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Northern Illinois University

Northern Illinois University
 Intercollegiate Athletics Convocation Ctr Dekalb, IL 60115
Division 1 Illinois Midwest
Public Large National competitor
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Coaches

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Michael O'Neill

Michael O’Neill begins his second season as head coach of the Northern Illinois University women’s soccer program in 2023. O’Neill joined the Huskies on March 14, 2022, as the sixth head coach in program history after leading Saginaw Valley State for eight years, guiding the Cardinals to the NCAA Tournament three times.


In his first season at NIU, O’Neill guided the Huskies to six victories, including three conference wins, both of which are the most for the program since the 2017 season. NIU also had its fewest losses since the 2008 campaign.


Amber Best was named to the MAC All-Freshman Team after tying for the team lead with four goals and 10 points while six Huskies earned Academic All-District honors and nine student-athletes garnered Academic All-MAC recognition.


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.


In his final season in 2021, 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.

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Laurence Paterson

Laurence Paterson begins his second season on Michael O’Neill’s staff with the Northern Illinois University women’s soccer program in 2023. Paterson came to NIU following three seasons as an assistant coach with the Saginaw Valley State men's and women's soccer programs, where he also worked with O’Neill on the women’s side.


In his first season at NIU, Paterson helped the Huskies to six victories, including three conference wins, both of which are the most for the program since the 2017 season. NIU also had its fewest losses since the 2008 campaign.


Amber Best was named to the MAC All-Freshman Team after tying for the team lead with four goals and 10 points while six Huskies earned Academic All-District honors and nine student-athletes garnered Academic All-MAC recognition.


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 Falkirk, Scotland, 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.

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