Lisa Oyen Ljubicic - Associate Head Coach - Women's Soccer Coaches

Lisa Oyen Ljubicic

Title:
Associate Head Coach
Email:
lisa.ljubicic@csun.edu
Phone:
3852

Lisa Oyen Ljubicic completed her first season as a member of the women's soccer coaching staff. Following her first season as an assistant coach to the team, Ljubicic was promoted to associate head coach for the 2020-21 season. She is responsible for managing the Matador defense in addition to handling administrative duties.

With Ljubicic on the sidelines, the Matadors enjoyed one of their best seasons on the defensive side of the ball in team history in 2019. CSUN finished first in the Big West in goals-against-average (0.87) and tied for first place in shutouts (11). The 11 shutouts during the year was the second-most in team history. Amanda Martin became the third Matador in school history to win the Defensive Player of the Year award. CSUN would finish as runner-ups in the Big West Tournament.

Ljubicic joins the Matadors after serving as managing director and head coach of the Utah Royals FC-Arizona Development Academy over the past year. She was responsible for organizing and conducting training sessions for the U-17 and U-19 teams. In 2017, Ljubicic took on the role of director and head coach of the Sereno SC Elite Clubs National League program where she worked with the U-15, U-16 and U-17 squads.

Ljubicic most recently worked at the collegiate level with Santa Clara as the team's director of soccer operations for four seasons from 2014-17.

Prior to Santa Clara, Ljubicic worked on the Arizona coaching staff for nine seasons (2004-12) where she helped lead the Wildcats to a pair of NCAA Tournament berths. She served as the team's assistant coach for five seasons before taking on co-interim head coaching duties in 2009. She would officially become the head coach after the 2009 season and lead the team for the next three seasons.

Ljubicic helped lead the Wildcats to their first winning season and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2004. Arizona went 15-6-0 that season, winning a share of the Pac-10 Conference title for the first time in team history. The 15 wins during the year are still an Arizona school record. In 2005, Ljubicic would be a part of the program's deepest NCAA Tournament run in Wildcat history. Arizona knocked off Utah and Weber State in the 2005 tournament, leading to the team's first-ever Sweet 16 appearance.

During her time in Tuscon, the Wildcats produced 14 all-conference selections including five first-team honorees. The team also boasted a 100 percent graduation rate and 3.0-grade point average.

Prior to Arizona, she spent two seasons at Washington State as an assistant coach. With Ljubicic on the sidelines, the Cougars would advance to the NCAA Tournament in 2002. She also worked as a volunteer assistant coach at Montana in 1998.

Her extensive club experience includes stops with Los Gatos United, De Anza Force, Arizona Rush, Pullman Pumas, Emerald City FC and Miami Premier. She has also been part of the Arizona Olympic Development Program as both a head coach and assistant coach.

Before beginning her coaching career, Ljubicic played two years for the Miami Gliders of the United Soccer League (USL) W-2 Southeastern Division from 1998-99. She helped lead Miami to a fourth-place finish in the national tournament. A season later, Ljubicic was named team captain of the Gliders.

Ljubicic was a four-year letterwinner at Montana where she roamed the backline as a starting defender. A two-year team captain, Ljubicic led the Grizzlies to a Big Sky championship in 1997. In her senior campaign, she was named Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year and All-West Region from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and SoccerBuzz Magazine.

Ljubicic graduated from the University of Montana in 1998 with a degree in cellular and molecular biology.

Her husband Aleksandar Ljubicic played professional soccer in Europe.