Matt lives in Irondequoit with his wife Heather, and daughters Isabella and Sophia. Matt started playing lacrosse when he was 5 years old at Shove Park in Camillus NY. He played at Niagara University before he transferred to Oswego.

He started coaching girls lacrosse in 2010 for West Irondequoit Youth and is US Lacrosse Level 1 & 2 certified coach. “I always said I am by far a better coach than I was ever a player. My philosophy is effort, attitude and respect go a long way, every player needs to give their best effort, have a positive attitude and respect EVERYONE. I tell my team you will make mistakes, you will have failure but how you react afterwards is the difference between a good player and a great player.”

What appeals to you about FCA’s program/model? One word: “Message, whether it’s the positive message from the coaches or from the bible it’s the message that means a lot to me. When exploring clubs in the area for my daughter I always heard about FCA boys, it was exciting to get on the ground floor of FCA girls in this area. Never did I think the experience for my daughter would influence her as much as it has these past 2 seasons. The huddles are amazing, FCA takes a scripture from the bible and connects that to playing lacrosse then life in general makes the players more relaxed as they understand that God and Jesus are with them always. It’s very refreshing to know in this age of youth sports that there is a club that is more interested in growing these kids as leaders and good Christians instead of the constant pressure of winning at all cost. The prayers and leadership qualities that these girls show is astonishing.”

“As a coach I can’t say enough about how well organized FCA is with teams, timing of practices and the respect for each other. Everyone involved is friendly and the positivity knowing that everyone is leading by Jesus examples on and off the field is inspirational.”

“I find the huddle, the team bonding and ice breakers to be one of my favorite things about coaching with FCA, that 15 / 20 minutes of really getting to know the players while teaching them about God and ultimately making the right choices in life is beyond rewarding. Being able to incorporate what I have learned as coach and been given the opportunity to share my experiences has been great as well. I tell people about FCA and how they take a scripture from the bible and apply it to lacrosse is very inspiring to me and reassures the girls, the coaches, the team, etc that the faith in God lives in each and every one of us. Being able to push the girls to be better on and off the field. Having coaches that are supportive, open to suggestions and willing to be flexible at practices and during games.”

His family loves to travel especially going to Cape Cod every year to relax and “unplug” as he works in IT, Cape Cod brings us back to what we like to call a simpler time. He is an active member of Toastmasters International – worldwide organization that focuses on public speaking, communication and leadership skills. He volunteers my time not only by coaching and being a board member along with multiple charities one of them being St Baldrick’s in which he shaves his head every year to raise awareness for children who are either suffering from cancer or families that have lost a child to cancer. He has raised over $10,000 for this charity and it is a big part of his life.