INDIANAPOLIS – Butler women's lacrosse head coach Cecil C. Pilson has added two coaches to his staff for the upcoming 2022 season. Liza Oakley and Karli Gilbert joined the program on Monday as assistants. Oakley previously coached at Fresno State and Gilbert is a recent graduate of Lock Haven.
 
Oakley heads to Indianapolis after tenures at Fresno State and the University of Lynchburg where she began her coaching career. At Fresno State, Oakley coached the defense and goalkeepers during the 2021 season. The Bulldogs advanced to their first-ever Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship Game with just 18 student-athletes on the active roster.
 
Fresno State put their name at the top of the MPSF standings in both ground balls and caused turnovers. They had the conference leader in ground balls during the 2021 season and that student-athlete would also become the program's leader in career ground balls at the completion of her senior campaign. Overall, Fresno State had three players reach double digits in caused turnovers in 2021.
 
Oakley also worked closely with a first-year starting goalkeeper at Fresno State. She finished the season ranked fourth in the NCAA in saves per game (11.93) and third in total saves (167).
 
Oakley got her coaching career started in Lynchburg, where she spent two years as an assistant coach for the Hornets. Oakley coached the defense and the draw. In her defensive scheme, the team's defense ran on a team-unit style and boasted all-state caliber athletes.
 
In her first season with Lynchburg (2018-19), she ran the offense and the draw. Oakley coached the top two attackers in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference that season. Her assistant coach duties also included a heavy hand in recruiting, organizing travel and overseeing academic success on the team. In the 2019-20 school year, Oakley helped lead the women's lacrosse team to its highest team GPA in the last 10 years.
 
Oakley graduated with a bachelor's degree in Finance and Economics from Mount St. Mary's in May of 2018. Oakley received her MBA from University of Lynchburg in December 2021 while being placed on the Dean's List.
 
Gilbert joins the Butler staff after recently finishing her playing career at Lock Haven University. As a student-athlete, Gilbert was a midfielder that scored 15 goals in 2021. She started in nine of the 11 matches on the schedule, helping her team secure four victories. Gilbert started in every game during the 2020 season. She scored nine goals and won 21 draw controls during a shortened season. The year before Gilbert would appear in four contests before coming down with an injury. She scored 12 goals over those four contests. In 2018 Gilbert started in 17 of 18 games and scored 23 goals. She was credited with 23 ground balls and 23 draw controls.
 
A native of Perkioenville, Pa., Gilbert graduated from Boyertown High School. She was part of three conference championships and was tabbed team MVP before attending Lock Haven.