By Paige Smith

Since 2009, women’s sports—particularly collegiate sports—have undergone significant change. 

Along with having conversations about personal hardships and life experiences, this interaction explores the development of women’s collegiate soccer. This story comes from the perspective of a former player, coach, and now Associate Athletic Director working at her alma mater. 

All ages of women’s sports require a strong, assertive, fighting voice to guide them through their athletic careers. 

Katherine Golebie, a wife and mother of two, has fought for change throughout her athletic career. She has been striving to do the same for young women and girls who are now in a similar situation.  

She graduated from La Roche in 2013 and has been employed there for 13 years, serving as the Senior Woman Administrator and Associate Athletic Director.  

Katherine got recruited to join the Redhawks in 2009. She was the women’s soccer team’s captain for her junior and senior seasons, a four-year letter winner, and the 2012 Most Valuable Player. She was selected to the 2012 AMCC All-Conference Sportsmanship team and was a three-time AMCC All-Conference performer.  

In 2024, she was inducted into the La Roche Hall of Fame for soccer.  

Paige Smith interviewed Katherine Golebie on February 5th.  

Introduction 

 Katherine Golebie gave insight about where she is from and hinted at a bit about herself through theme songs to her life.  

Q: Where are you from and where do you currently live?  

A: “Pittsburgh, West Mifflin if you need it specifically. No, now I live here in McCandless. Very, very close to campus.”   

Q: We will soon be discussing life and growing up revolving around sports. Would you be able to provide a theme song for your life, and if so, why that song?   

A: “Well it has definitely changed over the years. Right now my theme song would be ‘I’m So Blessed’ by CAIN. That is a song that I sing with my boys, both of my babies at home. My three year old will request to hear that song and knows almost all the words to it. This song is also a good reminder for when I need it.  

“And then a couple of years ago, I would say that my theme songs would come from Miley Cirus’ ‘The Climb’ and Jessie J’s ‘The Masterpiece’. I would say these two are early in my career and maybe end of college. You know, at that time, I was still working on my masterpiece and myself.”  

Athletic Background and Career  

Katherine Golebie was asked about her childhood growing up surrounded by sports. This topic covers her soccer inspiration, the passion behind soccer, and the drive behind college sports.  

Q: Can you tell me if soccer was always in your life from a young age or did you pick it up as you went throughout childhood?  

A: “Yeah! I started playing when I was five years old. My older cousin also liked soccer. He was someone I looked up to because he was pretty good at it too. He played goalie, though I was not about that life, I fell in love with it at a young age.  

“You know, youth Saturdays quickly led to cup teams and travel ball. I played basketball, I played softball, I played all the sports, but about middle school, I had to choose between cheerleading or being on two soccer teams. Then I had the choice to do basketball or stick with soccer. I chose soccer and I stuck with it.  

“I would definitely say that I was passionate about it while growing up. I made lifelong friends through this sport. I also actually fought to start my middle school soccer team. My one friend and I, who were very passionate about wanting to play, threatened the principal to let us play football with the boys or start girls soccer. Lo and behold, soccer started. I was on the first ever girls soccer team that started at West Mifflin.”  

Q; Who would you say is your biggest support in life, especially during your athletic career?  

A: “My parents for sure. You know, from driving to all of the practices, all hours of the day, all days of the week, and the out-of-town tournaments. My dad even coached me a couple of times. He never played soccer, but YouTube teaches a lot, and he even took some coaching lessons to provide me with aa better experience. So yes, my parents for sure were my biggest support, and even through my whole life.”  

Q: Did your parents, or anyone for that matter, push you to go to the college level?  

A: “No, actually, my parents did not. I would say it was a self-determination push. My high school team was not good. The best record we had all four years was five wins. There were never many scouts knocking on the door at that time. Also, a lot of my friends were not thinking about college soccer.  

“I only had one scout come up to me after a game, saying something like “Hey a couple of teams are interested in you,” and I would go “Me?” “Are you sure?”, I was totally oblivious that I was even good at the sport of soccer to be honest, I just liked it. So yeah, no one pressured me. My parents weren’t even going to pressure college on me really. They wanted me to choose my own path and they helped with whatever decision I was going to make.  

