Louise Lieberman enters her seventh season as the Toreros' head coach and has established herself as one of women's soccer most influential young coaches through her time at San Diego, with U.S. Soccer and as a UCLA assistant.
Lieberman has been called in as an assistant coach on the U23 Women's National Team for several years and absolutely loves the experience with the program.
Before taking over San Diego's program in 2017, Lieberman helped transform UCLA into a national women's soccer power. During her eight seasons as an assistant, the Bruins made seven NCAA tournament appearances, two trips to the Final Four and won the 2013 National Championship, the first in UCLA history.
Under her eight-year tutelage, the Bruins produced 15 NSCAA All-Americans, six freshmen All-Americans, 30 NSCAA All-Pacific Region players, two Pac-12 Players of the Year, one Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, 39 All-Pac 12 performers and 13 Pac-12 All-Freshman members.
While at UCLA she coached Sam Mewis and Abby Dahlkemper, members of the United States' 2019 World Cup championship team.
"She's amazing to play for," San Diego senior Milan Moses said of Lieberman. "She' brings a great energy. What I love about her is the relationship we have off the field. She's someone you can talk to. It's not just soccer, soccer, soccer. She's inspiring. When she talks, it just makes you fired up."
Prior to her run at UCLA, Lieberman served as Director of Coaching for the highly competitive LA Rampage FC for three years. She was in charge of overseeing all 27 youth teams while managing a staff of roughly 15 coaches. Lieberman was also heavily involved in all parent-player relationships with the club. Lieberman was hired by the Rampage to be the Director of Women's Coaching in 2005 and was elevated to the main director position after just one year.
Before joining the Rampage, Lieberman served as Paul Caligiuri's assistant for both the men's and women's teams at Cal Poly Pomoma in 2002 and was an undergraduate assistant coach for the UCLA women in 1999.
Lieberman has been extensively involved with the Cal-South Olympic Development Program team, coaching at both the U-14 and U-16 levels. In 2016 she was honored with the Cal South Excellence in Coaching Award. She also worked with the U.S. Soccer U-18 National Team at their training camps.
As a player, Lieberman was a second-team All-Pac-10 selection at UCLA in 1995. She played in 78 games during her four-year career, totaling 31 points on seven goals and 17 assists. A two-year winner of the team's Most Inspirational Award, she helped the program claim its first two Pac-10 Championships in 1997 and `98, as UCLA made the NCAA Tournament in three of her four seasons, reaching the quarterfinals in 1997. Following her UCLA playing days, she played one year for the WUSA's Washington Freedom during the league's inaugural season of 2001. In 2010, she was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
Lieberman was a standout at Beverly Hills High School from 1991-95, earning multiple MVP, all-league and All-CIF honors. She was named one of Soccer America's Elite 11 Recruits as a senior in 1995. She also led her club team, the Fountain Valley Spirit, to a national championship in 1994.
Lieberman graduated from UCLA in 2000 with a degree in Sociology.
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT COACH LOU
"I have known Louise since she was a standout player at UCLA, and I knew she would one day lead her own program. She is a bright and confident coach, and her leadership and personal qualities are an excellent fit for the University of San Diego.
Working alongside Lou at UCLA, I saw her build relationships and teach the game at the highest level - she will be a tremendous addition to the USD athletics department."
- Jill Ellis, Former U.S. Women's National Team Head Coach
"The University of San Diego hired a fantastic coach and quality person in Louise Lieberman. While at UCLA for eight years, she was an integral part of our program's success, including winning the first national championship in 2013. Lou's knowledge of the game and recruiting ability are undeniable. She is passionate about leading young women and will work to pursue excellence on a daily basis. Even though UCLA is losing someone very special, we are proud and excited to see Louise continue her journey as head coach at USD."
- Amanda Cromwell, Former UCLA Women's Soccer Head Coach
"USD has hit it out of the park, or should I say hit the upper 90, with the hiring of Louise Lieberman. She has quietly and humbly been a stalwart and huge part of the winning tradition of Bruin soccer for years. I've had the pleasure of watching her as a youth player, collegiate player and, as a colleague, dedicated herself with passion and professionalism to Division 1 women's soccer. USD was NOT short on tremendous candidates for this position and truly couldn't go wrong, but they have in Louise Lieberman a coach who is a proven winner as a person and coach. I'm confident the Toreros will see great success with her at the helm and her student-athletes will have the experience of a lifetime."
- Lesle Gallimore, Former University of Washington Women's Soccer Head Coach
"So happy for USD and for Lou. Lou is a special coach because of how wonderful of a person she is. She is passionate about making her players the best they can be on the field but she cares infinitely more about molding strong and kind women. She is always there to stay late after practice for extra shots and is always available to talk about struggles, dreams and life."
- Lauren Chaney Holiday, Former US National Team member, retired professional soccer player, and two-time Olympic gold medalist and FIFA Women's World Cup champion.
