17

Matt Sawaged

Originally from New Jersey, Matthew had a successful academy soccer career as a 3x State Champion, 2x Regional Champion, and 1x National Champion. He also helped lead his high school soccer team to win a State Championship during his senior year.

Trained by US Soccer Hall of Famer Tabaré Ramos, he gained early recognition from college scouts and received an athletic scholarship to play Division I soccer at Rutgers University.

In his first year, the Scarlet Knights had a competitive run and made it to the Sweet Sixteen round of the NCAA tournament. Going into his second year, Matthew left the team to focus on his academic pursuit of becoming a dentist. Although this was a difficult decision, he continued training at a professional level with esteemed college soccer trainers through a dense academic schedule.

In 2017, Matthew moved to Baltimore, Maryland for dental school. He played 1 season with NPSL side FC Frederick before eventually joining Christos FC for the remainder of his time in Maryland. Matthew totaled 7 goals and 3 assists in 12 appearances for the club, and moved to Rochester, New York to conclude his academic pursuit by specializing in orthodontics at the University of Rochester Eastman Institute for Oral Health.