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Matt Watts
Matt Watts recently wrapped up his sixth season as the head coach of the Nova Southeastern men's soccer program in 2022.
Watts guided the Sharks to a 7-6-4 record for the 2022 season, as the Sharks returned to the Sunshine State Tournament, advancing to the semifinal against Barry. Watts coached several players to All- SSC selections, Micheal Lawrence (First Team), Milos Christoforou (First Team), and Farid Sar-Sar (Second Team). Sar-Sar would go on to sign a professional contract with Inter Miami CF.
Back on the pitch following 2020's cancellation, Watts led the program to its most successful season in history, rattling off the team's first-ever Sunshine State Conference Tournament title en route to an eventual run to the Final Four in Colorado Springs, Colo.The run was the first of its kind in program history, no NSU team has ever earned an NCAA tournament win, let alone make the Final Four. Watts coached three players to All-SSC selections, Matty Cornish and Tobias Pellio were each named first-team selections, while Farid Sar-Sar earned a nod on the second team. Cornish and Odei Arrieta were also selected to the All-South Region second team and Henrik Berg was recognized as a recipient for the Elite 90 award. To round out the abundant amount of postseason accolades for NSU, Watts and his staff were recognized as the 2021 NCAA Division II South Region Staff of the Year.
Despite an unprecedented year in which the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 season, Watts found a bright spot after both Henrik Berg and Sebastian Loibl earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors.
The year prior in 2019, NSU proved its case as one of the top programs in the league once again, as the Sharks returned to the SSC Tournament semifinals for the second consecutive season. Off to a pedestrian 3-4-3 start midway through the year, the Sharks rattled off five consecutive SSC wins down the stretch – setting a new program record – before securing the No. 4 seed in the conference tourney.
Facing a Rollins side it’d lost to just six days prior, NSU returned the favor in the opening round of the SSC Tournament, using some late-game heroics from Sebastian Loibl and Matty Cornish to advance to the semifinal round against Lynn, who would eventually make a run to the Final Four.
By season’s end, Watts’ club would have four players named All-SSC selections, including three to the first team – tying NSU for the most first-team honorees in the league. The first-team trio of Loibl, Jan Luca Ahillen and Curtis Thorn would also be recognized as all-south region members. The Sharks were arguably even more impressive off the field, though, as the team topped all NSU men’s programs for the fourth consecutive semester with a 3.39 GPA.
Following two seasons recruiting his own players and reshaping the roster, Watts and the Sharks reset the bar for the program in 2018.
The Sharks bounced back from a season-opening defeat by setting the program record for consecutive wins with eight, and as a result entered the Top-25 in the national rankings for the first time since 2007 – climbing as high as No. 18. Their efforts eventually clinched the program’s first SSC Tournament berth since 2014, before a 3-0 triumph over Florida Tech in the SSC Tournament quarterfinals handed NSU its first SSC Tournament victory since back in 2007. The Sharks’ 12 total wins also matched the most in a single season since the same 2007 campaign.
Leading the way for the Sharks was forward Sebastian Loibl, who in his first season under the tutelage of Watts, became just the second All-American for NSU since the program shifted to NCAA Division II in 2002, and first overall since 2004. In addition to Loibl, the team also had four others land on all-south region teams – tying the mark for the most in the region.
Under Watts' direction, Nova Southeastern made significant strides in year No. 2 of "The Process". The Sharks overcame a rocky 3-6 start, and a two-week postponement on the season as a result of Hurricane Irma, by winning five of their final six matches down the stretch. A second straight victory over Saint Leo kick-started the run before Nova Southeastern closed with one-goal wins over eventual NCAA Tournament runner-up Lynn and Embry-Riddle to finish above .500 for the first time since the 2010 campaign. The upset over No. 19 Lynn marked the first ranked victory for the Sharks under Watts, and the program's first road win at Lynn since November 7, 1986, when the school was then known as the College of Boca Raton.
In Watts' first season at the helm in 2016, the Sharks defeated eventual Gulf South Conference Tournament champion West Alabama along with Sunshine State Conference foes Barry and Saint Leo. The win against Saint Leo marked NSU's first victory over the Lions since 2010. Faycal Oulahbib tallied two goals in that particular match en route to SSC Offensive Player of the Week honors, the first SSC weekly recognition for any player in three years.
Watts joined the NSU coaching staff after very successful stints as the head coach at two prominent South Region contenders Alabama-Huntsville and Delta State. As he demonstrated time and time again in his previous stops, Watts was hired to spark another turnaround, this time with a Sharks' men's soccer program that finished below .500 for four straight seasons prior to his arrival.
Upon arriving at Alabama-Huntsville in January 2013, Watts took over a Chargers' men's soccer team that had finished the 2012 season with only one win. In less than a year, he turned the program around and guided UAH to a 10-win season. In his three seasons at UAH, Watts accumulated a 33-17-3 overall record and a .683 winning percentage. He also took the program to new heights with the team receiving NSCAA top-25 rankings for the first time in 18 years in both 2014 and 2015. For his success on the field, he was recognized as the Gulf South Conference Coach of the Year in 2015.
With a keen eye for recognizing superb talent, in three seasons Watts managed to recruit and coach two Gulf South Conference Freshmen of the Year, two GSC Players of the Year, 20 GSC All-Conference, 22 All-Region and one All-American student-athlete. He also helped his student-athletes achieve a 3.02 GPA to earn UAH's first-ever NSCAA Academic Excellence award.
Prior to UAH, Watts spent two seasons at fellow GSC member Delta State as the head coach. During his tenure with the Statesmen, he led the program to a 13-23-1 overall record, setting individual season records along the way. In 2012, he guided the program that had never reached the GSC tournament to the GSC Tournament final for the first time in school history and earned GSC Coach of the Year honors.
Before taking on the head job at DSU, Watts spent two seasons as West Florida from 2009-2011. He helped lead the Argonauts to their fifth consecutive GSC Championship and NCAA national tournament appearance. From 2008-2009, he was the assistant coach at his alma mater, University of Mobile.
Watts had an extensive player career as an amateur, collegiate and professional. Before coming stateside, he played for Norwich City F.C. from 2002-2004. As a collegian, he spent one season at SUNY-Oneonta, one season at SSC rival Lynn (2006) and finished his career at the University of Mobile (2007-2008), where he was a two team All-GCAC, All-Region and All-American selection. In 2008, he was named GCAC Player of the Year. In 2008-09, he played in the professional development league for the Panama City Pirates.
In addition to his many coaching and playing accolades, Watts holds an FA Level 2 Certificate, NSCAA National Diploma, NSCAA Advanced National Diploma and a NSCAA Premier Diploma. He holds a bachelor's degree in Communication Studies/Advertising/Public relations from the University of Mobile and a Master's in Health, Leisure and Exercise from the Department of Physical Education from the University of West Florida.
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