Courtesy of Sean Elliot
Camel of the Edition is a new series which seeks to highlight extraordinary Connecticut College athletes who have stood out for their recent performances.
Matt Scoffone ‘24 has played a prominent role in the unprecedented success of the men’s soccer team over the past four years. Scoffone is a team captain, has appeared in all of the Camels matches so far, and was a member of the 2021 National Championship winning team. A winger from West Chester, Pennsylvania, he leads the team in shots had and goals scored.
Recently, The College Voice caught up with Scoffone to learn more about how he changed positions after coming to Conn, how the unparalleled experience of practicing amidst the uncertainty of the pandemic lead to the National Championship win, and why the men’s soccer team has been so successful and nationally competitive.
Could you please introduce yourself?
Matt Scoffone: I’m Matt Scoffone, a senior from West Chester, Pennsylvania. I’m a Quantitative Economics and Econometrics Major with a minor in Finance. I work as a Senior Admissions Fellow and I’m in the Peggotty Investment club. On the soccer team, I’m primarily a winger and a captain.
How did you end up choosing Conn?
MS: I wanted a good education as well as just soccer. The NESCAC schools are some of the best schools in the country and I also didn’t want my whole time [in college] to be soccer. This is why I wanted to go to a high [level] DIII school instead of a DI school that had year-round training and had a worse education. When I came to visit Conn, it was awesome and I pretty much chose the school the next day because I loved the campus and everything about the school.
What is your favorite and least favorite thing about your position?
MS: My favorite thing about being a winger is that you are high enough up the field to try to score some goals. My least favorite thing would probably be that it’s a lot of running being a winger. It’s a tough position to play because you have to run up and down [the pitch] a lot.
Matt, you played as a center midfielder in high school and but ended up playing winger in college; how did this change happen?
MS: It’s funny actually. I played on the same club [soccer] team with Rye Jaran ‘24. He was a winger and I was the center mid [on the club team]. But once we came to Conn freshman year, we were just practicing because it was the COVID year and we somehow ended up switching positions. I think I was just recruited as a player who could fill whatever was needed and the change just kind of happened slowly.
What makes the Men’s soccer team at Conn so competitive nationally and in the NESCAC?
MS: First, I think Coach [Ruben] Burke does a really good job pushing intensity in everything we do whether it’s in season or out of season. I think a lot of off season work is what has given us success. Like my freshman year was the COVID year so we didn’t have a season. We worked harder than any other team in the country and it paid off because the next year we were able to win the national championship. This past spring and summer every single guy on the team has been putting in so much work and I think this has contributed so much to the success we’re having this year.
Matt, you mentioned that the Conn team worked harder than any other team in the country, could you explain what this experience was like?
MS: We would train maybe five or six times a week and the practices were tough because it was very intense. We had ten freshmen in our incoming class and three juniors. It was just us 13 players practicing, so we got a lot of touches and we got familiar with playing with each other during this time. It was also kind of a good experience to have because a lot of freshmen come straight into a season and this [experience] kind of bridged the gap between high school and college soccer for myself.
And what was the national championship experience like?
MS: It was a thriller. Obviously when you’re going that far it’s easy to say that everything was going well the entire time, but there were a lot of tough games. Our first NCAA game, we won in a penalty kick shootout and that [game] could’ve easily gone the other way. We really showed our resilience through a bunch of games. For example, we lost to Tufts in the NESCAC finals that year and ended up beating them in the Elite 8, and we lost to Amherst earlier in the year and we ended up beating them in the final. So we really came full circle and matured as the season went on.
What traditions, superstitions, or pre-game rituals do you or your team have?
MS: After every win, we play our first song, “Wagon Wheel,” which is like our team national anthem. Immediately after, we listen to “Sweet Caroline.” So after every win, the locker room is electric. Everyone is together whether you played one minute or 90 minutes, which shows our culture and how much of a family our team is.
Matt, you currently are tied for most goals scored on the team with 7 goals in 15 games, which is more than you’ve scored in your previous two seasons in 17 games, what’s caused this change?
MS: I don’t think I’d say there’s a reason. I think in general our team is very good attacking-wise; we have a lot of guys who are very dangerous and I’ve just been fortunate enough to put some in myself. But I think without some of the other guys, like Jake [Creus] ‘24 and the rest of the attackers, I wouldn’t be able to get many of the chances [to score]. If my teammates weren’t beating defenders themselves, I wouldn’t be able to get into a position to score.
How would you describe the experience of being a team captain?
MS: It’s definitely something I enjoy a lot and also comes with a lot of responsibilities. I think that not just me, Marco and Ale (Alessandro Diano ‘23) are the captains, and the leadership is very very team oriented. There is a lot of interaction and a lot of good communication within our team. I think that also goes back to last year and maybe our lack of success last year in comparison to this year and 2021.
What are your plans going forward following college?
MS: While this semester I’m going to be at school, next semester I’m not going to be…next fall, I’m coming back to use my extra year of soccer eligibility [that we got] from [not being able to play during] COVID. In terms of after that, I’m looking into asset management, wealth management, and financial advising. This past summer, I worked at an asset management firm so something along that line of work.
Anything else you would like to add?
MS: I also want to say the fans are awesome. Whenever we play at Freeman Field, it’s like none other. We have one of the best fan bases during games in DIII, and it gets us so pumped up whenever we play here.
Note: This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
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