Lakewood Native Mattie Liston Accepts OU Athletic Scholarship

On February third my oldest daughter Mattie Liston signed an NCAA National Letter of Intent to accept an Ohio University athletic scholarship. She will be competing to become Ohio's starting women's soccer goalkeeper next fall, as Ohio has two graduating seniors this year.

Ohio head women's soccer coach Stacy Strauss had this to say, “Mattie will bring the ability to make big saves, the confidence to direct her teammates and organize the defense, and the intellect to become a real student of the game. These attributes, among others, will allow her to compete for immediate playing time in goal.”

Mattie has played club soccer from the age of eight. She lead the Premier Division of the Midwest Regional League in goals against in both 2008 and 2009, leading her CASA team to the USYSA Regional Tournament in Sioux Falls last summer. Mattie tended goal for Magnificat in 2006 and 2007, and was named team MVP in only her sophomore year, before transferring to the Montessori High School at University Circle. Magnificat advanced to the OHSAA final 16 in 2007, before being eliminated by eventual state finalist Strongsville in a shootout.

Before becoming a full-time goalkeeper, Mattie was a striker for the 2005 Internationals club team that won the Y League Midwest Division in the summer of 2005, then winning the Y League National Championship in Tampa, Florida the following November. While participating in Y League, Mattie was one of only 25 Midwest Division players invited to participate in ODP National Camp in Cocoa, Florida in February of 2006, as a striker. Due to Mattie's rare combination of goalkeeping and ball striking ability, she won a regional Goalie Wars competition in 2008 at the age of 16, beating the Canisius College starting keeper in pool play and in the final.

Mattie first set foot on a soccer field as a Lakewood Recreation player down in the Metropark at the age of five. Without that opportunity, who knows...

Mattie has wanted to play Division 1 college soccer since she knew what college soccer was. She was heavily recruited, but chose Ohio for a number of reasons, not the least of which was the opportunity to start right away. I am incredibly proud of Mattie and look forward to watching her play in nearby conference games in Akron, Kent, Bowling Green and Toledo. Of course there will also be the occasional road trip to Athens, a beautiful October destination.

Way to go Mattie!