Lisa Ljubicic is in her second full year as the head women's soccer coach at Willamette University in 2023-24. She began working with the Bearcats in the spring of 2022. Ljubicic has extensive women's soccer coaching experience, including as an NCAA Division I head coach, associate head coach, and assistant coach. Willamette competes in NCAA Division III.

Ljubicic is just the third head women's soccer coach at Willamette since 1993 and the seventh since the program started in 1981-82. Jim Tursi coached the Bearcats from 1993 until 2007. Hillary Arthur was the head coach from 2008 through 2021.

"I am so very thankful for the opportunity to represent Bearcat Athletics and lead the women's soccer program," Ljubicic said. "I am excited to be back in my home state representing one of its finest institutions and working with incredibly talented and dedicated student-athletes. I am also glad to be working alongside Willamette's dedicated staff and faculty to uphold our mission of preparing graduates to transform knowledge into action and lead lives of achievement, contribution, and meaning."

Ljubicic brings a tremendous amount of soccer knowledge to the Bearcats. Her coaching experience at the collegiate level began as an assistant coach at Washington State University from 2001-03. Next, she moved to the University of Arizona, where she was the associate head soccer coach and an assistant coach from 2003-09. She served as the head soccer coach at Arizona from November of 2009 through November of 2012. Ljubicic was the manager of women's soccer operations at Santa Clara University from January of 2013 through July of 2017 and was the Girls ECNL director and head coach of the Sereno Soccer Club in 2017-18.

She returned to college coaching in 2019 as the associate head coach at California State University, Northridge from July of 2019 through September of 2020. In the fall of 2020, Ljubicic was hired as the associate head coach at Coastal Carolina University, where she stayed for two seasons until she was hired by Willamette. She has a United State Soccer Federation (USSF) A License.

Highlights of Ljubicic's career include two Sun Belt Conference Tournament appearances with Coastal Carolina in 2020 and 2021; a Big West Conference Tournament second place finish at CSU-Northridge in 2019 when she coached the Big West Defensive Player of the Year; coaching multiple First Team All-Pac 10 and All-Pac 12 players while at Arizona, including Arizona's first All-America selection and Pac 10 Player of the Year; assisting as a coach on Arizona's first conference championship team; plus three NCAA postseason tournament appearances.

"I feel very fortunate to have worked with, and learned from, some outstanding coaches throughout my career," Ljubicic commented. "There are so many things that I have learned about tactics, methodology, player management, and communication that have allowed me to grow in the profession and to continue to love what I do. I hope to share all of this with my players in a manner that allows them to continue to learn, appreciate, and love the game as well."

While attending Oregon City High School, Ljubicic was a two-sport athlete in soccer and track and field. She also played club soccer at Lake Oswego United, where her teammates included WU soccer alumni Jamie Barton, Kristy Ell, and Kassy Ell.

Ljubicic played on the soccer team at the University of Montana from 1994 through 1997. She was a four-year starter and a two-year captain. She was chosen Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 1997. Ljubicic graduated from Montana in December of 1998 with a bachelor's degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology. She played semi-professional soccer and was the team captain with the Miami Gliders in the W-League in 1998 and 1999.