UIC women’s soccer head coach Tom Anagnost announced the addition of Matt Gill as an assistant coach on March 14, 2019.
Gill was an instrumental part of UIC's dramatic turnaround in his first year in Chicago. The Flames posted the nation's second-best RPI improvement, and fifth-best winning percentage increase from 2018, after going 12-6-1 overall and 7-2 in Horizon League play. Virtually every single-season record, both offensively and defensively, was broken. The Flames earned their first-ever postseason win, and made their first appearance in the Horizon League championship match.
Gill spent the previous three years as the head coach at Huntingdon College. He immediately turned the program around, guiding the team to its best start in program history in his first season. His overall record matched the most wins in any three-year period in school history. Playing against an increasingly more difficult schedule, the Lady Hawks won five more games under Gill than in any three year window during the decade prior to his arrival.
"First, I would like to thank Tom Anagnost and the athletic administration for allowing me the opportunity to be a part of the family here at UIC,” Gill said. “It was evident talking with Tom throughout the process that change is happening fast, and I wanted to be a driver to move the change in the right direction every single day. Working alongside Tom and Dustin [Downey] made it an easy decision for me to come to UIC and learn under one of the best coaches in the country."
In his three years at the helm at Huntingdon, Gill rebuilt what had been a two-win program, and set several school records. Huntingdon reached the USA South conference quarterfinals for the first time in team history in 2017, and returned to that round in 2018. Gill’s teams won 21 matches in three years, more than double the program’s win total in the three years prior to his arrival.
“After going through a couple hundred potential candidates, I’m really happy and excited to have Matt Gill here,” Anagnost said. “Matt’s name actually came to me from my assistant Dustin, so kudos to him for getting his first recruit. Matt is a tireless worker and a passionate, hungry recruiter which is exactly what this program needs. He has a lot of pride and cares a ton. He is definitely going to add a lot to this growing program.”
Gill posted the first winning season in Huntingdon’s NCAA era, engineering an 11-7-1 mark in 2017 to set the Huntingdon record for wins in a season. The ’17 squad also set the records for most assists and points, and fewest goals allowed, in a season.
The top two single season shutout totals in Huntingdon history both came under Gill’s watch. His charges posted nine shutouts in 2017 and eight more in 2018. His tenure saw a total goal differential of +5, marking a huge reversal from the -68 mark over the three years prior.
Gill revamped the recruiting process at Huntingdon. His approach resulted in a bigger and more talented roster. He also oversaw the establishment of an academic support program, and involved his team in several community outreach initiatives.
Before arriving at Huntingdon, Gill gained six years of experience as an assistant coach. He began his career as the Director of Soccer Operations at Boston University. Gill graduated from Mount Ida College in 2009. In his two years on the Mustangs’ soccer team, he played in 33 games, starting 31. He was second on the team with 11 points as a senior, and was named to the All-Conference team.
