Our coaches.

JOHN GABRIEL | Club President, Boys & Girls Director, Coach
John was born in Long Beach, CA but raised in Nyack, NY where he started playing lacrosse and soccer at an early age. John was a four year letterman in both sports, attending Clarkstown South High School. From there, John attended Onondaga CC to sharpen his lacrosse skills and academics. He transferred to New England College where he was named the school's first ever NCAA All-American in Lacrosse (2011) as well as the Commonwealth Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Year. John was also named team defensive player of the year for the NEC Men's Soccer team in 2011. John moved west to pursue a Master's Degree in Education and focus on his coaching skills as an assistant coach at NCAA Division III powerhouse, Whittier College. John is currently a full time Physical Education teacher in Los Angeles and resides in Belmont Shore with fiance Isabella.
Contact Coach John at: johngabrielcoaching@gmail.com

MATT CUNNIFFE | Boys Coordinator, Boys Coach
Matt is from Boston, Massachusetts where he started playing lacrosse at the age of 13 in the Needham Youth Lacrosse system. He went on to play at Catholic Memorial High School in West Roxbury, MA. He was a four year starter and two year captain where he led the team to their first playoff berth in the program’s history. He was awarded the Coaches’ Award in 2003, and he is the first Division 1 lacrosse player to come out of the high school. He participated in the famous Bay State Summer Games in Boston on Team Metro. Matt went on to play Division 1 lacrosse at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA. He lettered all four years while at Holy Cross and was awarded the Martha S. Lemley Unsung Hero Award by the team while completing his degree in Sociology. After college, Matt continued to play lacrosse for several competitive post collegiate club teams in both field and box lacrosse, and he continues to play. He has coached the JV team and helped in all aspects of the lacrosse program at his alma mater Catholic Memorial, an annually top 20 ranked team in the state. He has coached in the Medfield Youth Lacrosse Program in Medfield, MA which is the feeder program to the multiple state title winner, Medfield High School. He specializes in all aspects lacrosse from offensive concepts to defense tactics, face-off fundamentals, goalie development, and conditioning and weight training. He is currently Head Varsity Coach at Los Alamitos High School. Matt lives in Signal Hill with his wife who is a Long Beach native.
Contact Coach Matt at: matt.cunniffe@gmail.com or 617-784-2129

SAL MELGOZA | Boys Coach
Sal started playing lacrosse when he was 14 as a freshman at Jordan High School in Los Angeles. He played with many teams throughout his high school career: Dinolax Inner City Team, Los Angeles All City Team, El Segundo High School and various clubs. In college, he played as a midfielder at UC Irvine, a Division 2 MCLA school. He's currently studying Criminology. Sal is also Head JV Coach for Redondo Union High School and coaches various ages for BCYL. He's the stick doctor for BCYL and always does a great job!
Contact Coach Sal at: smelgoza94@gmail.com or 323-804-8071

RAFAEL SEGURA | Boys Coach
Born and raised in Southern California, Coach Rafa started his lacrosse career at Downey High School. He played for the LA inner city team DinoLax, where his team won the Starz League Championship in Summer 2011. He continued his lacrosse career at CSULB, where he was the team's secretary, treasurer, Vice President and President throughout his college career. He finished his senior year at LB as a captain and head of recruiting. Rafa has been coaching for over 8 years, rebuilding his alma mater at Downey and growing the presence of Damien High School where the school was ranked Top 10 in CIF-SS Division 3 for lacrosse and is now an assitant coach at Los Alamitos High School, a school that finished Top 10 CIF-SS Division 1 for lacrosse the last two seasons. Coach Rafa is also a professional lacrosse stick stringer and has strung sticks for professional lacrosse players over the years. He earned his Bachelor's Degree in Business Management and is on track to complete his Master's in Sports Managment in the Spring of 2023. He is a candidate for the Mexican National Box Lacrosse Team and still plays amateur league level box lacrosse with Los Aztecas Lacrosse Club acrosse the country. He has a great offensive mind for the sport and enjoys giving private lessons to further develop his player's potenital. 
Contact Coach Rafa at: rafaelsegura38@gmail.com or 323-617-2455

VICTORIA HANSEN | Girls Coach
Victoria got her start playing lacrosse in middle school with Beach Cities. She went on to become a four-year varsity letterman in lacrosse at Los Alamitos High School where she also ran cross country. She played on various club lacrosse teams during this time including XTEAM, West Coast Starz and Aces. She has been mentored by Team USA members and D1 NCAA All-Americans. Victoria went to Purdue University where she majored in Kinesiology. She continues to be active and loves all things health and fitness.
 Contact Coach Victoria at: victoriahansen1336@gmail.com or 562-879-7020 

WILL PRYOR | Boys Coach
Will has been coaching with BCYL for 13 years and served as BCYL President from 2016-2020. He is a US Lacrosse Certified Level 1 and Level 2 Coach. Will played high school lacrosse in Watertown, CT as goalie and defenseman at Taft School in the competitive Western New England Prep League. He also has a long history of playing and coaching ice hockey. Professionally, this is Will's 35th year with the LA County Fire Department, currently serving as Battalion Chief. His two sons have played lacrosse for many years; first with Beach Cities and then at LB Poly High School as part of the recently formed Moore League in Long Beach.
Contact Coach Will at: willpryormail@gmail.com or 310-925-2590