DeSales University Men's Lacrosse

Brancaccio returns for his 14th season and his 12th as the head coach of the Bulldogs after serving as an assistant coach under Mike Schambach for two years before being named the head in 2015.   Brancaccio led the Bulldogs the best season in school history in 2019 when DSU posted a record of 17-2, won its first-ever MAC Freedom Championship, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in team history.  DeSales started the season with a school-record 15-game winning streak and set numerous team records.  He has also led DSU to the only 10+ win seasons in team history, winning 10+ games four times.   In his 11 seasons at the helm, Brancaccio now owns a 90-75 (.545) record.  He has guided DSU to the MAC Freedom postseason eight times, been named the MAC Freedom Coach of the Year twice (2016, 2019), is DSU’s all-time leader in wins (90), and the only coach in team history with a winning percentage over .500.   Prior to DeSales, Brancaccio served as the head coach of Dominican College in 2011 leading the Chargers to a 2-13 overall record.   Brancaccio graduated from DeSales in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in sport & exercise science.  He is one of the most decorated players in DeSales men’s lacrosse history as the all-time leader in assists with 107 and also ranking sixth all-time in goals scored (80), second all-time in points (187), second all-time in games played (63), and 11th in ground balls (152).   Brancaccio led the Bulldogs to their first and only conference playoff appearance his senior year, knocking off Messiah College in the final game of the regular season to earn a playoff spot, losing to Elizabethtown College in the opening round in 2009.  He was named to All-MAC Second-Team as both a junior and a senior and inducted into the DeSales University Hall of Fame in 2024.    

Maccario is a Wheeling Jesuit Alumni graduating in 2013 where he was a four year starter and is the all-time leader in caused turnovers.  He was also selected as the youngest captain in school history as a sophomore. Maccario received All-American honors as both a junior and senior and was selected to the ECAC All-Conference Second Team as a junior and First Team as a senior.   Maccario graduated from Wheeling with a degree in business and holds concentrations in account management and marketing, and is currently pursuing his Masters in Business Marketing from DeSales.

Adams was named the graduate assistant coach in July of 2025, having graduated from the University of Mary Washington in 2025, with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and a minor in Sports Management. Adams will help coach the offense for the Bulldogs. Adams played lacrosse at the collegiate level for four years at the University of Mary Washington (2021-2025). During those four years, Adams appeared in 50 games as a midfielder scoring 20 goals and adding eight assists in his career. Ryan is originally from Purcellville, VA, and will pursue a Master of Business Administration in Marketing.

Sean Collins enters his 11th season as an assistant coach with the Bulldogs under head coach Matt Brancaccio.  He is a 2007 graduate of Misericordia University with a bachelor’s of science in medical imaging and a 2024 graduate of the DeSales MBA program.   While at Misericordia, Collins was a four-year starter from 2004-07 and two-year team captain.  He was named All-PAC First-Team twice as a junior and senior and All-PAC Second-Team once as a sophomore.  Collins finished career with 109 goals and 103 assists for 212 total points which ranks first all-time at Misericordia.  He also holds the school-record for career assists (103) and assists in a season (35) and iin 2018 was inducted into the Misericordia Athletics Hall of Fame.   Following his playing career Collins was an assistant coach at local rival Moravian College from 2007-10 working with the attack and on offense.  When Moravian dropped lacrosse as a varsity sport following the spring, 2010 season, he became the co-head coach of the Moravian College Men’s Club Lacrosse program till the spring of 2014 when Moravian brought the sport back to varsity level.  In the spring of 2011 Collins helped guide Moravian College to the NCLL national semifinals.   Collins resides in Fogelsville, PA with his wife Trisha, and two daughters (Mckinli and Delaini). He works professionally as the Administrator of Imaging Operations and Network Technology for Lehigh Valley Health Network.  

Coach Mess joined Coach Brancaccio’s staff in the summer of 2016.   He played one year of collegiate lacrosse at Kutztown University before an injury cut his career short.  Mess has coached at all levels of lacrosse including youth, high school, and collegiately at nearby Moravian College from 2007-13.   He worked for the Port Authority of NY/NJ Police Academy for 26 years, retiring in 2006 with the rank of Sergeant.   Mess currently resides in Hunterdon County, NJ with his wife of 38 years Josephine. They have three children – Lauren, David, and Michelle – and two granddaughters, Olivia (9) and Ruby (5).