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Frank Mateus
In five seasons as Loyola head women's soccer coach, Frank Mateus has taken the Ramblers' program to new heights. After winning back-to-back Horizon League Tournament titles (2006, 2007) and grabbing a share of the Horizon League regular-season crown in 2008, key injuries helped squelch Loyola's title aspirations last year. However, with a solid group of newcomers joining a group of returnees that received invaluable experience last year, Mateus has the Ramblers poised to make a quick return to the Horizon League elite. With defending Horizon League Player of the Year Cynthia Morote-Ariza sidelined for a majority of the season with a knee injury, Mateus had to help the Ramblers find a new identity. Facing the toughest non-conference schedule in program history, Loyola struggled in the early going before rallying around a tight defense, strong goalkeeping and an opportunistic offense. The Ramblers scored first in front of a national television audience on Fox Soccer Channel only to eventually drop a 2-1 decision in overtime at No. 14 Texas A&M and, as the season went on, a young LU squad continued to improve. Morote-Ariza returned to the lineup and scored the game-winner in her first match back, helping the Ramblers win their final two Horizon League matches to finish the conference season with a solid 4-2-2 mark, good for the No. 4 seed and a home match in the first round of the conference tournament. Loyola rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the final 15 minutes of its quarterfinal match against Butler, eventually winning 4-3 on penalties, before falling to Milwaukee in the semifinals. As a result, Morote-Ariza and defender Julie Colhoff were both named to the All-Horizon League First Team while goalkeeper Katie Groesch earned Second Team All-Horizon League honors. In addition, freshman defender Chelsie Stokes was named to the Horizon League All-Newcomer Team, the fourth straight season that LU has had at least one newcomer so honored. Behind Morote-Ariza, the 2008 Ramblers raced through the Horizon League with just a single blemish, a final minute, 1-0 (OT) loss at Butler, en route to claiming a share of the league's regular season title. Along the way, LU posted four clean sheets in eight conference matches, including a 1-0 win over Milwaukee in October that was the decisive factor in the Ramblers earning the right to host the finals of the Horizon League Championship. Under Mateus' watch, Morote-Ariza put together the best season in Loyola history, finishing second in the country with 55 points from 18 goals and a NCAA-leading 19 assists, to become the first player in Horizon League history to repeat as outright Player of the Year. Meanwhile, defenders Colhoff and Ashley Funk, midfielder Laura Trevillian and Groesch were selected to the All-Horizon League Second Team. In 2007, Mateus and the Ramblers continued their assault on the school's record book, tying the single-season school record with 14 wins (previously set in 2006). The team performed admirably in both ends of the pitch, recording a school-record 11 clean sheets as a defensive unit while Morote-Ariza found the back of the net 17 times, nearly doubling the previous Loyola record for goals in a season (9, set by herself in 2006 and Melissa Eckerle in 1996). Loyola's free-flowing style helped Morote-Ariza, Heather Lau and Jackie Vera all earn First Team All-Horizon League recognition while Katie Heidenreich (Second Team) and Colleen Dougherty (All-Newcomer Team) also collected League honors. The team proved worthy of the accolades, knocking off Milwaukee on penalty kicks to claim its second consecutive Horizon League Tournament title and it put forth a strong effort in an eventual 3-0 loss to national semifinalist, Notre Dame. Loyola's 2007 success came on the heels of a strong 2006 season. Mateus, honored as the Horizon League Coach of the Year, played a key role in molding a team that counted on seven freshmen to play major roles into a cohesive unit. His recruiting and player development helped Loyola assemble a roster with as much quality depth as any team in the Horizon League, a luxury when playing a rigorous 20-game, regular-season schedule. Loyola enjoyed a record-setting season on both ends of the pitch, netting a single-season record 42 goals on the year while a staunch backline, anchored by keeper Emily Peick, kept a then-record eight clean sheets. As a result of their success, Mateus saw five players earn All-Horizon League honors, including Horizon League Newcomer of the Year Morote-Ariza, who also earned second team freshman All-America honors after posting 27 points (nine goals, nine assists) in her first season in Rogers Park. During his first season with the Maroon and Gold in 2005, Mateus guided the Ramblers to a record of 8-10-1, including a third consecutive semifinal appearance in the Horizon League Championship. Three players earned conference honors under Mateus' guidance, including Jamie Wasielewski, who earned Second Team All-Horizon League and Academic All-Horizon League honors. In addition, 12 players were recognized on the Horizon League's Fall 2005 Academic Honor Roll. As a team, the Ramblers were ranked in the Top 10 nationally by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) for academic achievement. Since 1997, Mateus has served as the Director of Coaching for the Rockford Raptors and Dactyls F.C., a club that has been recognized as one of the elite clubs in both Illinois and the Midwest, and has produced over 140 college players in the last eight years. Under Mateus' guidance, the Raptors have won numerous tournaments, an Illinois state championship, two regional titles and a national tournament runner-up finish. Mateus has been a coach for the Illinois Olympic Development Program since 1999. He has been on the Region II boys soccer coaching staff from 1999 until 2004 and is currently coaching for the '95 Illinois state ODP girls team. In addition to his coaching at the club level, Mateus has also served stints as head boys coach at Notre Dame High School in Niles (1994-96) and head girls coach at St. Viator High School (1994-96). He guided St. Viator to a 42-13-6 record and a regional championship and steered Notre Dame to a 31-26-6 ledger. For his efforts, he was hailed as the High School Coach of the Year at both schools. In 2001-02, Mateus was the boys and girls varsity soccer coach at Rockford Guilford, where he led both teams to IHSA regional championships. He was also named NIC-9 Boys Coach of the Year and IHSSCA Sectional Coach of the Year. |
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