to earn that honor.
Cocchi has had the chance to work closely with one of the nation's best short stick defensive midfielders in Zach Goodrich. After his junior season in 2018, Goodrich was named USILA First Team All-America, the first Tiger to earn that honor since the 1996 campaign. Goodrich was also selected as the CAA Defensive Player of the Year as well as the Preseason Player of the Year in February.
In 2018, the Tiger defense got off to a shaky start, but settled in as the season progressed, dropping the goals allowed per game average every week. Towson had three defensive players earn postseason recognition as Goodrich earned First Team All-CAA Honors, true freshman pole Koby Smith collected second team plaudits and was an All-Rookie selection as well. Redshirt freshman Shane Brennan was also an All-Rookie pick.
Towson’s defense has continued to be staple as three Tigers earned 2017 USILA All-America mentions: Goodrich and Jack Adams to the second team, while Tyler Mayes was tabbed honorable mention. The Tigers finished fourth in Division I in goals allowed per game, limiting opponents to just over seven goals per game.
A program defined by its defensive success, Cocchi's group did not disappoint in 2016 as Towson finished the year as the best scoring defense in Division I, allowing a scant 7.26 goals per game. Bolstering that number was Towson holding the CAA's most explosive offense to just two goals in the CAA Championship game as Towson went on to win its sixth CAA crown, a league record.
Backing the defense was former All-American Tyler White, who ranked first nationally with a 6.89 goals against average in his senior season, resetting his own single-season Towson record. Of the Tigers' record-setting 19 games, Towson held 15 of those opponents to single digits, helped by a close defense unit that started all 19 games together.
Cocchi also coached a Third-Team All-American during the 2016 season as defensive midfielder Jack Adams earned that honor as arguably one of the best short-stick defensive middies in the country. The defensive coordinator also saw close defenseman Mike Lowe selected as the 2016 CAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player.
In his fourth season (2015), Cocchi saw the program earn its second-ever Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Defensive Player of the Year in Tyler White. The eventual third team All-America keeper was the Tigers’ first Defensive Player of the Year since Cocchi was tabbed in 2003.
That same season, Towson had one of its best seasons on defense, limiting opponents to just 7.72 goals per game, second-best in the conference. No team in the league killed penalties better than Towson, which wiped out opponent EMO’s at a .735 clip. Towson was one of the least-penalized teams in the conference as well.
During the 2015 campaign, Cocchi mentored three All-CAA selections on the defensive end, including White, honorable mention All-America defenseman JoJo Ostrander, who was a first team All-CAA selection as well. Longstick midfielder Tyler Mayes earned second team All-CAA status.
The Tigers recorded several defensive highlights in 2014. They finished seventh in the nation in man-down defense, allowing 15 opponents to score just 14 total EMO goals. Towson ranked second in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) in penalty-killing percentage. Senior close defenseman John Fennessy was named a North-South All-Star.
In 2013, the Tigers ranked as high as 14th in the nation in scoring defense, and senior goalkeeper Andrew Wascavage earned USILA All-American honors and finished the season ranked in the top 10 in saves per game and save percentage.
A four-year starter for the Tigers, Cocchi led the Tigers to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances in 2001 and 2003, including a berth in the 2001 NCAA semifinals. In addition, he was a member of two conference championship teams, as the Tigers won the 2001 America East title and the 2003 CAA championship.
In 2002, he earned USILA All-America honors for the second straight year after ranking eighth in the nation in ground balls with a 6.58 average. A first team All-CAA selection, he also scored a goal with three assists.
Honored as the 2003 CAA Defensive Player of the Year, Cocchi led the Tigers to their first CAA championship. An honorable mention All-America selection, he posted 55 ground balls in 15 games while contributing 20 caused turnovers as the Tigers reached the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years.
Selected by the Bridgeport Barrage in the fourth round of the 2003 Major League Lacrosse (MLL) Collegiate Draft, Cocchi enjoyed a 10-year MLL career, including five seasons with the Long Island Lizards. In 2005, he helped the Baltimore Bayhawks win the MLL title and was selected to play in the 2006 MLL All-Star Game as a member of the Los Angeles Riptide.
Cocchi graduated from Towson in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education and received a master’s degree in educational technology from Butler University in 2005 while coaching the Bulldogs’ men’s lacrosse team with former Tiger Assistant Coach Stan Ross.
Cocchi is married to the former Kristen Lyons, who graduated from Towson in 2004. The couple has two sons, Aidan and Brendan.
