St. Thomas University Bobcats

PERSONAL
Hometown: Born in Riga, Latvia
Education: Bachelors of Arts in Human Development, Minor in Psychology (Indiana University-Bloomington, 1999); Masters of Business Administration in Sports Administration (St. Thomas, 2004)
Year as Head Coach: 21
Year as STU Head Coach: 21

COACHING EXPERIENCE
St. Thomas University – Men’s Soccer Head Coach (2006-Present)
St. Thomas University – Women’s Soccer Head Coach (2005)
St. Thomas University – Women’s Soccer Assistant Coach (2002-04)
Miami Beach High School – Head Coach (2003)
University of Tampa – Volunteer Assistant (2001)

COACHING ACCOLADES

• Sun Conference Coach of the Year (2010, 2017, 2023)
• Sun Conference Regular Season Championships (2010, 2011, 2012, 2021, 2023)
• Sun Conference Tournament Championships (2010, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021)
• NAIA National Tournament Appearances (2010, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023)
• NAIA National Tournament Final Site Appearances (2020, 2022, 2023)
• 10-plus win seasons (2009, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)

• 88 All-Sun Conference members
• 19 NAIA All-Americans
• 3 Sun Conference Players of the Year
• 2 Sun Conference Defensive Players of the Year
• 1 Sun Conference Offensive Player of the Year

BIOGRAPHY
Felix Mats (M.S., ’04) has been the Head Men’s Soccer Coach at St. Thomas University since March 2006. During his tenure, Mats has transformed the Men’s Soccer program at STU into an international commodity that attracts top athletes and coaches from around the world while consistently qualifying for the NAIA National Championship.

Solidifying their place among the best within the NAIA, the Bobcats earned their first Number One Ranking in program history during the 2024 campaign, ending the season with double-digit wins for the fourth-straight year while developing seven All-Conference honorees.
 
The Bobcats made program history during the 2023 season, advancing to the NAIA National Tournament Semifinals. STU won the Sun Conference Regular Season Title that fall, with Mats earning his third Sun Conference Coach of the Year award.
 
Behind a defense that tied for the fourth-most shutouts in the NAIA during the 2022 campaign with 13 and a 0.67 goals allowed against average that ranked ninth nationally, STU prevailed in the Miami Gardens NAIA Opening Round Bracket to advance to the Final Site.
 
With the Sun Conference Regular Season and Tournament Championship Titles under at St. Thomas in 2021, the Bobcats hosted their first Opening Round Bracket since 2017 and winning their initial matchup.
 
After winning the Sun Conference Tournament in the fall of 2020 and earning a berth in the spring’s national tournament, STU made program history with their first win at the Final Site after cruising through the Opening Round at Georgia Gwinnett College.
 
Opening the 2019 with seven-straight wins, St. Thomas reached as high as 12 in the National Rankings while advancing to the NAIA Opening Round.
 
Coach Mats and the STU Soccer team continued their winning ways with the most successful season to date in 2017, winning the Sun Conference Tournament back-to-back and hosting an Opening Round at STU Soccer Field. They made it to the second round of the NAIA National Tournament losing to Mobile in penalty kicks. The Bobcats ended the season ranked 12th in the nation. Mats received his second Sun Conference Coach of the Year award
 
Under Mats’ leadership, STU posted a combined 24-4 conference record between 2010-12 on their way to three consecutive Sun Conference Regular Season titles as they clinched a birth to the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round for the first time in 2010.
 
Mats recorded his first winning season at St. Thomas during the 2009 campaign, eclipsing double-digit wins and making their second-straight Sun Conference Tournament appearance.
 
Born in Riga, Latvia, Mats began learning the tactics and techniques of European football from a young age. He played in the Riga football school as a youth, the starting point for many Latvian internationals. He was also a member of the Youth Latvian National Players Combine, a highly selective group.

Mats left Latvia to attend Indiana University-Bloomington, graduating in 1999 with a Bachelor's Degree in Human Development along with a minor in Psychology. These specializations reflect his coaching style, which is viewed as gaining a true understanding of his players in order to maximize their potential. While working toward the completion of his Bachelor’s Degree, Mats served as a student assistant for the Indiana University Men's Soccer team from 1996-1998, including the 1997 season in which they reached the semifinal round of the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship. 


YEAR-BY-YEAR