American University women’s soccer announces coaching staff updates

WASHINGTON – American University women’s soccer head coach Marsha Harper announced updates to her 2021 coaching staff.

Katie Greenberg, entering her second season on Harper’s staff, has been moved into a lead assistant role. Additionally, Matt Freibaum has been hired as an assistant coach while Martina Loncar will coach the team in a volunteer assistant role.

“I am beyond excited to be able to finally have a full staff in place,” Harper said. “Katie, Matt, and Martina will all be instrumental in helping to take this program to the next level. Each of them are so uniquely different. I am very excited to be surrounded by such driven and highly-skilled coaches, intelligent soccer minds, and even better people that will truly help elevate our already great AU Women’s Soccer family!”

The staff will look to keep building a culture in Harper’s second season at AU.

In the condensed spring 2021 season, as one of her many roles, Greenberg worked directly with the goalkeepers, helping Ryleigh Brown finish her career in the program’s all-time top five in three categories: career saves (197), minutes played as a keeper (3,364), and games played as a keeper (40).

“Elevating Katie into this role was a no-brainer and absolutely well-deserved,” added Harper. “She has been crucial in assisting me with everything throughout our first year here at AU and is hands down the best recruiting coordinator in the country!”

“I want to thank Marsha for the incredible opportunity to enhance my role within our program,” Greenberg added. “We have built an amazing foundation both on and off the field in the last year – and now with the addition of Matt and Martina, I can’t wait to see what we accomplish.”

Freibaum joins the staff after spending the previous two seasons at Wofford. In his role at AU, he will be in charge of the attacking unit. During his time at Wofford, he oversaw all aspects of the program and served as lead recruiter, bringing in two players who earned spots on the 2021 Southern Conference All-Freshman Team. His work with the attacking players saw Wofford’s scoring output double from 2019 to last season.

A native of Mount Airy, Md., Freibaum spent the 2018 season as an assistant for the men’s soccer program at Stevenson, helping guide the team to a 12-9-1 overall record.

In his playing days, Freibaum was a three-year starter at York College. A forward for the Spartans, Freibaum was named Second Team All-Conference as a senior after leading the team with 17 points on five goals and seven assists. He also spent his first two collegiate seasons at Virginia Commonwealth University.

“Matt is a very bright up-and-coming coach that has already had proven success on and off the field,” said Harper. “His competitiveness, drive, and character will be a perfect addition to our staff dynamic.”

“I would like to thank Marsha, Katie and the administration for the incredible opportunity to coach at AU,” added Freibaum. “From the moment I met with Marsha and Katie, I knew this was a coaching staff I wanted to be a part of. I truly believe this program is heading in the right direction, and I can’t wait to get to work.”

No stranger to the Patriot League, Loncar joins the AU staff after a stellar four-year career at Colgate. Loncar saw action in 66 games for the Raiders, scoring three goals and recording one assist in her career. The three-time Patriot League Academic Honor Roll recipient finished her senior year as the Colgate Athletics Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

A native of Brampton, Ontario, who also has Croatian citizenship, Loncar appeared for the Croatian national team during the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifying cycle. She has also been in the U17 and U20 Canadian National Team Pool. While serving as a volunteer assistant, Loncar will be pursuing a master’s degree at AU.

“Martina has already proven herself on the field and in the classroom, as a highly respected Patriot League and International student-athlete,” said Harper. “She will not only be a great coach, but also an excellent mentor to the women within our program.”

“I’m very excited to serve the team as a volunteer assistant coach,” Loncar said. “After playing in the Patriot League myself, I’m thrilled to be joining another talented program and can’t wait to see everything the team accomplishes this season.”

AU opens the 2021 regular season at home against William & Mary on August 19.