As the UCLA women’s soccer team started its first weeks of spring practice, the team’s coach, Jillian Ellis, finished reshuffling her coaching staff.
First, Ellis welcomed Bruin alumna Louise Lieberman back into the UCLA family, hiring her as an assistant coach to replace Shannon MacMillan, who accepted a club coaching job near her home in San Diego.
Then she awarded her four-year assistant B.J. Snow the title of assistant head coach.
Now, after a busy February, the Bruins are ready to get going.
And Lieberman can’t wait to be a part of it all.
“I’m exhilarated,” Lieberman said. “I’m so happy. It’s something I think I’ve always really wanted. To work with Jill at my home is so much fun.
“I’ve come to games ever since I left. I’d wave at halftime.”
Ellis shares her assistant’s enthusiasm about the hire. In her first year at UCLA, Ellis worked with Lieberman, who was the team’s undergraduate assistant at the time. Since then, she said that she has twice tried to hire Lieberman when she had openings.
“Her soccer knowledge was a big part of it,” Ellis said. “Her personality was another big draw to me. She is an incredibly positive person. She is upbeat and will forge good relationships with the players. It was an added bonus that she played here. I know she bleeds blue and gold. It was kind of a home run for me in choice.”
Lieberman will fill the position left by MacMillan, who is now the director of coaching for the DMCV Sharks, a competitive girl’s soccer club in San Diego. MacMillan’s tenure with UCLA lasted two seasons, each of which culminated with a trip to the College Cup.
MacMillan, who won multiple accolades as a part of the U.S. national team, had been occasionally commuting back and forth between her homes in San Diego and Los Angeles, and so relocating was in her best interest.
“She has taken a position back closer to her hometown,” Ellis said of MacMillan. “She is going to start a family. We were obviously saddened to see her leave. But it was a good decision for Shannon and her future.”
Lieberman joins the Bruins after filling a role similar to the one MacMillan is entering. For the last three years, Lieberman was the director of coaching for the LA Rampage Futbol Club.
Although Ellis and Lieberman began discussions for the job as recently as three weeks ago, Lieberman, who described herself as an optimistic, “glass half-full” person, said everything fell into place quickly and has already gotten to know a few of the girls.
“I feel good,” Lieberman said. “I feel like this is the spot for me right now. Sometimes things in life feel like good timing, and I feel that way. Knowing the Bruins success and knowing what Jill’s done I feel like I’m ready to sort of mesh into it and go with it. Blend in and jump in two feet and move forward with the program.”
SPRING PRACTICE: The Bruins began their quest for a national championship three weeks ago when they hit the practice field for the first time formally as a team.
Their spring practice consists of four-week sets in which the Bruins will practice for three consecutive weeks, and then take a week off.
The weeks of practice consist of three days of practice that will focus on technical skill-building along with supplemental weightlifting on non-practice days.
As the team readies for the fall, they will also scrimmage opponents that include the Women’s Professional Soccer League’s Rampage and the Under-18 U.S. National Team.