UNC Asheville head men’s soccer coach Matt Mennell announced the addition of Matthew Tellez as an assistant coach with the Bulldog soccer program in May of 2016.
Tellez came to Asheville after serving the previous four seasons as an assistant coach at Sacramento State, a Division I school in the Big West Conference. While at Sacramento State, he worked with the midfield and back line players and was also involved with recruiting and as an academic mentor for the team. In addition to his work with the program, Tellez also served as Sacramento State’s Youth Soccer Camp Director and overseeing numerous camps throughout the calendar year.
“When we began the process of our search for a new first assistant coach, I had a wish list of the characteristics that would define the ideal candidate,” Mennell stated. “They would have a high level of coaching acumen, possess impeccable personal values and character, come from a great playing background, demonstrate a total commitment to the development of the student-athlete, and ideally, they would have experience in a successful Division I Men’s Soccer program as an assistant coach. Needless to say, these were and are lofty expectations. I am pleased to say that this description fits Matt Tellez in every facet. I could not be more excited that he has decided to join our program. Matt is going to add a tremendous amount of value to UNC Asheville, the UNC Asheville Men’s Soccer program and to the City of Asheville.”
Prior to his time on the staff at Sacramento State, Tellez played four seasons as a holding midfielder for the program. He is second in program history with 80 career matches played and is tied for the single-season Sacramento State record with 23 matches started in 2010. He earned All-MPSF Honorable Mention following the 2009 season and was a starter on the 2009 and 2010 MPSF championship teams that also won NCAA Tournament games and advanced to the second round. For his career, Tellez totaled two goals and three assists for seven points, scoring one game-winning goal and attempting 59 shots.