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Matt Stimson enters his fourth season as an assistant coach for the Stanford men's soccer team. Stimson came to Stanford in 2001 with current head coach Bret Simon after spending the 1999 and 2000 seasons as Simon's assistant at Creighton. In addition to his coaching duties with the Cardinal, Stimson is also the Assistant Director for Stanford Soccer Academies.
"There isn't a better assistant soccer coach in the country than Matt Stimson," said Simon. "He's involved in all aspects of our program - recruiting, training, administration. His work ethic and enthusiasm are two big parts of the engine that keep us going."
Stimson has helped lead Stanford to unprecedented success in recent years, including back-to-back College Cup appearances in 2001 and 2002. In their first season on The Farm, Stimson helped Simon coach the Cardinal to a 19-2-1 record and the program's first Pac-10 championship. The Cardinal advanced to the NCAA Championship game for just the second time in program history in 2002, falling just short of a national title.
In 2000, Stimson helped Simon lead Creighton to its most successful season in history. The Bluejays (22-4-0) earned a trip to the College Cup for the second time in five years, ending their season with a 2-0 loss to Connecticut in the championship match. The team's appearance in the NCAA championship contest was the first by any Creighton athletic squad in school history. Creighton finished second in the MVC regular season race and captured its fourth MVC Tournament title. The Bluejays also set the school's record for most wins in a season (22) after a 2-1 triple-overtime victory over two-time defending champion Indiana in the semifinal round of the College Cup.
In addition to his duties at Stanford, Stimson was the head coach of the Palo Alto Crew Under-17 boy's team, which was the Northern California State Cup runner-up in the spring of 2003. In 2002, he was on the Region IV ODP staff working with the boys 1988 age group. Stimson also created the Stanford Spring Soccer Academy for children ages 8-12. The academy runs one evening a week during the spring and fall.
Stimson served as head coach of the Nebraska State ODP Men's Open Under-23 squad for two years (1999-2000) and led the team to the Region II Championship in May of 1999. He holds a USSF "A" License and a NSCAA Premier Diploma. Stimson was also the 2001 California District #2 Amateur U-23 head coach.
Before joining the Bluejays staff, Stimson spent the 1998 season as the first assistant coach at Hartford. Prior to his stint with the Hawks, Stimson worked as a graduate assistant at Plymouth State College - a Division III school that was consistently nationally ranked. Previous to coaching at the collegiate level, Stimson was a public school physical education teacher, as well as a soccer and track and field coach for four years in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
As a player, Stimson competed at Springfield College from 1989-92 and was the captain of the club his senior season. He also competed at the semi-pro level for the Gremio Lusitanos in Ludlow, Mass. Stimson received his Bachelor's of Science degree in physical education with a teachers' certification from Springfield College in December of 1993.In May of 1998, he earned a Master's of Education in athletic and adventure education administration from Plymouth State College.
Stimson was married to the former Katie Kennedy of Palo Alto on July 26, 2003. They have a daughter named McKayli.