“That is actually probably why I like the sport so much. I had absolutely no pressure around it. It was my own safe space. The soccer field was my stage, I used to tell my coach, “That’s where I can go out and be someone different.” I was able to let off steam if I needed to.” 

Q: So, with that, what made you want to stay on that stage and determined to stick there? 

A: “First off, women needed a voice. From a young age, like the middle school team, for example, there was a void for girls, and sometimes you must fight to have a spot on that stage. So, I think the opportunity at La Roche came, and I wanted to stay close enough to home that I could go home if I needed to, but far enough away.  

“I believe in signs and connections that you’re on the right path. In one of my last Edinboro tournaments, we made it to the championship finals, and the goalie for that team was the La Roche goalie at that time.  It was like, “Okay, this is the end of my youth soccer, and what are the chances I am playing against my future teammate and future goalie for three years?” I remember Miguel being there to recruit and watch us. At the end of the game, he reminded us that we are going to be teammates now. So, I just took that as a sign that the path I was taking was the right one and that I should continue with it, it was the right choice for me.  

“My recruit day and night, I just fell in love with the team. It felt like family from the beginning. The feeling that I had on my first day, I also took that as a sign. Still to this day, the girls I played soccer with are some of my best friends.”  

The Professional Journey at LRU 

Alumna Katherine Golebie shared insights into her professional career and credited her alma mater for shaping her path. This topic covers the similarities and differences in playing, coaching, and now athletic directing. There are some highlights of some of the required strengths for the job and the weaknesses that come along with it.  

Q: As a previous women’s coach and now an AD, how and why are you determined to stay here and work?  

A: “After I graduated from college, I started working that summer as the assistant AD. I did coach the women’s team, but I did not want to coach until everyone I had previously played with had already graduated. Those girls were my teammates, who I considered best friends. That was not fair to anyone. I wanted to be able to coach, not seen as a “stick around player. I waited about three years to join back on so I could establish the coach-player relationships with the girls.  

“I wanted to come back for many reasons. Professionally, I knew having the experience as a coach would help me as an administrator. Most importantly, I also knew that the team needed a female on staff, I knew that I was that female. So again, another void needed filled and I once again went into action. The playing stage quickly turned into a coaching stage on the sidelines. My role also quickly became a support person for the girls on the team. You know, to help them process and deal with all of the emotions that come with it and I loved it.  

“While I loved it, it was a very unhealthy lifestyle. I lived off of fast food, going in between high school games and living off of four cups of coffee. While this is getting really personal, I do want to share it with you. There were two soccer seasons in a row, each year, during which I had a miscarriage. I did not eat right, did not sleep right, and it was not a healthy lifestyle for someone who wanted to have a family.  

“Covid happened, so I was able to have the time on my hands to evaluate my life and start looking into my master’s classes here, and that’s when I also finally got pregnant successfully. When there was no soccer happening, I took this successful pregnancy as a sign as well. The coaching life was not the style of life I needed to live anymore. My favorite memory was being able to tell the girls I coached for four years, who are now seniors, that I am pregnant. It was like a full circle moment for me.  

“I did not go back, that is where Peter stepped in. After my grind for 10 years, it was finally my turn to have some time. I am still fighting for women’s sports, obviously, just from a distance.”  

Q: Since you were a player, coach, and now an athletic director, is there anything you would change?  

A: “In general, women’s soccer has come far. There are strides for equal pay, and there has been some success. There has been a growth in fan attendance numbers, which is amazing. It goes beyond soccer. The bigger schools for women’s volleyball are selling out. Women’s ice hockey is starting to get really big. There are big things happening in women’s sports. 

“However, I wish these changes had happened sooner while I was growing up. These girls who are growing up now have so much more visibility. There has been such an advance with this, now that it is happening, I hope that it continues. I hope that someday the next generation will have more opportunities.  

