"Anyone who states that she was just helping you grow as a player is a flat out lie. Growth should not come from public humiliation, I understand letting a coach do their job, but when it comes to talking crap about other players behind their backs that is not coaching. This does genuinely come from a lack of care. She does not care about "your potential as a player", she sees you as a number on the field and that's it. No matter the setback or "injuries" she does not care about you as a person. Even if you're looking for a coach who will push you or challenge you out of your comfort zone, go elsewhere. There are ways to coach to push you without destroying your mental and physical health. Still do not expect college athletics to be easy, but do not come here when the coach only sees you as a player on the field to help her better the record (which is at a consistent downfall). She does not help the players or the team succeed, especially enabling team members to look down on others as well- though the main issue players have now graduated. "

"As someone who played under Coach Berg, I would strongly encourage athletes to consider all aspects of the program before committing. One of the most concerning issues is the number of injuries within the team. For a relatively small roster, the number of significant injuries is alarming, at times, we have experienced more major injuries than the football team. During practices, overly aggressive and dangerous play between teammates (one in particular) often went unaddressed. Even when we told Coach Berg about this player and how we would let her get the ball at practice because we did not want to injure ourselves, nothing was done. In some cases, it seemed as though this behavior was not only tolerated but encouraged, creating an environment where player safety was not prioritized. Having experienced multiple roles on the team as a starter, a bench player, and on IR, I witnessed firsthand how differently players could be treated depending on their perceived value to Coach Berg. As a starter, I was acknowledged and she would go out of her way to talk to me. Once injuries limited my ability to play, or she simply decided not to play me, she would not even make eye contact with me. Favoritism was another issue that negatively impacted the team culture. When several players raised concerns about unequal treatment, those concerns were dismissed and even laughed off. Despite claims that no favorites existed, the differences in how certain athletes were treated were obvious to many of us. In an individual meeting where this was brought to her attention, she stated that "it's just so funny that you think those are my favorites because you're just so wrong on who they are". These favorites had more opportunities and playing time based more on Berg's personal preference rather than performance. I was even told by previous assistant coaches that if they had a say in the lineup, I would have played over said favorites. This was especially frustrating when Berg consistently emphasized the importance of winning while not putting the strongest lineup on the field. With this, assistant coaches struggle under Coach Berg's leadership. Staff turnover is frequent, and several assistants seemed unable to make meaningful contributions because their input was not valued. New coaches every single year should be a major red flag, especially since coaching jobs are slightly niche in the higher level of play. The team environment suffered as a result of these issues. We used to be a very close team; all trauma bonded every single day at practice and were brought together by a combined hatred for Coach Berg. BUT as the ones who kept the power hungry in check, graduated or transferred, bullying and toxic behavior among players often went unchecked, which contributed to a fractured team culture. When concerns were brought forward by multiple athletes, the response was "Why do we give her (the problem player) the power?" rather than addressing the underlying behavior. How are we as teammates supposed to shut down a person that thinks that they are always right and is so rude to other people it affects the whole team? This person was also able to have their minions in a group and all that they would do was crap talk every single person on the team, and nothing was done by Coach Berg to stop it. Beyond the team dynamics, the physical and mental demands placed on athletes are overwhelming. I personally suffered multiple injuries, including two requiring surgeries. On one occasion, I was pressured to continue playing despite being injured, which ultimately led to a complete tear of my quad. Injuries became so common that they felt almost expected. Even when strength and conditioning staff recommended reducing the amount of running, these recommendations were not taken seriously. Instead, decisions were often justified by comparisons to Coach Berg's own collegiate experience and "that's not how we did it at Regis", regardless of how athletes were responding physically. For many players, the cumulative mental and physical toll of the program diminished their love for the sport. It is not surprising that so many athletes have chosen to transfer or step away from collegiate lacrosse altogether. In my experience, the lack of concern for player well-being, combined with the team culture and leadership issues, are reasons why prospective athletes should carefully evaluate whether this program is the right fit for them."

"In a time when women’s athletics is being elevated by leaders like Caitlin Clark, Ilona Maher, and A’ja Wilson, athletes who embody confidence, strength, and mutual support, this program feels out of step. Under Coach Berg, the culture appears to fall short of uplifting female athletes. Instead of building unity and celebrating each other’s success, the environment seems to foster division, where players are set against one another rather than strengthened as a team. There also seems to be a clear lack of open, constructive communication. When athletes don’t feel comfortable speaking honestly or supporting one another without concern for repercussions, it limits both trust and performance. Strong coaching should elevate and instill confidence, connection, and a shared purpose. That standard does not appear to be met in this program. "

"Jessica Berg’s performance as a coach raises serious concerns. From a competitive standpoint, the team’s staggering losses highlight a lack of preparation, in-game adjustment, and strategic adaptability. At this level of play, outcomes like these point to deeper systemic issues. More concerning, however, is the environment surrounding the team. Based on firsthand observation, there appears to be a significant lack of psychological safety. Players do not feel empowered to speak up, advocate for themselves, or communicate openly without fear of negative consequences. That kind of culture directly limits growth, performance, and long-term success. There also appears to be a pattern of dismissing or minimizing athlete health and recovery needs. When players feel pressured to participate despite injuries or without proper medical clearance, it not only impacts performance, it risks their well-being. A strong program should prioritize athlete safety, trust the expertise of medical professionals, and foster collaboration across the care team. Leadership in collegiate athletics extends beyond wins and losses. It includes creating an environment where athletes feel supported, respected, and psychologically safe. Without that foundation, even the most talented teams will struggle to succeed. It is disappointing that this culture has been allowed to persist, as it ultimately impacts the development, health, and experience of the athletes involved."

