Aubry fills out her 2009 coaching staff

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – University of Arkansas head soccer coach Erin Aubry has completed her staff with the hiring of assistant coaches Christine Liberto and Tim Nowak. Before their respective moves to become Razorbacks, Liberto served as an assistant coach under Aubry at Morehead State University and Nowak was the head coach of the women’s program at Eastern Illinois University.

"We have put together such a quality and well rounded staffand I couldn’t be more excited," Aubry said."Christine will add youthful energy that the players need and Tim will add experience and professionalism to both recruiting and on-field training. It is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity to work with two such motivated and good hearted individuals."

Liberto joins the Razorbacks after one season as an assistant coaching at Morehead State. She was part of Aubry’s staff that guided the Eagles to a 9-9-3 record and a spot in the 2008 NCAA Tournament. MSU finished the year with a 4-2-2 league record and capped the conference season by winning the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Championship with a 1-0 victory over the University of Tennessee-Martin.

Under Liberto’s guidance, three MSU players were named to the all-conference team, including Jillian Birchmeier who became the first player in OVC history to win Freshman of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year honors in the same season.

Liberto brings strong Southeastern Conference ties with her as she was a four-year letterwinner (2004-07) at Ole Miss. During her playing career, the Rebels made four SEC Tournament appearances and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2005. That year, Liberto was part of an Ole Miss squad that went 14-5-2 overall and 8-1-2 during conference play.

During his four years at Eastern Illinois, Nowak compiled a 28-42-10 overall record but it was during conference play that his teams shined. The Panthers posted a 17-11-7 record in OVC play under the direction of Nowak. He led EIU to four OVC Tournament appearances, including two semifinals and the 2005 OVC Championship game.

Nowak developed a strong core of talented players during his tenure in Charleston, Ill. He coached seven first-team All-OVC performers at Eastern Illinois, including the 2006 OVC Player of the Year, Kellie Floyd. Nowak commitment was as strong in the classroom as five Panthers earned academic all-district honors and Meghan Ryon was an academic All-American in 2007.

Prior to his stint at Eastern Illinois, Nowak was an assistant coach at the University of Louisville (2001-04). He was part of a coaching staff that guided the Cardinals’ to a 12-5-3 record in 2004, the program’s first above-.500 record since 1993. That season, Louisville finished tied for fourth place in Conference USA.

Nowak played collegiate soccer as a goalkeeper at Western Illinois University where he was a three-year letterwinner. He also holds National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Advanced National Coaching and NSCAA Goalkeeping diplomas.