Matt Garrett

Matt Garrett is entering his 16th season as head coach of Gettysburg’s women’s soccer team in 2022. Garrett is the third head coach in the 34-year history of the program and owns a 142-80-32 (.622 winning percentage) record through his first 15 campaigns, including an 85-42-13 mark in the highly competitive Centennial Conference (CC). He recorded his 100th career victory with a 1-0 win over Muhlenberg on Oct. 22, 2016.

Under Garrett, the Bullets have posted 12 consecutive winning seasons and have won at least 10 matches eight times. Gettysburg has competed in the postseason in 10 of the last 11 campaigns. The team returned to the national playoffs for the first time in five seasons in 2019, compiling a 13-5-1 overall record and finishing runner-up in the conference tournament. The Bullets maintained a spot in the regional rankings throughout the campaign and ranked as high as 25th in the Division III poll.

In the fall of 2015, Garrett steered the Orange and Blue to a 10-2-6 record, including a 7-2-1 mark in conference play. The team allowed only six goals during the entire campaign and tied the program record for shutouts for the third consecutive season with 13. Four Bullets were named All-Centennial Conference with Eliza Gray ’16 being tagged CC Player of the Year. Gray would garner first-team All-America status and finish as the program’s career leader in wins (47), GAA (0.46), and save percentage (.863).

The team also enjoyed an outstanding season in 2014, finishing 13-4-2 and earning an at-large berth in the NCAA Division III Championship. Gettysburg also went 9-0-1 in the Centennial Conference to place first in the CC standings, marking the top finish for the Bullets under Garrett. He was honored as the 2014 CC Coach of the Year.

Garrett’s teams have been typified by stingy defenses that have yielded less than one goal per game in nine of his 13 campaigns at the helm. Over the last 12 seasons, Gettysburg has racked up 116 shutouts in 237 matches.

Under Garrett, the Bullets have received 48 all-conference citations, including 12 on the first team. Garrett’s players have also received 11 all-region awards and two All-America certificates.

Garrett arrived at Gettysburg following a three-year assistant-coaching stint with the men’s soccer team at his alma mater, NCAA Division II Slippery Rock University. During his tenure, the team qualified for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) playoffs for the first time in 20 years and won its first championship in 30 seasons. The team made the PSAC playoffs again in 2006.

Prior to his return to Slippery Rock, Garrett spent three seasons as an assistant men’s soccer coach at NCAA Division I Robert Morris University. The Colonials won the Northeast Conference regular-season championship in 2001 and made the conference playoffs in all three seasons with Garrett on the staff.

Garrett has also achieved success as a coach at the club level. He coached the Pennsylvania Under-19 champion Northern Steel in 1998. At the Under-16 level, he mentored his team to the 2003 and 2004 regional championships and qualified for the U.S. Club Soccer National Championships in the top Premier Division.

A four-year starter and letterwinner at The Rock, Garrett was named captain his senior season. After graduating with a bachelor’s in sports management, he went on to play semi-professionally for various English soccer clubs in the south of western England. Along with these impressive credentials, Garrett has amassed a number of awards and certifications, including National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) National and National Advanced Coaching Badges and English FA Prelim and Goalkeeping Badges.

Career Highlights

• 16th year at Gettysburg
• Overall record: 142-80-32 (.622)
• Conference Record: 85-42-13 (.654)
• Has appeared in the Centennial Conference playoffs 11 times
• Led team to NCAA playoffs in 2014 and 2019
• Recorded 100th career victory on Oct. 22, 2016
• Bullets have received 53 all-conference citations, 14 all-region selections, and two All-America certificates
• Posted 11 consecutive winning seasons