Where are they now: Rebecca Myers

Installment No. 2 of our summer "Where Are They Now" is mid-1990s women's soccer star Rebecca Myers.

Myers at UMass (left) and on vacation (right).

From her official UMass bio: As a Minutewoman, she was a member of four Atlantic 10 Conference championship teams as well as three NCAA Sweet 16 squads and one Final Four team (1993). She garnered numerous accolades over her career including Soccer America All-America honors three times. Myers was selected Atlantic 10 Conference Rookie of the Year in 1993, and earned All-Conference honors four straight years. She was a three-time A-10 All-Tournament team member, earning the Most Valuable Player award in 1994. Myers finished her career with 38 goals and 101 points, currently ranking her second and third, respectively, in the UMass record book. She also ranks among the top 10 in assists (25) and shots (194). 

THEN
What did you major in at UMass? - Kinesiology (Exercise Science)
Where did you live while you were a
student? - Southwest and off campus
Favorite off campus spot (restaurant/bar/hang out spot)
etc.? - Bueno Y Sano
Favorite Antonio’s slice? - Chicken and Broccoli
Greatest game playing for UMass? - Freshman year, Elite 8, beating UConn in the final 1.8 seconds to go to the Final Four.
Do
you have any souvenirs from your playing career? Pictures, old jerseys,
other memorabilia? - I shouldn't admit to this but I have my jersey from when I played.

NOW
What do you do for a career? - I am a Science Teacher and Soccer Coach.

Where do you live now? - Durham, NC

Last time you visited Amherst - 2007
Do you still play? - Yes, I play in a competitive Women's League that plays twice a
week.
Do you still follow UMass sports? - From time to time I check out the sports at UMass, especially the women's soccer.
What teammates do you stay in touch with - Too many players to list from those I played with, were coached by, and had the pleasure to coach

Anything else you’d like to add? - UMass was great...I loved it! THANK
YOU!!!

PREVIOUS ENTRIES:

1. Todd Bankhead

UMass hires Ed Matz as its women's soccer coach

UMass finally filled its women's soccer vacancy.

The following is UMass media relations release:

Ed Matz, the former Northeastern women's soccer head coach and 2009 Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year, has been named UMass women's soccer head coach, Director of Athletics John McCutcheon announced on Thursday. Matz, who will be the fifth head coach in the history of the program,will begin his first season on the sidelines with the Minutewomen in the fall of 2010.

"We are very excited to welcome Ed and his family to the UMass Athletics family," said McCutcheon. "Ed is a proven winner and brings a great amount of experience to the Minutewomen soccer program. He has a wealth of knowledge in terms of the New England region and has had success on the field as well as in the classroom with his players. We look forward to great success with the women's soccer program."

"I am very excited for the challenge of taking over as head coach at UMass, which has such a rich history of success in women's soccer," said Matz. "My goal is to live up to the team's past accomplishments and to further build off UMass' 2009 Atlantic 10 tournament appearance. Many alumni of the program have gone on to do great things within the sport of soccer and beyond and I look forward to having the student-athletes under my leadership continue this tradition."

Matz is coming off two of the most successful seasons in Northeastern's history. He was tabbed the league's coach of the year in 2009 after guiding the Huskies to their first ever CAA regular season title with a 7-1-3 record in conference play and a 12-4-3 mark overall. In 2008 under his direction, Northeastern won the CAA Championship and advanced to the secondround of the NCAA tournament.

In his coaching tenure with the Huskies - nine seasons with the men's team (1996-2004) and 11 with the women's (1999-2009) -Matz posted a combined record of 182-165-41. Both teams were struggling when he was named director of soccer in 1999, though it did not take long for him to put them on a winning course. The men's team won 10 or more games in five ofits last six seasons with Matz on the sidelines, and in 2002, Northeasterncaptured its first America East conference title in men's soccer. He was tabbed America East Coach of the Year in both 2000 and 2002.

Matz shifted his attention solely to the NU women's squad in 2005 when the university hired a head coach for its men's program. After Northeastern had posted losing records in its first three seasons in America East, Matz took over as coach and led the women to winning records in their final five years in the conference. In 2005, the team made the jump to the highly-competitive CAA, and by 2006, Matz took the Huskies to their first CAA Tournament. Matz's teams have succeeded athletically and academically, and for six straight years (2004-2009) Northeastern earned NSCAA All-Academic
honors under his direction.

Matz's collegiate experience prior to his timewith the Huskies came as a successful coach and recruiter for the women's soccer team at Castleton State College in Castleton,Vt. From 1989-93, Matz led his squad to four NAIA District V playoff appearances. His peers named him Mayflower Conference Coach of the Year in 1992, after earning Co-Coach of the Year honors in both 1990 and 1991.

Matz left Castleton in 1993 and moved his coaching residence to Brookline, Mass., where he took the helm of the men's team at Newbury College. In his one and only season, he guided the team to 12 wins and a runner-up finish in the Southern New England Athletic Conference.