“Here at La Roche, we still have so much work to do just to get visibility on both our men’s and women’s sports. There is always, it seems, a lack of attendance at our women’s games. As the AD, I think it is important to have those conversations to boost those women’s sports teams to get the same number of eyes on them as the men’s sports do. A lot of what I do goes into making sure both gendered sports are equal and getting the same treatment. .  

“I would love more fans at the women’s games, not just for me, but for those female athletes so they feel just as important as our men’s team. As a player years ago, I never noticed the attendance, I just looked for my parents. As an AD though, it is different because that is what you look for in my job, attendance numbers.”  

“I am also not a fan of how we switched our men’s and women’s traveling policies. It used to be that you traveled everywhere together, but now it is just weekends. I was really close with the men’s team because of this policy. This policy allowed both teams to support each other. It is like a built-in fan base for each other, and right now, the teams are missing out on that.  

“It is my job to give these athletes the best time and experience. It really makes me feel helpless when I can’t help them. It is really obvious when the stands are full for one game but then empty for another.”  

Q: What are some of the strengths you noticed because of this job, and has there been a time your weaknesses have been pointed out to you?  

A: “I did not know a lot of the ins and outs of collegiate sports before I worked in it. As an athlete, I did not know how the NCAA worked. I did not know that as an athlete, you could also use your voice. That is what I strive to do now. I try to urge the students to use their voices if they are not happy, and I try to get them to make a change. I want them to know they have a voice, and they are allowed to use it. It is a strength of mine that I can empower those athletes.  

“This job has also changed my leadership style, compared to what it was when I was a student. I learned the hard way the skill of time management because of this job. I have to have a schedule and be organized, that is a strength. A biggest personal strength would be being able to use my experience and my now profession to be able to empower the younger generations to be the best versions of themselves.  

“Being a woman in this job does have weaknesses. I definitely have to fight harder to have my voice heard. This is a man’s world, as they say, but I am lucky here at La Roche because I do feel heard. At the national or conference level, I have to fight a bit more.​ Most people say a weakness of mine is I talk too much, especially if I am passionate about it. Sometimes I need to sit and listen instead of ramble on, but when it comes to student athletes, I will be fighting until I am heard.”  

Advice for Female Athletes  

Paige Smith asked Katherine Golebie to provide some advice for female athletes. This topic covers anxieties of college sports, goals in life, and staying motivated.  

Q: What would you tell other female athletes looking to play or already playing in college but unsure about their teammates, the environment, and general anxiety and how would you tell these athletes how to set goals in life?  

A: “One message I always try to convey is that college should be the time of your life. It is what you make it. If you have not gone all in, you cannot complain because you have to be all in. All in when it comes to school, soccer, your teammates, and practices. I was lucky enough to do that. I learned so much about myself and gained so much. I want others to do the same that I did, buy in, and absolutely love it. If I had not bought all the way in, I would probably not have had the experience that I did.  

“I would encourage the younger students who are just getting started to really commit to what they like and are passionate about. Life is also what you make it. Do something to fix it if you are uncomfortable. If you do not do the work to change it, you are wasting your time. I would give anything to go back to that time and play. It is about playing at that time with those girls who were my sisters, not our opponents. Do you want to walk away with regret or pride? Life is not always going to be easy, that is just how it is. You will always have hurdles in life to overcome.  

“Even if you find out it is not the sport you are passionate about, do not stop chasing your dreams. Always keep chasing your dreams. It is okay if your goals change over time, that is supposed to happen. It is important to always keep chasing the dreams you are setting for yourself. Another small piece of advice I give to students involves learning so much about people and yourself. Future employers look at that, that you played on a team, showed leadership, and what you did during your degree. It is like you almost have an edge on your resume.  

Q: Lastly, how did you stay motivated?  

A: “I was honestly in a play your sport, go to class, get your degree kind of headspace. Those are things that you should just be doing. Whatever else extra you can fit in, that also comes into committing to that university and finding extra clubs. You find things to do that make the other stuff worthwhile. There are so many opportunities to put yourself out there that don’t revolve around your sport. You also learn so much about yourself then, too, in the 4-5 years here, which is really important because again, college is supposed to be the time of your life. You have to get working at it now.”