WEST HAVEN, Conn. – University of New Haven Interim Director of Athletics Jon Mays has named Thomas Mattera as the 16th head coach in the history of the Chargers men's soccer program. Mattera, who is familiar with the Chargers, returns to West Haven after serving as the head coach at College of Mount Saint Vincent for the past two season.
"We are excited to add Coach Mattera to lead our men's soccer program," Mays said. "Tommy has proven his ability to lead winning programs both as a player and as a coach and has a great track record of developing student-athletes on and off the field. New Haven has a strong tradition in men's soccer and we look forward to watching him build the Chargers back into a championship-caliber program."
"I would like to thank Director of Athletics Jon Mays , Ashley Bruton and the entire search committee for their diligence and professionalism through the process," said Mattera. "It is n honor to be welcomed back to the New Haven athletic department and the community at large.
I would also like to thank Phil Stern for giving me the opportunity to live my dream of becoming ahead coach at the collegiate level and allowing me to further my career. It is something I will never forget. I could not be more excited to get to work with my staff in order to help this program be everything it can be and support our student-athletes both on and off the pitch."
In addition to his coaching responsibilities, Mattera also served as the Assistant Director of Athletics for Gameday Operations for the Dolphins. In his two seasons on the shores of the Hudson River, Mattera saw unprecedented success, leading Mount Saint Vincent to its first ever Skyline Conference Championship in 2021, returning to the field for the first time following the CoVID-19 shutdown.
In addition to its conference Championship, the Dolphins concluded his first season at the helm with the most wins in program history (14), earned the program's first berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament and secured the first ever win over a top-10 program, defeating No. 7 New York University, all leading to his being named the Skyline Conference Coach of the Year.
Last season, Mattera led the Dolphins to a second-straight winning season, with a 7-6 3 overall record, advancing to the conference championship for the second consecutive year. Overall, in his two seasons at Mount Saint Vincent, the Dolphins racked up a record of 21-8-5, while he led eight players to All-Skyline Conference accolades and coached the Skyline Rookie of the Year in both of his seasons leading the program.
Prior to being named the head coach at Mount Saint Vincent, Matter was the assistant coach at Columbia University from 2019-21, while the four seasons prior he was an assistant at the University of Bridgeport. Mattera made his collegiate coaching debut as an assistant at New Haven from 2010-12 before heading across town to Southern Connecticut from 2012-15 where he helped lead the owls to the NCAA Division II semifinals in 2014, ranked as high as No. 5 in the nation in Division II.
Mattera played collegiately at Southern Connecticut State from 2005-07, helping lead the Owls to the 2007 Northeast-10 Conference Championship and an east regional championship in 2006, advancing to the national quarterfinals that same season.
