Nike Girls Soccer Camp at NIU - Collegiate Experience

“I am very excited to have Michael O’Neill joining the Huskie family as our next women’s soccer head coach,” said Frazier. “Hiring an experienced head coach with a history of championship success was important to us in this process. Michael has proven his ability to build a program that has achieved at a high-level, both athletically and academically, and he is the right fit for NIU. I would also like to thank (Senior Associate Athletic Director) Courtney Vinson for her hard work in leading our search.”

During his tenure at Saginaw Valley State, O’Neill’s Cardinals won 77 matches and he mentored 35 All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) selections.

“I’m extremely excited to be joining the NIU women’s soccer program,” said O’Neill. “As soon as the administration reached out and expressed an interest in me it was something that I knew was going to be a great fit for me and my family. I’m excited and I’m under no illusions that its going to take a lot of hard work but I am grateful for the opportunity and grateful to Sean (Frazier) and Courtney (Vinson) for trusting me to lead this program.”

This past season, O’Neill led the Cardinals to a school record 14 victories as they advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division II Tournament for the first time, before falling to eventual national champion Grand Valley State. O’Neill mentored six All-GLIAC honorees during the 2021 campaign, including Stephanie Strong, who scored a program record 14 goals, and Olivia Argeros, who posted a school record 13 shutouts.

Saginaw Valley State won double-digit games in six of O’Neill’s eight seasons, including during his first year in 2014 when the Cardinals reached the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in school history. After inheriting a program that had been under .500 the season prior to his arrival, O’Neill guided Saginaw Valley to an 11-4-3 mark in his first season, winning the program’s first NCAA Tournament game as they defeated Ohio Dominican in the first round. Four Cardinals earned all-conference honors, including GLIAC Goalkeeper of the Year Claire Spleth.

O’Neill and the Cardinals won 10 games in both the 2016 and 2017 seasons, reaching the GLIAC Tournament Final in 2017. Saginaw Valley State returned to the NCAA Tournament during the 2018 season as the Cardinals posted a 12-4-4 record. Four players earned all-conference honors during the 2018 campaign, including Molly Vanderhoff, who was also named a United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American.

The Cardinals won 12 games during the 2019 campaign, finishing second in the regular season in the GLIAC. During his eight seasons at Saginaw Valley, O’Neill led the Cardinals to four top-three finishes in the conference.

Prior to taking over the Saginaw Valley State women’s soccer program, O’Neill spent two seasons (2012-13) as an assistant coach with the Cardinal men’s soccer program. In 2012, O’Neill helped the Saginaw Valley State men to an 18-win season as they won the GLIAC title and advanced to the NCAA Division II National Championship game for the first time in program history. Seven players earned All-GLIAC honors, with Zach Myers and Jason Wise, becoming the first two players in school history to earn All-America recognition. Myers was the 2012 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NCSAA) Division II National Player of the Year and also earned Academic All-America honors.

In addition to his time at Saginaw Valley State, O’Neill also served as an assistant coach with the Flint City Bucks in USL League Two during the summer of 2021.

As a player, O’Neill ranks third in career assists at Tiffin University, having played for the Dragons from 2008-11, helping the school win three GLIAC Tournament titles (2008, ’09, ’11). A native of Luton, England, O’Neill earned his bachelor's degree from Tiffin University in Sports and Recreation Management in 2012.

"I'm extremely excited to add Laurence to my staff here at NIU," said O'Neill. "Laurence adds so many different dimensions to our staff with his ability to work with goalkeepers and outfield players. Laurence has also established himself as great recruiter and knows what it takes to get the players we need to build this program. I look forward to working with Laurence and seeing the impact he will have on this program in years to come"

Paterson is reunited with O'Neill after working together for the past three years at Saginaw Valley State.

"I'm delighted to be joining the women's soccer staff at Northern Illinois University," said Paterson. "I'm especially grateful to continue working alongside head coach Michael O'Neill as well as a talented and dedicated group of student-athletes."

In 2019, Paterson joined the Saginaw Valley State men's and women's soccer programs as an assistant coach, working primarily with the goalkeepers. During his first season, the Cardinal women's program won 12 matches while the men's team won 13 games, with both advancing to the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament Championship.

Paterson mentored a pair of goalkeepers to conference honors during the 2021 spring season. The Saginaw Valley State men's program posted a perfect 7-0 mark in the COVID-altered campaign to win the GLIAC regular season crown and Mason Maziasz was named GLIAC Goalkeeper of the Year. On the women's side, the Cardinals advanced to the quarterfinals of the GLIAC Tournament and goalkeeper Alyssa Watts claimed Second Team All-GLIAC recognition.

