Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Athletics

Matt and Joey both chose to come to Saint Mary's and play soccer for the University at a time of transition in the coaching staff. Our No. 1 goal as a staff coming in was to change the culture in the team, and both Matt and Joey accepted that challenge as freshman. Both guys wanted to come to SMU, and improve things and make a difference in the progress of the program. Joey and Matt have certainly done that, and their efforts have not gone unnoticed. Between the two of them, they account for a tremendous amount of minutes played over the past four years, have had key contributions in games and have helped moved our program forward.  Most importantly, both guys have been very successful in the classroom, working to find ways to balance academics and athletics, leadership and responsibility.   They will be leaving a strong stamp on our team and program, and we look forward to watching their lives and careers unfold over the next several years."

Matt Graber: Matt is a strong, powerful player who wears his emotions on his sleeve.  His determination to help his team succeed in games is often fun to watch, and he has scored some great goals against both MIAC and top regional Division III programs.  As a staff, we value the intensity Matt brings to games, and he will be a tough player to replace in our program.

Joey Petrich:  For all the hours our players put in during practice, travel and the other “grunt work” of being an NCAA Division III athlete, our goalkeepers have had a great example in Joey Petrich. We ask our keepers to put in more work on the training field than any other position, and Joey was always there, always working.  The saying, "There is rarely a crowd while running the extra mile" come from athletes like Joey Petrich. Both in the classroom and the soccer field, Joey's work-rate and continuous effort were second to none in our program.  As a staff, we will miss what Joey did for our team day-in and day-out.  We wish him the best of luck and life, as he moves on to the next chapter of his career.