Staveskie’s Past Brings Success for Women’s Soccer

Angela Staveskie was about to start her fourth season as an assistant coach with the women’s soccer team when she was offered an opportunity of a lifetime. 

After the abrupt departure of long-time head coach Barry Bimbi, Staveskie was offered the job and knew she couldn’t turn it down, especially for the team she dedicated so much to in the past four years.

“When this opportunity was presented to me, it really was just thinking about the student-athletes,” Staveskie said. “In a lot of ways, I feel like I grew with them. Having the opportunity to lead that group and provide that continuity at that time was a big factor in accepting that role.” 

Five games after stepping into her first collegiate head coaching experience, Staveskie has led the Ramblers to their best start since 2021 with a record of 3-1-1. 

Staveskie’s soccer journey started at five-years-old when she saw an advertisement in the local paper to play on a soccer team. She said she begged her parents to let her play and they ultimately gave in. Only a few hours after she was registered, Staveskie’s father got a call asking him to coach her team.

Staveskie said her father had no soccer knowledge but had an athletic background and a willingness to help out. 

She didn’t know it at the time, but Staveskie’s father stepping in to help his daughter and her team, as well as his continued support throughout all her athletic endeavors, would inspire her to become a coach herself. 

“My dad just had that ability to raise the energy, bring a group together,” Staveskie said. “He was always a cheerleader and coach in my life through all the sports I played, so I think it naturally had an impact.” 

Before Staveskie decided soccer was her sport, she also ran cross country and played softball and basketball, with basketball being her favorite. Due to Illinois high school sports season scheduling, Staveskie had to choose between softball and soccer, so she eliminated softball from her extensive list of activities.

While in high school, Staveskie’s interest in soccer grew and she knew she wanted to stay involved with the sport after graduating.

“It was the end of my sophomore year and I had a conversation with my dad,” Staveskie said. “I thought I was going to break his heart because I wanted to quit playing basketball. I remember he said, ‘No, Ang, that’s great that you want to continue soccer, and it’s okay and you found your passion.’” 

Staveskie’s dad then told her to stay focused and put in maximum effort, because playing in college wouldn’t be easy. That car-ride conversation is what shifted Staveskie into the mindset of collegiate soccer. 

Staveskie is vocal about the struggles she faced while at the University of Toledo. Although she provided quality goalkeeper performances in her first season, recording 23 saves and only allowing six goals, she remained the second-string goalkeeper for the entirety of her collegiate career. 

Staveskie didn’t let low playing time affect her, as she was named captain of the Rockets during her third-year. She tells this story to younger players to show they can still make an impact on their team, regardless of what their role is.

Although not in net at the time, a young Staveskie traveled to Rogers Park and witnessed the first matchup between the Ramblers and the Rockets in 2009, where her then-team came out victorious 1-0. 

During her career, Staveskie previously coached at the club level and for collegiate programs. While coaching club soccer, Staveskie said she learned many valuable lessons about working with parents and how to be a leader. 

“I think the experience of coaching club is invaluable to any coach, to get that experience making decisions,” Staveskie said. “But, having that responsibility, I think is really important and helped me a lot.” 

Before Loyola, Staveskie spent stints at Northern Illinois University, where she started as a volunteer and was promoted to a full time assistant, and Northwestern University. At both programs, Staveskie worked as a goalkeeper coach. 

Northern Illinois plays in the Mid American Conference, where Staveskie played with Toledo. She said her previous experience playing in the MAC allowed her to be a more effective coach for the Huskies, since she was familiar with opposing teams and their playstyles.

Staveskie took what she learned at NIU and applied it on a bigger stage in the Big Ten Conference at Northwestern.

The biggest thing Staveskie said she learned from her prior coaching experiences was how to be the best coach she could be. 

“At the end of the day, learning that you can learn so much from so many different people, but also being true to your personality and how you coach should be a reflection of who you are and not necessarily who someone else is,” Staveskie said. 

When Staveskie started at Loyola in the 2021 season, she took on the familiar role as the goalkeeper coach for the Ramblers, and remained in the position until just before season. 

Staveskie described the transition as a “work in progress” and is still figuring out how to coach the same group of women in a different capacity. 

Though the transition may be challenging, Staveskie has leaned on team captains, like fourth-year midfielder Jaimee Cibulka, to continue building the foundation of the team. 

As a captain, Cibulka said Staveskie has made the transition as easy as it could’ve been for the team by focusing on team mentality and the close knit family they’ve created. 

“We are what we make of this season,” Cibulka said. “Blacking out all the noise surrounding everything and just focusing on us, I think that made the transition really great.” 

Staveskie preaches about the importance of family, not only with the players’ traditional families, but also their chosen one – the team. 

Staveskie’s husband, Mike, and three kids, Rocco, Victor and Brea, are often seen in attendance at Hoyne Field, with the kids sometimes joining the pre-game circle. Her parents and three siblings all live near Rogers Park and “happily” make the trip to support Staveskie in her life’s newest journey.

“Family is everything. It’s always been everything. It will always be everything,” Staveskie said. “I couldn’t do this without them and that’s something I definitely preach to the team.” 

The emphasis on family Staveskie brings to the program makes the Ramblers who they are as a team, according to Cibulka. In Staveskie’s eyes, the importance of family is continuously present in the Loyola community, and reminds her of the warmth she felt on her first day with the program.

“The Loyola community is a special place,” Staveskie said. “Just that sense of community I felt, not only in the athletic department, but for me, it was felt all through campus, this tight knit community of people that are willing to help you. It’s the people that make the place, and Loyola is that for me.”