With the 2020-21 University of Southern Indiana Athletic seasons postponed due to COVID-19, we wanted to take this time to re-introduce the Screaming Eagles coaches and staff members.

Today features, USI Men's Soccer Head Coach Mat Santoro. Santoro, who became the ninth head coach of the USI men's soccer program in 2009, moves into his 12th season at the helm of the Screaming Eagles. The Eagles are 97-81-21 during his tenure, including five consecutive post-season berths that have included trips to the NCAA Division  II Tournament.

The 2019 campaign saw the Eagles battle through numerous pre-season injuries by rallying to earn a trip into the post-season. USI saw its season come to a conclusion with a 9-7-3 overall mark, 8-5-2 conference finish, after reaching the GLVC Tournament semifinals.  

In 2018, Santoro's Eagles were nothing short of dominating in the regular season and the GLVC campaign. He directed the Eagles to a 13-4-1 overall record, reaching 13 wins for the second time in three season, and a impressive 11-1-1 mark in conference action, capturing the GLVC regular season championship for the first time since 1990. 

USI also reached the NCAA II Tournament for the second time in three seasons and was the number two seed in the Midwest Region for the first time program history. The Eagles also hosted an NCAA II regional for the first time since 1982 and finished the season ranked 15th nationally. 

Santoro, the 2018 GLVC Coach of the Year,  and the Eagles were ranked as high as 11th nationally during the 2018 regular season, the highest level since 1982. 
 
The 2017 Eagles, who were nationally ranked early in the season, used an 8-1-1 dash in their final 10 games to earn a berth in the GLVC Tournament championship game and finish the year with an 11-7-1 overall mark.
 
Santoro's Eagles had a historic 2016 campaign, reaching the NCAA II Tournament for the second time and advancing for the first time in the history of the program. The Eagles, who also spent four weeks in the NSCAA Top 25 poll, were 13-4-4 overall, reaching 13 wins for the first time since 2002.  
 
In addition to the energy sparked by the last two seasons, USI has had seven GLVC Players of the Week; 10 All-GLVC awards; seven All-Region picks; the 2016 GLVC Freshman-of-the-Year; and the program's second-ever Academic All-American.
 
USI men's soccer also has excelled in the classroom under Santoro's direction. The program earned the NSCAA Team Academic Award eight times and the Team Academic All-GLVC Award the past two years. Seven of the program's 2016 and 2017 graduates have won the GLVC Council of Presidents' Academic Excellence Award, and the program has earned 109 Academic All-GLVC awards since 2009.
 
Prior to coming to USI, Santoro was an assistant coach at The University of Memphis of Conference-USA, assisting in all facets of the program.
 
Santoro began his college coaching career as an assistant at Rowan University (NJ). During his time coaching at Rowan, Santoro was the primary recruiter for a program, which won two conference championships; qualified for three NCAA tournaments; and hosted the 2000 NCAA III Final Four in which the Profs were the national runner-up.
 
As a student-athlete, Santoro started for University of Maryland before transferring to Rowan where he was a three-time All-Conference and two-time All-Region performer. His 1990 national championship team was inducted into the Rowan Athletics Hall-of-Fame in 2017.
 
Santoro has a bachelor's of arts degree in philosophy and religion with a minor in physical education. He also is a member of the International Association for the Philosophy of Sport and the United Soccer Coaches.
 
Santoro and his wife, Andrea, reside in Mt. Vernon, Indiana, with their four children – Timothy, Maria, Andrew, and Giuliana. Santoro's brother, Tim, is the head women's coach at North Carolina State University.
 
Here is a little more about USI's men's soccer head coach:
 
Hometown/What was the best part of growing up there? Bridgeton, NJ. It was a culturally diverse town halfway between Philadelphia and the Jersey Shore.

Alma Mater: Rowan University

Favorite Athlete All-Time: Diego Maradona

Favorite Team(s): All Philadelphia teams.

Favorite part of USI? Why? The campus. The green spaces and the sounds of woodpeckers.

If you weren't a coach/athletic administrator, what career would you have? Professor / Author.
 
Your go to activity during COVID-19? Thinking

Your go to food? Pizza
 
Who is the messiest person you know? One of my kids, but I won't say which one.

What will finally break the internet? Pettiness…hopefully

What would be on the gag reel of your life? The many times one of my ankles gave out and I went down hard for no apparent reason.

What is the dumbest way you've been injured? Dropped a Cuisinart blade on my foot while doing the dishes.

If you were a fictional character, who would you be? Why? Jason Bourne. He gets to visit a lot of great places. 

What's your biggest screw up in the kitchen? See above (the Cuisinart incident).

What quote or saying do people spout but is complete BS? "It's only a game."

What ridiculous thing has someone tricked you into doing or believing? They told me it's all about the kids, but I didn't fall for it.

When did you know you wanted to be a coach or athletic administrator? When I couldn't play any longer.