Lisa Ljubicic joined the Coastal Carolina women's soccer program as the associate head coach in September 2020.
Joining the Chanticleers in the early goings of the 2020-21 season, Ljubicic helped the Chanticleers go 7-8-0 overall on the season, which included going 6-4 in regular-season Sun Belt Conference play in the fall. The Chants posted shutout wins over Troy (Sept. 27), Appalachian State (Oct. 4), and Georgia Southern (Oct. 8) and three consecutive matches before ending the fall regular-season slate with a 1-0 win at home over Georgia Southern (Oct. 28).
The Chanticleers also played four matches in the 2021 spring season, which included contests on the road at national powers Duke and South Carolina, with a very young team that had 11 true freshmen and 10 sophomores on the roster.
A total of nine different Chants notched a goal on the season, while a total of 15 student-athletes registered at least one point on the year for the season.
Coastal had three student-athletes earn All-Sun Belt honors, as Mackenzie Gibbs and Mackenzie Cherry were both named to the first team while senior Sunny Sigurvinsdottir was named to the second team.
A former head coach at Arizona, Ljubicic came to CCU after one season as the assistant coach at California State University, Northridge where she was responsible for managing the Matador defense in addition to handling administrative duties. She was promoted to associate head coach following the 2019 season.
With Ljubicic on the sidelines in 2019, 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 were the second-most in team history. Amanda Martin became the third Matador in school history to win the conference Defensive Player of the Year award. CSUN would finish as runner-up in the Big West Tournament.
Ljubicic joined the Matadors after serving as the managing director and head coach of the Utah Royals FC-Arizona Development Academy. There, 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 also worked with Santa Clara as the team's director of soccer operations for four seasons from 2014-17.
Before her time at 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 a 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 picked up National Soccer Coaches Association of America and SoccerBuzz Magazine All-West Region honors.
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.
