The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Hires Matthew Mott As Head Soccer Coach
5/10/2010 | Soccer
OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss has named Matthew Mott as its new women's soccer head coach, Athletics Director Pete Boone announced Monday. Mott's appointment is pending approval of the Board of Trustees, State Institutions of Higher Learning.
The top assistant coach at the University of Texas for the last four years, Mott is the second head coach in program history. He replaces Steve Holeman, who recently left to become the head coach at Georgia after guiding the Ole Miss program since its inception in 1995.
"We went through an extensive search process and had a very strong pool of candidates. Matt came on campus and already had a plan in place to take Ole Miss Soccer to the next level," Executive Associate Athletics Director Lynnette Johnson said. "He was passionate and prepared. It was evident that he was the perfect fit for our head coaching position. I am so excited that Matt and his family will be joining our Ole Miss family."
In his four seasons with the Longhorns, Mott helped UT to three NCAA Tournament appearances, including back-to-back Sweet Sixteen berths in 2006 and 2007. The 2007 squad rose as high as No. 1 in the national rankings. Working with the goalkeepers and defenders, Mott helped guide UT to a school record for lowest goals against average (0.64 in 2008) and several other defensive records during his tenure.
"I am thrilled to have the opportunity to come to Ole Miss and take over a great soccer program," Mott said. "I would like to thank Pete Boone and Lynnette Johnson for giving me this opportunity. I've had a wonderful four years at Texas, and it was difficult to leave my good friends like (UT head soccer coach) Chris Petrucelli and (UT women's athletics director) Chris Plonsky. But I'm really excited to be back in the SEC, and I am ready to get to Ole Miss and get started."
No stranger to the Southeastern Conference, Mott assisted Karen Hoppa at Auburn from 1999-2005. He was promoted from assistant to assistant head coach to associate head coach during his time on the Plains and helped the Tigers to four straight NCAA Tournaments and four straight SEC West titles from 2001-04. He was named the AFLAC National Assistant Coach of the Year in 2002 when Auburn claimed the SEC overall championship. As Auburn's recruiting coordinator, Mott brought in six nationally ranked signing classes and helped develop several players to All-SEC and All-America honors.
The Norwood, N.Y., native served as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Central Florida, for four years under Hoppa prior to his stint at Auburn. While there, the Golden Knights won three Trans Atlantic Athletic Conference Championships and earned an NCAA Tournament berth in 1998.
Before UCF, Mott was the head women's coach at Division III Hilbert College in Hamburg, N.Y., where he became the winningest coach in school history during his tenure from 1991-94. He was also the goalkeepers coach for the men's team at Hilbert during that time.
Mott obtained a bachelor's degree in general studies and a minor in criminal justice from UCF in 2000 and also earned an Associate of Science degree in 1994 from Erie Community College in Buffalo, N.Y. Before college, Mott spent four years in the U.S. Coast Guard where he played and coached with the Coast Guard's select team in Portsmouth, Va.
Mott holds a National "B" Coaching License from the United States Soccer Federation. In addition to his college coaching positions, he has served as the goalkeepers coach for the USYSA Region III Olympic Development Program team since 2003.
He is married to the former Jennifer Swartz. They have two sons, Dean and Will, and a daughter, Tacie.
