Yale

Melissa Gonzalez, a two-time Olympian who helped Wake Forest reach the NCAA semifinals as an assistant coach, was named Yale's Caroline Ruth Thompson '02 Head Coach of Field Hockey in January of 2022.

In each of the last two seasons, Gonzalez got Yale within one win of making the Ivy League Tournament. The Bulldogs ended both seasons strong, winning four of their final six games. Last season they had one All-American, four NFHCA all-region honorees, six All-Ivy League honorees and the Ivy League Rookie of the Year. In 2023 Yale had two NFHCA all-region selections and five All-Ivy League honorees.

In 2022 Gonzalez led the Bulldogs to nine wins, including wins in three of their final four games -- a span in which they allowed a total of four goals. The Bulldogs had three All-Ivy League honorees, one NFHCA all-region selection and one All-ECAC selection.

Gonzalez' Yale teams have excelled in the classroom, with a total of 47 NFHCA National Academic Squad selections and five NFHCA Scholars of Distinction in her first three years. Yale earned the NFHCA's National Academic Team award each year.

Multiple Bulldogs have earned notice at the national level under Gonzalez, including selections for USA Field Hockey's Junior and Senior Nexus Championships in 2023 and 2024.
 
Prior to joining the Bulldogs Gonzalez spent four seasons on the coaching staff at Wake Forest, earning a promotion from assistant coach to associate head coach in 2020. Throughout her time with the Demon Deacons, they were ranked in the top 25 of the NFHCA poll, reaching a high of No. 11 in the 2021 preseason poll.
 
In 2018 Gonzalez helped Wake Forest advance to the NCAA tournament semifinals with wins vs. No. 7 Iowa and No. 3 Duke. In four years, she helped coach three different players to All-America recognition, including one two-time selection.
 
Prior to Wake Forest, Gonzalez excelled for Team USA, competing in the Olympics in 2012 (London) and 2016 (Rio de Janeiro). She made her U.S. National Team debut in 2010 and helped Team USA earn gold medals at the 2011 and 2015 Pan American Games.
 
Gonzalez served as Team USA's vice captain from 2014 to 2016 and was captain in 2018. All told she represented the U.S. in more than 240 international games, including a pair of Fédération Internationale de Hockey (FIH) World Cups. She was also a nominee for FIH's Player of the Year Award in December 2017. 
 
Gonzalez starred collegiately for UConn. During her senior year in 2010, she was a first team All-American, Mideast Region Player of the Year, Big East Defensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the Honda Sports Award.
 
She was a three-time All-American, four-time All-Mideast Region selection, two-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year and four-time All-Big East honoree in her collegiate career. Gonzalez helped the Huskies win two Big East Tournament Championships and make four appearances in the NCAA Tournament. UConn advanced to the national semifinals once and the national quarterfinals once. The Huskies had an overall record of 74-16 (.822) in her four seasons.
 
Gonzalez graduated from UConn with a Bachelor of Science in coaching and administration in 2011. She served as a volunteer assistant at Yale in 2012 and coached three Bulldogs to All-Ivy League honors and one to an All-Mideast Region selection. She was a volunteer assistant at UMass from 2014-15 and has been an assistant U-16 coach for USA Field Hockey since 2019.
 
Gonzalez, a Cortlandt, N.Y., native, was a two-time All-American at Lakeland (N.Y.) High School, where she led the field hockey team to a pair of state championships.