Sept. 30, 2005

By Mike Sheridan

Villanova Media Relations

As he searches for an apt description of his sophomore defender, Matt Sleece, Villanova head men's soccer coach Larry Sullivan settles upon a metaphor.

"Sleece is like a blue-chip stock or a premium insurance policy," says the 15th year Villanova coach. "You know you can always rely upon him."

If, in fact, the native of Clifton, N.J., were a stock it is certain that the trend would be rising steadily. After a solid freshman campaign in 2004 in the defensive midfield, Sleece has easily slipped into his natural position as a central back. Along with classmate Neil McNulty, he patrols the area in front of the Villanova net and does so with a calm that belies his relative inexperience.

"Over the last five games he's really been on a roll for us," notes Sullivan. "Ever since he's come to Villanova he's played well. But lately he's been more assertive and taken his play to another level."

A case in point came at Seton Hall on Sept. 25. In a decidedly hostile environment the Wildcats were confronted by a potent Pirate squad led by Sacha Kljestan, the preseason Big East co-Offensive Player of the Year. Seton Hall entered the game ranked No. 18 in the nation with an offense that had not scored less than three goals in its first seven games.

Yet the Wildcats never buckled. Sleece helped keep Kljestan and his mates in check, holding the Pirates scoreless through 95 minutes of play. When senior Greg Winther created a turnover and fed classmate Charlie Rowan a ball in the box that Rowan put into the net, Villanova owned a 1-0 win. It was the first Big East loss for Seton Hall at Owen T. Carroll Field since October 2002.

"Every time they had something going in our end," Sullivan states, "Sleece helped put an end to it."

That Sleece would be comfortable in central New Jersey makes perfect sense. It is where he was born, raised and came to forge his soccer identity.

By the age of four, Sleece was playing informally with his cousins Mike and Scott Millar under the watchful eye of John Millar, the head soccer coach at Kearney High School. And while they took their turns at other popular sports, there was always something special about soccer.

"My cousins and I were always playing soccer," says Sleece.

Sleece's parents were like many others, taking their son, and sometimes his cousins, to and from the various soccer fields of northern and central New Jersey. It eventually evolved to the point where all three of the boys were playing for traveling teams in the area. Ultimately, all three would play soccer in college - Sleece at Villanova with Mike Millar at Philadelphia University and Scott Millar at VCU.

As Sleece began to emerge at Clifton High School - ironically the archrival to Kearney - colleges began taking notice. From the beginning, it appeared that this would be a Big East battle. Rutgers and St. John's were both in the mix along with Villanova.

Sullivan spotted Sleece for the first time in Orlando, Florida at a tournament at Disney World.

"Right away," says Sullivan, "you noticed how settled he was. He simplifies the game. It also didn't hurt that he's big, strong, fast and a no-nonsense kind of kid."

Sullivan visited the family and the group enjoyed a fruitful dialogue. Looking back, Sleece says he had a lot to learn about Villanova soccer.

"At the time, I wasn't very familiar with the soccer program at all," he says. "I knew of Villanova's academic reputation and I wanted a good mesh between academics and athletics. When Coach Sullivan began telling me about the program and I saw that it was on the rise, this seemed like a great fit."

As he prepared to make his transition to the Big East, Sleece took comfort in the fact that he had been through a few intense battles at Clifton High. Often, those came when he faced his cousins and uncle in a match.

"Those are the most memorable games of my high school career," he says now. "When we stepped on the field we were opponents. Those were some battles. But when the game was over we shook hands and went right back to the way we were before the game started."

If there is a distinctive trait to Sleece's game it is his outward calm. When he is dribbling the ball away from his net with two attackers bearing down on him, there is a measure of serenity about the scene. His moves are not rushed in any way.

"I've always kind of been that way," says Sleece.

"He is so solid that, when you see him make a mistake, you can't believe your eyes," Sullivan states. "It's like, `wow.'"

With a pair of experienced central backs in Patrick Gallagher and Chris Edgar on the roster at the start of the 2004 season, Sullivan's staff elected to use Sleece in the defensive midfield as a freshman.

"We wanted to put him in a place where he didn't have a lot of responsibility," he says. "We knew he could play central back but it's tough to put a freshman in there without any college experience. He did a pretty good job in the midfield for us."

Sleece contributed a pair of goals and was a mainstay in the lineup throughout the campaign as VU completed a 7-5-6 campaign and hosted its first ever Big East Tournament game.

With Edgar's graduation, Sleece moved to the central defense in 2005. He was originally partnered with Gallagher but the senior has since been relocated to the midfield in an effort to generate a bit more offense. McNulty has moved in alongside Sleece and the duo has been steady as VU prepared to begin the second half of its 2005 regular season on Oct. 1 at the University of South Florida.

"Sleece makes McNulty's job a lot easier," Sullivan says.

As one of Villanova's last lines of defense, Sleece has a clear view of the field in front of him. He is pleased with what he sees as the Wildcats look forward to the rest of their schedule.

"We started a little more slowly than we would have liked," he says. "But I think we've been playing better lately. "It's tough to overcome key injuries like we've had. It hurts to lose a guy like Danny (DeMasters, lost for the season with a knee injury). We're pretty much a young team and those things can be setbacks. We're playing pretty well together, though, and that's what we have to do."

As for Sullivan, he rests more easily knowing that his last line of defenders is anchored by the smooth feet and nimble mind of this sophomore.

He offers a final metaphor to describe his linchpin.

"It's like having a solid retirement plan," Sullivan says.

A 401 K with benefits could hardly sound any better to the Villanova soccer staff.