In the summer of 2002, Mattituck’s boys soccer head coach Mat Litchhult was in between summer classes at Stony Brook University for his Masters Degree when he got a phone call that took him completely by surprise.
“I remember I was sitting in my car in the parking lot and the phone rang,” Litchhult said. “It was Mike Huey. He was my athletic director while I was the JV coach.”
Litchhult was told that the varsity coach at the time unexpectedly had stepped down and the varsity head coaching job was his if he wanted it.
“He showed confidence in a young kid, just out of college and I’ll never forget that,” Litchhult said. “He really thought he saw something in me and wanted me to take the torch and carry it as long as possible.”
Thirteen years and two state championships later, the 37-year-old has called it quits.
“Resigning at the end of this year was something I began thinking about after the summer,” Litchhult said. “I knew it was quite possibly going to be a special season with what we had returning and the expectations that followed.
“And with the fact that I would be having a baby during the season, baby number three, I knew it was going to be a lot harder as a father,” Litchhult continued. “The time and dedication it would take to continue the success and program that Mattituck soccer is was going to be tough after having three kids. Once we won the state championship, which was our goal all along, it seemed like it was written in the stars and it was the right move at the right time for me and the seniors to go out together on top, winning the last game.”
Coaching varsity soccer is a 12-month commitment, Litchhult says. Between offseason workouts, summer league games, preseason practice, the actual season followed by the playoffs which Mattituck always seemed to be a part of, really took up all of his free time.
“I have a good friend that calls me Soccer Mat once August rolls around,” Litchhult said. “‘I hate Soccer Mat’ he says because we never get to hang out. I would never want my kids to say ‘I hate Soccer Dad.’ I just want to be there for them.”
He didn’t rule out a comeback later in his life if the time seems right.
“Nothing is set in stone,” Litchhult said. “I don’t know what the future will hold. Soccer is a sport I’m passionate about and been around all my life. It’s not good to shut the door on anything but I just think the time is right to move on and think about other things maybe like coaching little peewee soccer. I have a girl that will turn six in January so she’s been running around kicking the soccer ball around and another one that will turn four in April. Maybe if I’m fortunate enough I’ll get to coach my son’s soccer team or be involved with him, that would be great.”
Litchhult emphasized that he will be instrumental in hiring the new coach to take the reigns of the program. He owes his players at least that much.
“I want to be a resource for the school and the new coach to continue Mattituck’s success,” Litchhult said. “In a new coach I would look for someone who is as passionate about the game and who will need to think about and understand what soccer means to the Mattituck community. It’s a special place when it comes to talking about soccer. It has a rich tradition that started in 1937 and has been going strong ever since.”