"Jessica Berg is unfit and not worthy of having the title Coach in front of her name. Her lacrosse and coaching knowledge is so limited that her team lost 0-22 against Maryville this season. Statistically, a DII goalie achieving a shutout is a rarity, occurring in less than 1% of games. During that game she made zero adjustments to her play calling and defensive strategy. It is baffling that with all of her access to film, stats, box scores, and scouting reports that she entered into that game so ill-equipped. To make matters worse, instead of focusing on her players after their devastating loss, she cried. A grown woman, whose full-time job is to coach, guide, prepare, and teach her athletes how to act in victory, and defeat, wept from embarrassment. There is a litany of examples of her lack of coaching competency, but the most egregious incompetency is the psychological damage and trauma that are a direct result of her “coaching.” I have witnessed first hand her toxicity. She refuses to accommodate and prioritize her athletes’ health. As a result, the team is plagued with injuries, multiple of them requiring surgical repair. Instead of listening to the players, athletic trainers, physicians, and strength and conditioning coaches’ requests to rest and recover, she chastises, belittles, and demeans her players through her snide, backhanded remarks, or punitive consequences for not being able to participate. She ignores protocols and forces her athletes to participate in activities they’re not medically cleared to do. She has cultivated a culture of fear. Fear of being punished for getting injured. Fear of being accosted by her passive-aggressive behavior. Fear of being ostracized for not engaging in religious practices she mandates before games. Fear of being gaslighted. It is an absolute disgrace that MWSU administrators have allowed hundreds of talented women to be subjected to her malfeasance. "

"Worst decision I have made as a parent with supporting my daughter in her lacrosse career. Berg is an awful human being and worse coach. She has taken my daughter and ruined her confidence as a person and has ruined the sport of Lacrosse. I hope players and parents see this and can make wise choices when deciding to attend college as a lacrosse athlete. Pick a better school and please for the sake of your daughter mental health a better coach. I say this and my daughter was a starter on the team so not bitter bench player parent but mad that Berg has put my daughter in a depression state of mind. Not ok and shame on you Jessica Berg. "

"She is quite literally one of the worst coaches. She has zero empathy and has admitted that she struggles with the ability to empathize with anyone going through anything. We watched as she made life hell for our assistant coaches multiple times. We even tried to report her to our AD. And all that came out of it was a small suspension. She’s pushed people to injury multiple times. And truly believe she does no wrong and it’s hurting the program. Away trips on spring break is always Colorado to see her family and her sister comes and joins the bus and she will leave everyone to eat and spend time with them instead of us. She tends to flip every negative situation onto the players when anyone tries to speak up. 1/100 recommend. You’d be better off anywhere else"

"I committed to this school because I wanted to be a part of an amazing opportunity and start a program from scratch. The school itself has awesome facilities and every start-up has its own issues. I truly believe that Coach Berg thinks she is doing the right thing but she's not. Coach Berg does not have the knowledge to coach at the collegiate level. She has no lacrosse IQ and had multiple division 1 transfers benched during her first year as a coach. She plays players who don't even know how to catch or throw a ball (but can run) along with players who sit out the whole year but only play during the games..? She doesn't even have plays for her offense and runs defensive drills where her players crash from low to high. She has a hard time with criticism, multiple players have tried asking her to explain her knowledge and she gets irritated and ignores them. It's really unfortunate because she has so many talented players (thanks to coach Benz) that won't have the year that they had like last year because every school in the GLVC knows how to play defense on them. This is where coach Berg should be coaching them but unfortunately, like last season, doesn't know how to do so. In order to be a good coach and gain respect, you have to be the bad guy sometimes. Coach Berg acts more like a friend and none of the girls have respect for her. Coach Berg would pull players into her office and talk shit about other players. At the Division 2 level, your coach should know the basics about the game/drills and be coaching you. Missouri Western was a different school two years ago, the whole athletic department is falling apart as well as the academics but that's a whole different story. Good luck to all of the girls this season I hope you all do amazing things, but without a good coach it will be a struggle."

"This coach is limited in knowledge, doesn’t listen to her players and is unwilling to take criticism of any sort. She also tries harder to be a friend and cool coach than any sort of responsible adult in a position of power. She is only in her current position because the head coach before her was let go, she doesn’t have the experience or knowledge to really lead a team. She doesn’t know the game well enough to use her roster nor does she respect or trust her players to do their jobs. She has benched skilled players due to past injuries, started a player that shows up to practice drunk, and continues to allow a racist player on her team. She continually talks trash about her players to other players, and makes fun of one specific athletes odor rather than having a conversation with her. The school will do nothing about any of this. So I urge anyone thinking of playing lacrosse for Berg to not do so. It was the worst decision of my life and I am glad to be away from her."