EWING, N.J. – Steve DeMatteo has been chosen as TCNJ’s new men’s soccer head coach, as announced Tuesday by Director of Athletics Liz Shatkus.
DeMatteo becomes just the third full-time head coach for the program since 1982, and the first since the retirement of George Nazario, who coached the team from 1995 to 2023. P.J. Ringel ’21 served as interim coach for the 2024 campaign.
“I am extremely honored and excited to become the Head Men’s Soccer Coach at The College of New Jersey,” DeMatteo said. “I would like to thank Director of Athletics Liz Shatkus and the entire search committee for entrusting me with this incredible position. Throughout the process I felt a strong connection with the college and athletic department, and have full belief in the men’s soccer program. I am very eager and excited to work with our men’s soccer student-athletes, as I am committed to their development both on and off the field.
“TCNJ Men’s Soccer has a fantastic history and tradition of success that I know many are very proud of. I am excited to engage with our proud alumni, and work tirelessly with our players, staff, and support staff to create an extremely special culture and environment that can provide a platform for the program to compete at a high standard. My family and I are very much looking forward to becoming a part of the TCNJ community.”
DeMatteo comes to Ewing after six seasons as the top assistant at Penn, where he helped the Quakers become a mainstay on the national stage. Penn won the last three Ivy League regular-season championships, which was the first three-peat in program history. The 2024 Penn team were a perfect 7-0-0 in Ivy League play and were the No. 6 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. DeMatteo has been part of a coaching staff at Penn that has been recognized with Ivy League Coach of the Year Honors for the past 3 seasons, and United Soccer Coaches Regional Staff of the Year honors twice during that time.
DeMatteo assisted in coordinating recruiting efforts at Penn, which helped to identify and develop 21 All-Ivy selections over the last three years, including 4 Ivy League Players of the Year, 3 All Americans, 3 Major League Soccer (MLS) draft picks, and 1 MLS Homegrown contract. In his first season with the program in 2019, the Quakers posted their first winning season in eight years and finished 2nd in the Ivy League.
DeMatteo made stops as an assistant coach at Arcadia (2013-15) and Lafayette (2015-17) before becoming a head coach for the first time at Manhattanville College in 2017. Organizing all facets of the program, he guided the Valiants to the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) semifinals and ECAC quarterfinals in 2018, earning MAC Coach of the Year recognition for his efforts. During his time at Manhattanville, DeMatteo coached 15 all-conference selections, including one MAC Player of the Year and a pair of Rookie of the Year selections. The Valiants’ 13 wins during the 2018 campaign were second-most in a single season in program history.
DeMatteo arrived at Manhattanville after spending the two years prior as an assistant coach at Lafayette. Working with the team’s back four, he crafted the unit into the best defense in the Patriot League in 2016, conceding a conference-low 1.06 goals per game.
DeMatteo also has extensive experience in New Jersey and Pennsylvania working at the elite youth level of the game. Most recently DeMatteo has worked at Real Futbol Academy assisting with the U15-U19 MLS Next Teams. DeMatteo has also worked at both Match Fit Academy as well as Patriot FC (PA) and has achieved success developing players and teams at both clubs.
DeMatteo began his playing career at Drew before spending his last three seasons at William Paterson. He started 45 of his 46 appearances for the Pioneers, scoring eight goals and tacking on five assists. He remains tied for the program’s all-time lead in both starts and matches played in a season, starting all 22 appearances in 2008 for the ECAC Metro Tournament champions. Additionally, in 2010 DeMatteo played 1 season in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) for the New Jersey based club NJ Blaze.
DeMatteo currently holds licenses from the United States Soccer Federation as well as the United Soccer Coaches Association.
“I am thrilled to announce Steve DeMatteo as the next head men’s soccer coach at TCNJ,” Shatkus said. “Steve is a driven leader who understands the importance of establishing a great culture and has a deep passion for the game with strong roots in New Jersey. I am confident that he will lead the program to success while continuing to build upon the program’s tradition of excellence and guiding our student-athletes on and off the pitch.”
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
“I am very excited for Coach DeMatteo to get the chance to lead TCNJ Men’s Soccer into their next chapter as a program. He is an incredibly hard-working and detail-oriented coach with a confident vision for what it takes to be successful at the collegiate level. Steve has been a big part of our success at Penn and I am incredibly thankful for his dedication to the program over the years.” — Brian Gill, Head Men’s Soccer Coach at the University of Pennsylvania
“TCNJ has found a great head coach in Steve DeMatteo. Steve played a pivotal role in helping Penn Men’s Soccer achieve one of the best three-year runs in program history and brings valuable experience as a head coach. There’s no doubt he will make a significant impact on the program at TCNJ. Wishing him and the Lions great success in this next chapter! – Joshua LaRosa, Sr. Associate AD at the University of Pennsylvania
“Steve is so well positioned to succeed at The College of New Jersey. I recognize him as one of the hardest working coaches in the college game, while also having the ability to create a tactically nuanced team. He knows how to find good players and he knows how to recruit them. Steve has played a big hand in the incredible success that Penn has consistently attained, and it will be exciting to see his own signature on his new charges. – Brian Wiese, Head Men’s Soccer Coach at Georgetown University
“Coach DeMatteo is someone I have gotten to know well over years working with him and coaching against him. He is a very hard-working, disciplined, and motivated coach. I think he has great knowledge of the game, is a strong manager, and has a good understanding of the NJAC conference. I think he is a terrific fit for the college and will be a strong leader to take the program forward in a positive direction.” – Josh Shapiro, Head Men’s Soccer Coach at Harvard University
“Steve has all the qualities needed to bring success to the TCNJ men’s soccer program. His dedication, passion and knowledge for the game will make an immediate impact in the locker room with the current roster of players. Success has followed Steve to every program he’s been a part of and I’m sure he’ll bring that same impact to The College of New Jersey!” – Zach Samol, Head Men’s Soccer Coach at American University