In 1994, Matz joined Northeastern as an assistant men's soccer coach and became the program's head coach two seasons later.

Before moving to the sidelines, Matz distinguished himself on the field as captain of the Green Mountain College men's soccer team in 1988 and 1989. Matz graduated with a degree in Recreation, was named to the Mayflower All-Conference and NAIA All-District teams, and in 1994 was inducted into the Green Mountain Hall of Fame.

Matz currently serves as the Head Coach of the Massachusetts U15 Olympic Development Program. He also coached the U18 FCGreater Boston Bolts to a Mass. State Championship in 2007. Matz has his NSCAANational Coaching License and completed his master's degree in SportsLeadership from Northeastern in 2009.

A native of Woodsville, N.H., Matz resides in Milford with his wife Jenn and daughters Mckenzie (8), Ally (5) and Natalie (3).

Angela Napoli hired to be UMass' interim women's soccer coach

Angela Napoli, who was an assistant coach under Jim Rudy for the past four seasons, was hired as the program's interim head coach for the 2009 season.

This is a risky move for UMass, which had nothing but risky choices available. 

It is extremely hard to recruit effectively with an interim coach, but better to hire an interim coach than rush the search and make a mistake.

Several UMass sources said that former Minutewoman star April Kater turned down the vacant position.

UMass opens the 2009 season Aug. 28 at Holy Cross.

UMass' release below:

"Former
University of Massachusetts standout goalkeeper Angela Napoli has been
appointed UMass Women’s Soccer head coach for the 2009 season, Director
of Athletics John McCutcheon announced on Tuesday. Napoli, a 2000 UMass
graduate, spent the past four seasons as an assistant coach of her alma
mater after joining the women’s soccer staff in July of 2005.

“We are very pleased to hire Angela Napoli as our head coach for the
2009 season,” said McCutcheon. “As the pre-season is just three weeks
away, we feel that it is in the best interests of our program to move
forward and give this leadership opportunity to Angela. We are
fortunate to have an individual of Angela's experience and skills to
provide direction to the program at this challenging time.”

Napoli, 31, takes over for longtime frontman Jim Rudy, who announced his retirement after 21 seasons at UMass on May 27.

“I am thankful and honored for the opportunity to lead my alma mater,”
said Napoli, a native of Longmeadow. “I look forward to the upcoming
season and to showing what I can achieve as head coach of the UMass
women’s soccer program.”

Over the past four years, UMass has combined 34-30-6 record, including an 11-6 mark in 2006.

Prior to coming to UMass, Napoli spent the 2004 season at the
University at Albany as an assistant coach, specifically working with
the team’s goalkeepers.

Napoli also served as an assistant coach at William & Mary for two
years. While on staff at W&M, the Tribe won the Colonial Athletic
Association (CAA) title in 2003 and made two appearances in the NCAA
tournament (2002, 2003).

After earning a degree in Sport Management from UMass, Napoli spent the
2001 season as an assistant coach at the University of Colorado.

In addition to her collegiate experience, Napoli worked the John Daly
Girls Soccer Camp in 2002 and served as the Director of Goalkeepers for
the Boulder County Force Soccer Club in Colorado.

She was a four-year letterwinner in goal for the Minutewomen (1996-99),
playing in 35 games (27 starts) with a 1.38 career goals against
average. In the UMass record book, Napoli ranks seventh all-time in
career shutouts (13) and saves (159).

In 2003, Napoli played with the New England Mutiny when the squad advanced to the WPSL semifinals.

A 1996, graduate of Longmeadow High School, Napoli was an all-state
goalkeeper for the Lancers."

More Rudy

A former UMass women's soccer player told me a story tonight about when a man claiming to be Ross Perot called her parents house. The imitation was so good that her parents literally thought the presidential candidate was calling them.

It was Jim Rudy. Quintesentially Jim Rudy.

The UMass women's soccer coach was different. There are so many coaches cut from the same cookie cutter, but Rudy was his own cat, a man with a million interests and opinions. So many media-coach exchanges are something like:

REPORTER: Question?

COACH: Prepackaged answer with no imagination.

With Rudy there were actual conversations. He thought about the question and legitimately answered it. he was interesting. He was funny and his love of his game came through.

He didn't micromanage, either. He liked to recruit thinkers. He'd teach them the game in practice and trust they'd make good decisions when given the chance. For most of his career he was right.

It was important to him too that his team was a good citizen in the local soccer community. Before NCAA rule changes made it hard to do so legally, he'd often open his season at a local high school, raising money for the school and goodwill for his team.

It's sad that he didn't get one more NCAA Tournament run before hanging up his whistle, but he seems totally at peace with his decision.

I'd strongly suggesting listening to my interview with Rudy that's posted elsewhere on this site. He talks about so many things including some very poignant memories of Stephanie Santos.

Anyway, UMass lost an original. I'll miss him.

...15 days til J.R. departs for Fla...

Jim Rudy retiring

Good guy, good coach, good interview. 

More later...