I didn’t want to go too far without mentioning some college soccer history that happened Saturday in Salem, Va. In the NCAA Division III men’s soccer final, the University of Chicago defeated Williams College 2-0.
Joining in the celebrations was Julianne Sitch, an NWSL veteran for several seasons as well a former coach with the Chicago Red Stars Reserves.
Sitch, notably, is the University of Chicago’s head soccer coach. She is became the first female head coach in history to lead an NCAA men’s soccer program to a national title. And it was the Maroons’ first national title in the program’s 75-year history.
Now, we’ve seen women coaching men on a sporadic basis over the years, especially in basketball. Teresa Weatherspoon, Nancy Lieberman, Kara Lawson, Becky Hammon, and Kristi Toliver have been in the coaching boxes within the G-League and the NBA over the year.
But this is something different. Sitch has gotten her team to play through a maze of Division III men’s soccer teams. There are currently 414 teams playing Division III soccer from coast to coast. Somehow, she was able to steer the Maroons to a 22-1 record and through a bracket of 62 teams to get to the Division III College Cup final.
It’s a remarkable story, but I also think Sitch is going to get a couple of phone calls in the next week from people looking to hire a good coach. And one local candidate could be involved.
More on that Wednesday.
TopOfTheCircle.com 
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