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Coaches
Matthew Tantalo
Men’s Soccer Head Coach /
Men’s and Women’s Tennis Head Coach
mtantalo@keuka.edu
Matt Tantalo will begin his ninth year as the coach of the Storm when the 2013 season begins and has guided Keuka to an impressive 74-48-10 record (.598 winning percentage) through his first eight years at the helm of the Green and Gold. The Storm has finished with a winning record in 12 of the last 13 seasons.
In the 2012 season, the Storm finished with an overall record of 7-8-0 while posting an even 5-5 against NEAC competition. Leading the way under Tantalo’s watch were seniors Nate Smith and John Mastrella. Smith scored 10 goals and added 5 assists for Keuka, while Mastrella chipped in 8 goals of his own to go along with 5 assists. Also, Keuka placed three athletes on the NEAC’s all-conference teams at the conclusion of the season. Seniors Nate Smith and John Mastrella were named to the first-team all-conference team, while sophomore Austin Gerber earned second-team all-conference honors with his 6 goals and 1 assist on the year. Smith also earned his place on the third-team All-East Region squad.
During the 2011 campaign, when Keuka went 8-5-3 overall and 5-4-2 record in the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) before falling to Lancaster Bible College in the NEAC quarterfinals, 2-0. Tantalo’s 2011 squad landed five on the year-ending all-conference squads, as freshman Austin Gerber was named the NEAC’s inaugural Rookie of the Year and both Gerber and junior Nate Smith were named to the first-team All-NEAC. Juniors John Mastrella and goalie Derek Condon earned second-team All-NEAC while classmate Reis Cunningham garnered third-team All-NEAC honors as Keuka earned the fourth seed in the NEAC postseason tournament. Smith also was named third-team All-East Region by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NCSAA).
In 2010, Tantalo’s squad posted a 10-5-2 overall record while finishing in fourth place in the conference. He placed six of his players on the All-NEAC teams while two seniors, Jack Reece and Brian Cunliffe, were also selected to the NSCAA Division III All-East Region third team. The Storm also received the NSCAA Academic Team Award for the third consecutive season.
In 2009, he led the Storm to a 8-7-1 record while his team earned its second straight NSCAA Academic Team Award for having his team GPA above 3.0.
In 2008, Tantalo led the Storm to a 12-4-2 overall record, just one win shy of the school record. The Storm also made it the finals of the NEAC Tournament before falling to the University of Dallas (1-3).
In 2007, he led Keuka to a NEAC Tournament Championship and the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. In 2006, the Storm finished 10-6 overall and 7-3 in the NEAC. In 2005, Tantalo’s first season with the club, Keuka made the ECAC Division III Upstate Soccer Tournament after posting a 9-6-1 mark.
Tantalo also coaches the men’s and women’s tennis teams in the spring and led the women’s squad to a NEAC regular season championship in 2007 and the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2009.
Tantalo came to Keuka from Syracuse University, where he served as assistant men’s soccer coach for the Orange of the Big East Conference in 2004. As an assistant for the Orange, Tantalo was responsible for training, scouting, recruiting, and game day preparation.
Before SU, Matt was the head coach at Elmira College from 2001-03. He led the Soaring Eagles to an Empire 8 Conference Tournament semifinal appearance in 2002. While at Elmira, Tantalo also served a two-year term as chair of the Empire 8 Men’s Soccer Committee, and was a member of the NCAA Regional Ranking Committee in 2003.
Before Elmira, Matt served as assistant men’s soccer coach at Nazareth College under the late Doug May, from 1998-2001. While at Nazareth, Tantalo helped guide the Golden Flyers to an ECAC Upstate Semifinal appearance in 1999, and an appearance in the ECAC Upstate Championship game in 2000.
Tantalo was a standout soccer player at RIT, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in business administration and management in 1999. He started every game of his career in helping the Tigers to an overall record of 39-19-7. Tantalo earned Regional All-American honors in 1995, captained the Tigers in 1997, helped RIT reach the NCAA quarterfinals in 1994, and win the ECAC Upstate Championship in 1995. Tantalo also participated in the Empire State Games, earning a bronze medal in 1997.
Following his collegiate career, Tantalo played two years of professional soccer in the United Soccer Leagues. He played for the Albany Alleycats (USL Pro League) in 1998 and for the New York Capital District Shockers (USL Premier Development League) in 1999.
An experienced camp clinician, Tantalo served as the Director of the Advanced Players Camp in Rochester, NY, as well as the Co-Director on the Elmira College Soccer Camp. He has also been active as a clinician for the past ten years at numerous camps including Syracuse University, RIT, St. Bonaventure University, University of Notre Dame, Siena College, Cornell University, and Hobart College, among others.
A native of Rochester, NY, Tantalo is a 1994 graduate of Gates Chili high school where he helped lead the Spartans to back-to-back section V Championships and national rankings.
Tantalo is a member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and holds a NSCAA National Diploma and a USSF National “B” License.
