Lacrosse - Boys
After building one of the top boys lacrosse programs in the Washington, D.C., area, Dane Smith in 2023 begins his first season as head coach at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School.
Smith joins the Falcons after coaching seven seasons at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Potomac, Md. He guided his final squad to a share of the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAC) regular-season championship.
Roster
Varsity Boys Lacrosse Schedule
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JV Boys Lacrosse Schedule
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“Dane is a proven winner who understands creating excellence on the field and in each facet of the student-athlete’s life,” Good Counsel Athletic Director Steve Howes said. “He shares our desire to work toward establishing a program of national prominence while embracing the school’s mission of academic, spiritual and character development.”
In 2019, Smith led St. Andrew’s (16-3) to the finest campaign in school history. Highlights included a school-record 12-game winning streak and the MAC regular-season and tournament championships. The Lions were unbeaten in league play.
Chase Noah that year produced 56 goals and 54 assists and became the school’s first boys lacrosse player to be named first-team All-Met. Tony Diallo was named honorable mention and won the District of Columbia Bob Scott Award from USA Lacrosse for going “above and beyond in service to his team, school and community.”
“Dane exemplifies what we want in our coaches,” Howes said. “He is dedicated to building a program culture that produces enduring relationships, which is a hallmark of Good Counsel and the Xaverian tradition.”
Of St. Andrew’s six seniors in 2019, four earned NCAA Division I lacrosse scholarships.
While Smith looks forward to developing similar players with the Falcons, he is more concerned with their growth as young men: “I’m eager for the opportunity to build an elite culture focused on relationships, character and player development.”
In 2017, Smith steered the Lions to a record of 12-6. Alex Smith, who helped lead Maryland to the 2022 national championship, earned second-team All-Met honors. The next season, St. Andrew’s finished 12-5 and won its first of three straight MAC regular-season crowns.
Smith became the Lions head coach in 2015, taking over a program that had just finished 4-10. In his second year, he led the team to its first winning season in 14 years. His seven-year record was 75-43. (No season in 2020.)
Playing & Early Coaching Career
Prior to leading the Lions, Smith was an assistant coach for two years (2013-14) at his alma mater, Robert Morris University in Moon Township, Pa. He helped the 2013 Colonials rank eighth nationally in man-down defense and lead Division I in caused turnovers. A few of the players he coached went on to play professionally. He joined Robert Morris after a brief stint at Division III Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio.
Smith began his coaching career in 2012 as an assistant at Mt. Lebanon High School in Pittsburgh. The Blue Devils won 16 games and advanced to the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state semifinals. He worked primarily with the defense and coached three players who earned All-American honors.
Smith was a three-year starting attackman at Hilliard Davidson High School in Columbus, Ohio, before graduating in 2007. He went to Robert Morris as a preferred walk-on, earned a scholarship as a sophomore and became a two-time captain. In 2010, he helped the Colonials to a then-school-record 10 wins. The next year, the squad made its first-ever postseason appearance.
As a defensive midfielder, Smith recorded 16 career caused turnovers and 44 ground balls. He closed his time at RMU by playing in 46 consecutive games. He was twice named to the Northeast Conference Academic Honor Roll.
In the summer and fall, Smith coaches for Next Level Lacrosse. He is head of the U.S. Lacrosse Potomac Chapter and owns Players First Lacrosse Camps & Clinics.
Smith earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Robert Morris in 2011. Three years later, he added a master’s in instructional leadership. He worked as St. Andrew’s associate director of upper school admissions and is now Good Counsel’s director of admissions.
Smith was born in Columbus and raised there by his parents, Dane and Judy. His wife, Andrea, is a former Colonial volleyball player. They live in Olney, Md., with their daughter Emma and son C.J.