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St. Thomas University (FL)

Miami Gardens, FL 33054
Florida Southeast
Private Small Developing team
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Michelle Smith

Michelle Smith was hired in 2006 as the St. Thomas University (STU) Women’s Soccer coach, Smith has been a trailblazer for the maroon and navy squad over her 16-seasons as the Bobcats bench boss. Smith produced for the Bobcats on the field and is now sharing her knowledge and guidance for a new generation of Bobcats.


In her first season as a head coach, the 2006 team finished 5-10, and the 2007 team finished 8-8-1. Both teams qualified for the Region XIV Tournament. During that 2007 season Smith coached the Bobcats to their first ever victory over a NCAA Division One opponent in Florida Gulf Coast University. The 2008 season finished 3-14-1 and 2009 season was 6-9-2. In 2010, Smith recorded her first winning campaign to her resume as the Bobcats finished with a 9-7-1 record.


The 2011 - 2013 seasons were the pinnacle of Smith's coaching career, advancing to three consecutive Sun Conference Tournament championships, winning the title in 2013. The 2013 Bobcat's won a program record 17-games and won an NAIA National Tournament game. in 2015, STU nearly upset three top-15 teams in the NAIA to open the season and advanced to the Sun Conference Semi-finals with a win over Southeastern University.


The 2016 season brought the women's soccer team a third consecutive appearance in The Sun Conference Tournament as the Bobcats closed out the regular season with an 11-7 record and 5-5 conference record. The team took down Thomas (Ga.) in the first game of the tournament 2-0 which advanced them to the semi-finals of the tournament. Smith reached the 10-year milestone as a head coach in 2016 and earned her 100th career win in 2017 in a 9-1 win over McPherson College.


Smith played for the Bobcats from 1996-1999. She tallied an STU record 96 goals scored and 37 assists. 43 of those goals came during her sophomore year and were good enough to lead the nation in scoring. Her national recognition went beyond that season as she made three national appearances and was named an All-American twice.


Smith is the mother of Jodi and co-owner of Wall-2-Wall Indoor Soccer since 1995. Wall-2-Wall s the first indoor facility to be established in Miami. Wall-2-Wall has grown over the past 10-years with indoor and outdoor leagues. Wall-2-Wall currently has indoor men and coed leagues, and indoor field rentals seven days a week.

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Felix Mats

Felix Mats (M.S., ’04) has been the Head Men’s Soccer Coach at St. Thomas University since March 2006. During his tenure, Coach Mats has managed to transform the Men’s Soccer program at STU into an international commodity that attracts top athletes and coaches from around the world. Under Coach Mats, STU Men’s Soccer experienced the most successful period in their recent history, winning three consecutive Sun Conference Regular Season titles from 2010-2012. The 2010 season was especially remarkable for Coach Mats and the Bobcats: Not only did the STU Men’s Soccer team win The Sun Conference Regular Season title, but they also won The Sun Conference Tournament and reached the NAIA National Championship Opening Round for the first time in program history. In the 2016 season, Coach Mats and the team were able to bring home the hardware yet again, winning The Sun Conference Championship Tournament for the second time in school history. Winning the tournament helped St. Thomas earn a bid to the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round for a second time in the program's existence.

Born in Riga, Latvia, Mats began learning the tactics and techniques of European football from a young age. He played in the Riga football school as a youth, the starting point for many Latvian internationals. He was also a member of the Youth Latvian National Players Combine, a highly selective group.


Mats left Latvia to attend Indiana University-Bloomington, graduating in 1999 with a Bachelor's Degree in Human Development along with a minor in Psychology. These specializations reflect his coaching style, which is viewed as gaining a true understanding of his players in order to maximize their potential. While working toward the completion of his Bachelor’s Degree, Mats served as a student assistant for the Indiana University Men's Soccer team from 1996-1998, including the 1997 season in which they reached the semifinal round of the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship.


Mats has been constantly expanding on his coaching experience since graduating from Indiana University. In 2001, he served as a volunteer assistant at NCAA Division II University of Tampa. In 2003, he was the Head Boys Soccer Coach at Miami Beach High School when they reached a regional semifinal. From 2002-2006, he began his career at STU as an Assistant Coach with the Women’s Soccer team. During this period, Mats worked on obtaining his Master’s Degree in Sports Administration from STU, which he completed in 2004. Additionally, Mats has served as Director of Coaching and Technical Development for the Miami Lakes Soccer Club and coached as a part of the U.S. Olympic Developmental Program (ODP). He is a United States Soccer Federation (USSF “A” License) and National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) licensed coach.

2008 and 2009: Combined conference record of 9-7-3. Three players were named to the All-Conference team and one of them was named to the All-American team as an Honorable Mention.


2010: The Bobcats won The Sun Conference Regular Season title, The Sun Conference Tournament, and appeared in the NAIA National Championship Opening Round for the first time in program history. Three players were named to the All Sun Conference first team and one player was named to the second team. Goalkeeper Aaron Jones was named the Most Valuable Defensive Player of the Year for the conference.


2011: The Bobcats won The Sun Conference Regular Season title for the second consecutive season. Forward Jhonathan Rico and midfielder Eran Belo were first team All-Conference selections.


2012: The Bobcats won the Sun Conference Regular Season title for the third consecutive season. Jhonathan Rico was named The Sun Conference Player of the Year. Rico also made the Honorable Mention list for the NAIA National Team selections.


2010-2012: Felix Mats and STU Men’s Soccer posted a combined 24-4 conference record on their way to three consecutive Sun Conference Regular Season titles as they clinched a birth to the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round for the first time in 2010.


2015: The Bobcats finished the season as runner-up in both The Sun Conference Regular Season and The Sun Conference Tournament. Fabian Heinrich made the Honorable Mention list for the NAIA National Team selections.


2016: The Bobcats finished as a runner-up in The Sun Conference Regular Season but fought through The Sun Conference Tournament and took home the title, as the team earned a spot in the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round for the second time in school history.


2017: Coach Mats and the STU Soccer team continued their winning ways with the most successful season so far. Winning the Sun Conference Tournament back-to-back and hosting an Opening Round at STU Soccer Field. They made it to the second round of the NAIA National Tournament losing to Mobile in penalty kicks. The Bobcats ended the season ranked 12th in the nation.


2018: STU advanced to the Sun Conference tournament for the fourth consecutive season.


2019; The Bobcats began the season on the longest winning streak in program history (7), and tied their highest ranking in program history (12). St. Thomas advanced to the NAIA Opening Round in the National Tournament, hosting at Missouri Valley College.

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