Sacramento State’s men’s soccer head coach Mike Linenberger announced that goalkeeper coach Matt McDougall will be elevated to the top assistant coach after Jason Gantt stepped down to take a head coaching position at Sierra Junior College.

Gantt’s decision to leave the team did not come as a surprise. He let everyone know last spring that he was looking for a head coaching position.

Linenberger helped Gantt with his search and said that they always had close communication.

“We are going to miss the energy he brought to the program, but we also feel, with the addition of coaches Matt (McDougall) and Greg (Curry), we are going to be able to fill that void,” Linenberger said.

The Hornets will also miss Gantt’s dedication.

“His motivational skills and technological skills with breaking down such things as game film will be missed,” Linenberger said

Gantt had been an assistant for four years for the Hornets. “He is ready to become a head coach,” Linenberger said.

The team is moving forward with McDougall who worked as a volunteer assistant for four years along with coaching Sac State’s goaltenders. McDougall has good ties with alumni and is well known throughout the community. McDougall is an expert at goalkeeping. McDougall feels he understands Sac State’s athletic procedures, which has helped him transition smoothly into the assistant coaching position.

Linenberger knows McDougall well after he played on the Hornets soccer team for five years. McDougall’s time as a volunteer, and the fact that Linenberger thinks McDougall is an excellent recruiter.

Linenberger also feels McDougall’s previous coaching positions make him the man for the job. His previous coaching jobs include running the summer soccer clinics on campus. McDougall took over full control of the clinics once Gantt left for Sierra. He was also the goalkeeper coach for the San Juan Soccer Club’s 8- to 18-year-olds team, where he was responsible for preparing young players for soccer at the collegiate level. He has a lot of experience in educating players.

“I understand the importance of mentoring student-athletes to achieve scholastic success along with their athletic accomplishments. Players look to coaches for leadership and guidance,” McDougall said

He also understands the physicality of Division I soccer, since he played on the Hornets’ soccer team before becoming the goalkeeper coach.

“Being a player has helped me understand the ins and outs of the game. I know what it takes to play at the Division I level.,” he said.

McDougall was a captain his last three years on the soccer team. Sac State won the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation League championship in 2001 while he was playing. This was the first title for men’s soccer at the Division I level.

“The biggest adjustment so far has been more responsibility. I have been in charge of working in the recruitment office, checking out prospects for other teams, managing and mentoring players on and off the field. I also spent the summer going to various tournaments in the area in search of students with academic prowess as well as athletic skill,” McDougall said.

“These are the type of players I hope to bring to the soccer program,” McDougall said.

Linenberger does not feel McDougall’s promotion should have any major changes to the recruitment process or the program’s tradition.

With the staff change finalized, the team is preparing for the upcoming season.

“The players are familiar with McDougall from his years of being involved with the team,” Linenberger said.

“The main difference is that McDougall was a goalkeeper, accustomed to seeing the game from the end of the field, while Gantt played on the defensive line,” he said.

“In other ways my coaching style is similar to Gantt’s considering I learned the ropes from him when I was a volunteer assistant years ago,” McDougall said.

Jeondra Arrington can be reached at [email protected]