Matt Tantalo named men's soccer coach at Nazareth
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (Feb. 3, 2016) - Matt Tantalo, a veteran coach in the Rochester area for nearly two decades, has been named head men's soccer coach at Nazareth College.
Tantalo, who began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Nazareth back in the late '90s, replaces Danny Gilbertson, who had a 90-107-18 record over 12 seasons.
A native of Rochester, Tantalo played soccer scholastically at Gates Chili High School and then at RIT for legendary coach Doug May, whom he assisted at Nazareth.
Most recently, Tantalo served as head coach for 11 seasons at Keuka College, where he produced a record of 104-62-16 (.615) with an NCAA Tournament berth in 2007.
He coached the Wolfpack to a school-record 13 victories in 2008 and his 2015 team finished 12-3-3 overall and advanced to the semifinals of the North Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament.
Highlights of Tantalo's tenure at Keuka also included 60 players named to the all-conference team, including 21 first-teamers. He also had five players named to the Mid-Atlantic Region all-star team by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
"We are very excited to send our men's soccer team moving forward under Matt's direction," said Nazareth Athletic Director Pete Bothner. "He features many of the same virtues of his mentor, Doug May, both as a coach and as a person."
Tantalo spent the 2004 season as an assistant coach at Division I Syracuse and served as head coach at Elmira College for three seasons before that. He went 16-31-3 for the Soaring Eagles with an Empire 8 Conference Tournament appearance in 2002. His overall career head coaching record is 125-93-19 (.568).
Tantalo's coaching career began as an assistant to May at Nazareth in 1998. He spent three seasons at Nazareth and helped the 1999 and 2000 teams reach the ECAC Upstate Tournament.
Tantalo also excelled as a player for May at RIT, where he earned a degree in Business Administration and Management. On the soccer field, he started every game of his four-year career (64 overall) and helped the Tigers to a record of 39-19-7. He was a regional All-American in 1995 and served as team captain in 1997.
Other playing highlights included an NCAA Tournament appearance in 1994, an ECAC Upstate championship in 1995 and a bronze medal in the Empire State Games in 1997. Tantalo played professional soccer for two seasons - for the Albany Alleycats of the USL Pro League in 1998 and for the New York Capital District Shockers of the USL Premier Development League in 1999.
He played scholastically at Gates Chili and helped the Spartans to Section Five titles in 1992 and 1993. He was team captain in '93 and was a Monroe County League all-star.
A member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and holder of a national 'B' coaching license from the United States Soccer Federation, Tantalo also has experience at numerous camps and clinics and has a Master's degree in Coaching and Athletic Administration from Concordia University in California. In addition, he recently was selected as head coach of the Rochester River DogZ, a pro team that will compete in National Premier Soccer League for the first time in 2016.
At Nazareth, Tantalo is the fourth men's soccer coach in the program's 37-year history. The Golden Flyers have won 270 games over that span with four Empire 8 Conference titles (2003, 2005, 2006, 2009) and two NCAA Tournament appearances (2005, 2006).
Tantalo resides in Rochester with his wife, Lauren.