The University of Chicago won the one-of-a-kind men’s soccer NCAA championship on Saturday.
With a 2-0 win over Williams College in the NCAA Division III finals, Maroons head coach Julian Sich became the first woman in college sports history to win the national men’s soccer championship.
Gatorade showers and all.
Robby Pinot and Ryan Yetiszewski scored the winning goals, while Chicago goalkeeper Will Boyes kept three clean sheets in a row.
The win completed Chicago’s undefeated 22-0-1 season, and was their only non-win on October 28 against New York University. It’s a powerful way to start your career as a college head coach.
Chicago selected Sitch, a Chicago native, to lead the program in April 2022 and has twice served as the school’s assistant coach. She has also worked as an assistant coach for the NWSL’s Chicago She’s Red Stars, Red Stars’ head of her reserves, and Illinois’ women’s soccer as her assistant coach for Chicago.
Before his coaching career, Sitch was a star player for DePaul and still holds the school’s all-time combined points and assists record. Her professional career lasted her 13 years, with Red Stars she had three different stints.
Clearly, she’s not the kind of person who would mind working in Chicago. And now she’s making history by doing just that.
