Matt Thompson to be Inducted Into Slippery Rock Soccer Ring of Honor

SLIPPERY ROCK, PA - Slippery Rock University will honor 10 of its graduates, including UDC Head Men's Soccer Coach Matt Thompson, Friday, October 18th, by induction into the SRU Soccer Ring of Honor.

Thompson excelled as both a men's soccer student-athlete and coach at The Rock. As a student-athlete, Thompson was a two-time PSAC All-Conference selection, a three-time Western Pennsylvania All-Star, two-time team captain and was named the team's most valuable player in 1997.

After serving three seasons as an assistant coach at Division I Robert Morris University, Thompson returned to The Rock as head coach in 2002. The 1998 SRU graduate guided the Green and White to PSAC championships in 2005 and 2009, three berths in the NCAA Division II tournament, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2009, when his squad collected a school-record 18 wins. In recognition of his leadership efforts, Thompson was named as the PSAC Coach of the Year in 2005, 2008 and 2009.

Aside from his coaching duties, Thompson has been extremely active in community engagement. He helped found SRU Athletes form Forgotten Angels, a student-athlete group aimed at improving the quality of underprivileged children's lives around the world. Thompson led a missionary trip to Haiti in the summer of 2008 and volunteered in New Orleans during the summer of 2009, painting houses and coaching children after Hurricane Katrina. Thompson was also involved in Special Olympics of Pennsylvania while serving as SRU's head coach.