Entering 2nd season as head coach in 2026
Steve DeMatteo was named TCNJ's men's soccer head coach in March of 2025.
DeMatteo became just the third full-time head coach for the program since 1982, and the first since the retirement of George Nazario, who coached the team from 1995 to 2023.
His debut at the helm resulted in a banner season in 2025. The Lions finished 11-5-5 overall and 4-3-2 in conference play, advancing to the NJAC championship game for the first time since 2010 after dominating wins over Rutgers-Camden in the quarterfinals (5-1) and at No. 20 Montclair State in the semifinals (4-1). The 11 victories were the most for the program since 2013, and the Lions hosted an NJAC playoff match for the first time since that season.
DeMatteo's charges were well adorned with postseason accolades, with Sean Najdzinowicz earning NJAC Goalkeeper of the Year honors as a rookie, the first freshman in school history to earn that honor. The first-year keeper also joined Chris Meder and fellow rookie Matt Will on the United Soccer Coaches All-Region roster.
DeMatteo came to Ewing after six seasons as the top assistant at Penn, where he helped the Quakers become a mainstay on the national stage. Penn won the last three Ivy League regular-season championships, which was the first three-peat in program history. The 2024 Penn team were a perfect 7-0-0 in Ivy League play and were the No. 6 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. DeMatteo has been part of a coaching staff at Penn that has been recognized with Ivy League Coach of the Year Honors for the past 3 seasons, and United Soccer Coaches Regional Staff of the Year honors twice during that time.
DeMatteo assisted in coordinating recruiting efforts at Penn, which helped to identify and develop 21 All-Ivy selections over the last three years, including 4 Ivy League Players of the Year, 3 All Americans, 3 Major League Soccer (MLS) draft picks, and 1 MLS Homegrown contract. In his first season with the program in 2019, the Quakers posted their first winning season in eight years and finished 2nd in the Ivy League.
DeMatteo made stops as an assistant coach at Arcadia (2013-15) and Lafayette (2015-17) before becoming a head coach for the first time at Manhattanville College in 2017. Organizing all facets of the program, he guided the Valiants to the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) semifinals and ECAC quarterfinals in 2018, earning MAC Coach of the Year recognition for his efforts. During his time at Manhattanville, DeMatteo coached 15 all-conference selections, including one MAC Player of the Year and a pair of Rookie of the Year selections. The Valiants' 13 wins during the 2018 campaign were second-most in a single season in program history.
DeMatteo arrived at Manhattanville after spending the two years prior as an assistant coach at Lafayette. Working with the team's back four, he crafted the unit into the best defense in the Patriot League in 2016, conceding a conference-low 1.06 goals per game.
DeMatteo also has extensive experience in New Jersey and Pennsylvania working at the elite youth level of the game. Most recently DeMatteo has worked at Real Futbol Academy assisting with the U15-U19 MLS Next Teams. DeMatteo has also worked at both Match Fit Academy as well as Patriot FC (PA) and has achieved success developing players and teams at both clubs.
DeMatteo began his playing career at Drew before spending his last three seasons at William Paterson. He started 45 of his 46 appearances for the Pioneers, scoring eight goals and tacking on five assists. He remains tied for the program's all-time lead in both starts and matches played in a season, starting all 22 appearances in 2008 for the ECAC Metro Tournament champions. Additionally, in 2010 DeMatteo played 1 season in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) for the New Jersey based club NJ Blaze.
DeMatteo currently holds licenses from the United States Soccer Federation as well as the United Soccer Coaches Association.
COACHING RECORD
| Year |
Overall Record |
Win % |
NJAC Record |
Win % |
Postseason |
| 2025 |
11-5-5 |
.643 |
4-3-2 |
.556 |
NJAC Runner-Up |
| Total |
11-5-5 |
.643 |
4-3-2 |
.556 |
|
