New Coaches in Charge
Washington Township High School Appoints Decorated Alumni to Head Coaching Positions in Field Hockey, Boys Soccer
For Immediate Release
May 1, 2024
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP – Two Washington Township High School fall sports teams got new head coaches – with a lot of familiarity with their programs and with success on the WTHS campus – after the Board of Education approved the appointments of Edward McCusker (boys soccer) and Lauren Mazziotto (field hockey) at Tuesday night’s regular session.
The two Washington Township High School graduates and WTHS Sports Hall of Fame members are excited to get started in their new roles, continuing a WTHS pride that goes back decades.
Mazziotto is a 1998 WTHS grad and 2008 selection into the Sports Hall of Fame. She was a four-year standout on the field hockey and girls lacrosse teams, earning all-South Jersey and all-state honors in both. She went on to captain the Ohio University field hockey team while earning third-team National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-American and first-team all-Mid-American Conference honors as a Division I collegiate athlete.
Mazziotto began her coaching career as an assistant at Wake Forest University (2003-05), helping guide the Demon Deacons to back-to-back national championships. In 2005, she was named head coach at Chapel Hill (N.C.) High School, where she led her team to the North Carolina state championship in her first year. She was the state’s 2006 field hockey coach of the year. Additionally, she has served as a volunteer coach at Duke University.
Mazziotto owns a Master of Education degree in School Counseling from University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
“It is with great pride that we welcome back to Washington Township High School Lauren Mazziotto,” WTHS Director of Athletics Kevin Murphy said. “Lauren enjoyed a distinguished career as a Minutemaids student-athlete. She moved on to play and coach at the NCAA Division I level, garnering accolades as both a player and coach. Lauren will bring passion to the sideline, a commitment to our student-athletes, and technical expertise to the field.”
McCusker is a 2015 WTHS graduate and a 2023 selection into the Sports Hall of Fame. He was a three-year starter and team captain of the Minutemen boys soccer team, earning all-South Jersey, all-state, regional all-American, and South Jersey Defender of the Year honors. His teams won two South Jersey Group IV titles, three Olympic Conference crowns, two South Jersey Coaches Cups, and the school’s first state Group IV championship in 2014. McCusker went on to play Division I soccer at Saint Joseph’s University, serving as a two-year captain and earning the program’s Best Teammate and Jack Dunn Leadership Awards.
McCusker has since returned to WTHS as a history teacher. The past two seasons, he has served as an assistant coach to Shane Snyder, helping the Minutemen to back-to-back Tri-County Conference championships and the 2023 South Jersey Group IV title.
“It has been an honor to recommend coach McCusker to be just the third boys soccer head coach in the history of Washington Township High School,” Murphy said of McCusker, who follows Snyder and Tom Patterson. “I was fortunate to have watched Ed as a soccer player at WTHS, establishing our Minutemen program as one of the finest in the state of New Jersey. He continued his playing career on the NCAA Division I level at Saint Joseph's University, leading the Hawks to Atlantic 10 success. Back on the sideline and in the classroom at WTHS, Ed has truly established himself as one of the rising stars in New Jersey soccer coaching.”
- WTPS -