Head coach Matt Edwards will return for his third year at Knox after inheriting a 2011 team that finished with a 1-16 record. Edwards has recorded a combined 19-15-2 record in his first two seasons.
The 2013 season saw the team string together 11 consecutive wins on its way to a 13-6 record and the program's first appearance in the Midwest Conference Tournament in school history. The team scored a league-best 55 goals, propelled by the leadership of team MVP Maxwell Gatyas’14 who finished eighth nationally with 13 assists on the season. Most Improved Player Nathaniel Logie ’16 scored a team-best 16 goals, recorded five assists, and was later named to the All-Midwest Conference first team along with Charles Edemba’16, whose work on the defensive end delivered a league-best 10 shutouts on the season. Dillon Kostka’14 was the recipient of the Bruce Shadbolt Award for the second consecutive year for his outstanding commitment. The team also excelled in the classroom and was awarded the NSCAA Team Academic Award for a cumulative GPA of 3.2.
In 2012 the team recorded a 6-9-2 record that included its first Midwest Conference win since 2004. Then first-year Charlie Harned’16 lead the team with 12 goals and four assists. He was supported by Donald Tchopya’13 who scored seven goals and three assists and Jacob Polay’15 who recorded a team-best seven assists and chipped in with five goals. The team improved its defense exponentially, from allowing 82 goals in 2011 to only 32 in 2012.
Before Knox, Edwards assisted Justin Serpone at Amherst College as they won the highly competitive NESCAC Championship and reached the NCAA Elite 8, setting a program record with 16 wins. Prior to Amherst, Edwards spent four seasons at Springfield College (Massachusetts). The Pride made their way to the NEWMAC semifinals off the back of a 12-8-1 record.
Edwards graduated in 2009 from Springfield College with his master’s degree in advanced level coaching. A native of Southampton, England before moving to the United States, Edwards worked at the highly respected youth academy at Southampton working with players like Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Edwards holds the UEFA B license along with the NSCAA Premier Diploma in coaching.
