Julianne Sitch is in her second season on the UChicago women’s soccer staff as an assistant coach in 2016.
The 2016 Maroons tied the school record for wins with an 18-4-1 record and reached the NCAA Final Four for the fourth time. They also tied the school record for shutouts (14) and set a new mark for lowest goals against average (0.43). Two Maroons received All-American status. UChicago was picked as NSCAA Central Region Coaching Staff of the Year.
A native of Oswego, Ill., Sitch was Illinois Gatorade Women’s High School Soccer Player of the Year in 2002. She went on to compile record-setting numbers at DePaul University from 2002-05. Sitch broke the school’s career records in points (90), goals (32) and assists (26). Her collegiate honors included Second Team NSCAA All-American (2003), Conference USA Player of the Year (2003) and First Team All-Big East (2005).
Sitch played for the Region II Olympic Development Program, the Under-19 U.S. National Team and the Under-21 U.S. National Team. She was part of the U-21 national team that won the Nordic Cup in 2004.
As a professional soccer player, Sitch was drafted by Sky Blue FC of the Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) in 2009. The team went on to win the National Championship in that inaugural season. Domestically, she played professionally for the Chicago Red Stars, Western New York Flash and Atlanta Beat. Sitch played on the international stage for Melbourne Victory in Australia, as well as Hammarby IF and Balinge IF in Sweden.
Sitch currently serves as head of athletic development for the Chicago City Soccer Club. In that role, she coaches the U-16 girls’ team while also overseeing speed, agility, strength, conditioning and injury prevention for ages U-8 to U-18.