Roma defender finds a home at Frostburg State
Matthew Garrett was forced to make a quick pivot when looking to further his soccer career.
The 19-year-old, A.N. Myer graduate had been accepted at Niagara University in nearby Lewiston, N.Y., but then had to look elsewhere when the deal was pulled off the table due to the COVID pandemic.
“They had players come back so they didn’t have the same amount of money,” Garrett said.
Garrett then began looking at other schools south of the border and started sending out emails.
“I had been set on (Niagara) for a while and then I had to restart the whole recruiting process with very limited film,” he said. “I sent that to some schools and after a few weeks I had about a dozen offers.”
After sifting through the offers, the talented centre back settled on Frostburg State University, a Division 2 school in Maryland, which offered a partial scholarship and plenty of playing time.
“Frostburg made the most sense financially, location-wise, playing-wise and just the environment,” he said. “It (Niagara) didn’t work out and I’m really happy to be going to Frostburg.
“Of all the other offers, I narrowed it down to three and Frostburg made the most sense.”
Garrett, who will major in exercise science in the hopes of becoming a physiotherapist, admitted it was difficult to make such a big decision without being able to visit the schools in person due to the pandemic.
“I never visited any of the schools or met any of them in person,” he said. “It was a challenging experience. I didn’t know what to expect and I still don’t know even though I’m going there in a few weeks.
“I’m just really excited to be going. The only thing is I’m going to miss a lot of people — my girlfriend, family and friends.”
Garrett, who is spending his summer playing for the Club Roma Wolves of the League1 Ontario Men’s Premier Division, played all the usual sports growing up in Niagara Falls but was drawn to soccer.
“I just love playing sports but soccer is the sport I thought I was the best at so I just went with it. I have a really high passion for the game,” he said.
Garrett joined Empire Niagara Soccer Academy when he was 12 after being recruited by coach Mark Beck and quickly established himself as a top talent.
“When Matthew joined Empire, he was used to being a top scorer. He would often dribble around everyone on the field while he was playing at the regional level,” Empire technical director Davide Massafra said.
Moving up the ranks proved to be a challenge for Garrett, who could no longer get by on raw talent alone.
“Playing in the United States against stronger and older boys (we were playing in an older division) was very challenging for him, and we slowly encouraged him to play more defensively,” Massafra said.
Garrett was tried at midfielder and full back before finally settling in at centre back.
“His ability to adapt to different roles and responsibilities, without losing his offensive skills, makes him a unique defender,” Massafra said. “Matty is always ready to take the ball forward on the pitch.”
Garrett takes practice very seriously.
“I saw him many times spending afternoons alone with the ball in local grass fields before and after practice,” Massafra added. “Most of the soccer players in North America forget the importance of working on their own to improve their technical skills but Matthew surely has not.”
Garrett said his drive to win comes from his father, Mark Garrett.
“I’ve always been like that with any sport,” he said. “That comes from my dad. He was an insanely, good hockey goalie who always put in a lot of hours and I think that’s where I get it from.
“I just love being on the field and love the game.”
Garrett said the goal of playing at a higher level was also a driving force.
“I’ve had this plan before I even went to Empire,” he said. “This was the kind of level I always wanted to play at. I want to play beyond this level in the future. I want to play professionally and I’m very excited to be able to play at this level.”
He gave full props to Empire for aiding in his development.
“They definitely helped me a lot. The training is amazing and the level we play at. We were a top 10-15 team consistently so we were always playing top teams.”
Garrett also gave props to a handful of others who helped him along the way.
“I want to thank my family, specifically my sister Kylie and my parents, Mark and Sue,” he said. “I wouldn’t be where I am without them.”
Garrett also mentioned his past coaches Vito DiMartino, Mauro Ciampa and Mike Folino.
The Wolves, 1-1, take on Vaughan Azzurri B Friday at 8:45 p.m. at Club Roma in their home opener.
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