Matt Ward - Women's Soccer Coach - Miami University RedHawks

Matt Ward

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:
wardmr3@miamioh.edu

In six seasons at Miami, Matt Ward has helped mold two of the best goalkeepers the Miami soccer program has ever seen while continuing to bring in talent as the team’s recruiting coordinator.

While moving on from record-setting goalkeeper Allison Norenberg’s 2013 graduation looked to be a tall order, Ward has helped Vic Maniaci put together a couple seasons for the record book of her own. As a sophomore, Maniaci set a school record with a 0.59 goals against average while splitting time with Danielle Wiseman as she battled injury in 2014. The 2015 campaign nearly saw Maniaci top her own record. Despite narrowly missing that mark, Maniaci’s 0.62 goals against average topped all MAC keepers that season. Maniaci wrapped up her career setting or tying school records in goal against average (0.72) and solo shutouts (23) while her 27 wins and 217 saves both finished in the top three in program history.

With record setting goalkeeper Allison Norenberg gone, the 2014 season saw Ward get strong performances from both Danielle Wiseman and Vic Maniaci in goal for the Red and White. The duo helped Miami allow the fewest goals and post the second-best goals against average in the Mid-American Conference at 0.71.

The 2013 season saw the RedHawks post a school-record 12 shutouts in 21 contests. Miami was particularly stingy during its season-ending 12-match unbeaten streak, allowing just four goals during that stretch. In MAC play, MU led the league with a 0.51 goals against average while posting a 0.94 goals against average for the season.

Ward made a big impact on Miami in his second season, helping the RedHawks win Mid-American Conference regular-season and tournament championships. Miami finished 20-3-1, setting the school record for wins, including going unbeaten in league play at 10-0-1, just the second team in MAC history to do so. Ward was also instrumental in Miami knocking off No. 20 Tennessee in the first round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament.

Ward worked with goalkeeper Allison Norenberg in his first three years. Norenberg went from a redshirt in 2010 to starting 62 of 63 matches over the last three seasons under Ward's tutelage. In 2012, Norenberg tied the school record with eight solo shutouts while she had a combined 10 clean sheets on the season. She also dropped her goals-against average from 1.24 in 2011 to 1.00 in 2012 and her save percentage improved from .742 to .762 in her second year. Norenberg finished her career with a bang in 2013, breaking the school record with 11 solo shutouts that season and 23 in her career. She also posted a career-best 0.99 goal against average that year.

Prior to Miami, Ward had four years of coaching experience and played goalkeeper collegiately for four years. In 2010, Ward was an assistant men's soccer coach at Earlham College in Richmond, Ind. while also working with the women's team's goalkeepers. For the men, he served as the recruiting coordinator, planned practices and developed the team's off-season conditioning program.

On the women's side at Earlham, he helped the goalkeepers set a single-season team record with 12 clean sheets, including 11 by Megan Holthaus, which is an individual school record. The Quakers also set the single-season GAA record under Ward's tutelage with a 0.89 GAA.

Prior to Earlham, Ward served two years as a graduate assistant coach at Frostburg State University in Frostburg, Md. while earning his master's degree. While at FSU, he coached both the men's and women's teams and assisted with recruiting, monitored athletes' academics and developed the off-season program for the men's team.

With Ward's guidance in 2009, the Bobcat women won a league title, led the conference in GAA (0.53) and tied a school record for shutouts (15) while in 2008 the women set school records for fewest goals allowed (8) and also pitched 15 shutouts. On the men's side in 2008, FSU also led the conference in GAA (0.64) and whitewashes (15) while both the men's and women's keepers were named all-conference.

Ward got his start in coaching as an assistant high school coach at Lakeland High (Fla.) in the fall of 2007 and has worked several collegiate and Olympic development soccer camps over the summers as a goalkeeper instructor.

A native of Naples, Fla., Ward played four seasons at Division II Florida Southern College as a goalkeeper from 2003-06 under Seyfarth. Kramig was also a four-year goalkeeper at Florida Southern from 1978-81.

Ward earned his Master of Education degree in interdisciplinary studies from Frostburg State in 2010 and a bachelor's degree in both marketing and sports management from Florida Southern in 2007. He received his National Goalkeeping Diploma from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America in March of 2009 and a National Diploma from the NSCAA in January of 2010.