Julie Mackin and Sarah Jacobs resign with the club for Greenville’s third season
Greenville, SC (April 2, 2024) — The Greenville Liberty announces the return of forward Julie Mackin and midfielder Sarah Jacobs for their third season, pending league and federation approval. These two additions mark the 8th and 9th signings to the 2024 Liberty roster.
Julie Mackin
Following two successful seasons with the club, forward Julie Mackin is back for her third run. Throughout her time with the Liberty, Mackin has appeared in 25 matches, all as a starter. Proven to be a key player on both offense and defense, the Colorado native has become the third-highest scorer in club history, tallying a total of seven goals.
Before joining the Liberty squad in 2022, the forward spent four seasons with the Clemson Tigers, earning many recognitions throughout her 4,218 minutes of playing:
- Member of the 2016 ACC Championship-winning squad
- 2016 Rooke of the Year
- 2017-2019 All-ACC Academic Team
- 2018 Iron Woman Award for Excellence in Strength and Conditioning
- 2018-2019 CoSIDA Academic All-Region Team
Mackin totaled seven goals and seven assists during her Clemson campaign, including the game-winning goal in the first game of her freshman year. Beyond her collegiate experience, the attacker briefly joined the Charlotte Lady Eagles, another USL W-League team. As a youth, she was named Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year and competed on the U-18 Women’s National Team from 2014-2018.
Mackin has also seen some interest from the USL Super League and hopes to move into the professional division before their inaugural season this fall.
Sarah Jacobs
After two seasons as a Liberty player and coach, Jacobs returns to the squad, focusing specifically on her role as a midfielder. The Greenville local played and started in all 25 games over the club’s two campaigns, acting as a strong barrier on the Liberty’s defensive line while also making appearances at the midfield.
Jacobs made her mark at Clemson University from 2008 to 2012, where she stood out as a top performer in the program. She earned the team MVP title and had the honor of serving as captain during her junior and senior seasons.
After graduating from Clemson, Jacobs spent time playing professionally in the Netherlands and Australia, as well as competing in the WPSL and NWSL for the Boston Breakers Reserves, Orlando Pride and NC Courage practice squads, along with FC Dallas and Asheville City SC.
Following her full-time playing career, Jacobs returned to the Upstate in 2017 to embark on her coaching journey. She began as an assistant coach for Anderson University’s women’s team under the guidance of Liberty Head Coach Julie Carlson. Just one year later, Jacobs moved into the head coach position, where she led the team to success, including a fourth-place finish in the South Atlantic Conference during her first season. In 2022, she reunited with Coach Carlson, joining the Liberty in a dual-role as both player and assistant coach. Jacobs made club history by becoming only the second coach and third player ever named to the Liberty roster.