The Saginaw Valley State women's program set a school record with 14 wins in 2021, reaching the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 for the first time in program history. Goalkeeper Olivia Argeros recorded a school record 13 shutouts to earn GLIAC Goalkeeper of the Year honors and was also named to the All-Midwest Region Second Team by the Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association. The Cardinal men's team won 10 matches in 2021 and Maziasz led the league in save percentage and goals against average.

Along with his collegiate coaching experience, Paterson became the head coach for the Michigan Olympic Development Program (ODP) '07 Girls Team in 2020 and the Michigan ODP '08 Boys Team in 2021. He has also worked with the National Tri-County Soccer Club, the Mid-Michigan Youth Soccer Association and as an assistant at Flint Kearsley High School.

Paterson played collegiately at Saginaw Valley State, helping the Cardinals to a pair of GLIAC championships (2011, '12). In 2012, the Cardinals advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament Championship game, finishing the season with a 19-3-4 overall record.

A native of Flint, Mich., Paterson earned his bachelor's degree in English and Economics from Saginaw Valley State in 2015. He earned a master's degree in Chinese Studies from the University of Glasgow in 2019.

“It’s great to have Valentina on board,” said O’Neill. “As soon as I was hired here at NIU she was someone I knew could help make an instant impact on this program. Her energy as a player and coach is second to none. We are lucky to have Valentina on board and I’m excited to see her flourish here at NIU.”

“I’m really looking forward to joining NIU and representing the Huskies,” said Giambanco. “I am grateful to be given the opportunity to work alongside such a talented and ambitious coaching staff. The vision that both Coach O’Neill and Laurence (Paterson) have for the game will have a tremendous impact on the program and I am excited and ready to be a part of that journey. Go Huskies!”

In her two seasons leading the New Haven program, Giambanco led the Rockets to both a league and a district championship. In the spring of 2021, New Haven won the Macomb Area Conference-Silver with a perfect 6-0 league mark as the Rockets went 13-4 overall. This past spring, New Haven captured its first girls soccer district title, defeating Memphis, 7-1, in the district championship game.

Giambanco played collegiately at Saginaw Valley State for four seasons (2016-19) under O’Neill. She appeared in 76 matches for the Cardinals, making 54 starts while scoring 23 goals with 13 assists. As a junior in 2018, Giambanco was named to the All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) First Team while also earning All-Midwest Region honors from the Division II Conference Commissioner’s Association (D2CCA). Saginaw Valley State advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament in 2018, winning 12 matches. During Giambanco’s senior season in 2019, the Cardinals once again won 12 games and reached the GLIAC Tournament Final.

Following her playing career at Saginaw Valley, Giambanco joined the Cardinals as a volunteer assistant coach in the spring of 2020.

Along with her time at New Haven and Saginaw Valley, Giambanco also served as an assistant coach with the Michigan Olympic Development Program Pool in both the 2007 and 2009 age groups in 2021. She has also been the head coach of two teams in the Michigan Stars club program, based out of Metro Detroit.

A native of Shelby Township, Mich., Giambanco earned her bachelor’s degree from Saginaw Valley in communication, with a minor in athletic coaching.

"I wanted to take this time to thank Coach O'Neill for this incredible opportunity to be a member of the NIU Huskie program and to join the coaching staff," said Jakubowski. "I feel truly grateful and honored to start this next adventure in my soccer journey and to be part of a program which has already established a respectable and upstanding culture. I'm excited to be working alongside such knowledgeable coaches and talented players to help cultivate a program as well as leading these Huskie women to success both on and off the field. I'm excited to see this program flourish and I'm looking forward to the upcoming season. Go Huskies!"

Jakubowski played collegiately at Creighton, where she was a two-time All-Big East First Team honoree (2018, '19) as well as a member of the Big East All-Freshman Team in 2016. A team captain in 2019, Jakubowski finished her career with the Bluejays with 17 goals and 11 assists, she graduated from Creighton with a degree in psychology in 2019.

Following her collegiate career, Jakubowski played two seasons (2021-22) with Kuopion Palloseura (KuPS) in the Finnish First Division. In 2021, Jakubowski helped KuPS win the league and qualify for the UEFA Champions League.

A native of Lake in the Hills, Ill., Jakubowski attended Huntley High School, where she helped lead the Red Raiders to an Illinois Class 3A state fourth-place finish in 2016 while she was named the Northwest Herald Player of the Year. Jakubowski also played club soccer with Chicago Sockers FC.