In June 2025, Matt Whittley joined the Howard University women's soccer team as an assistant coach after spending last season at Lamar University.
Whittley joined Lamar University in the summer of 2024. In his lone season with the Cardinals, he coached the goalkeepers where they finished in top half of the Southland Conference in goals allowed. He coached two of Lamar's goalkeepers to weekly honors. He assisted in the overall running of the program. Prior to Lamar Whittley spent a few seasons as a member of the Boston University men’s soccer coaching staff.
At BU, Whittley coached goalkeeper Francesco Montali to his 2nd Keeper of the Year award, assisting in the program winning the regular season title and tournament championship. Montali posted a 7.37 saves average along with an 0.833 GAA. Montali was later selected in the MLS draft by the Philadelphia Union, Montali is now part of the San Jose Earthquakes squad.
In 2022, working primarily with the goalkeepers, he helped Francesco Montali earn the Terriers’ first Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year award in eight years. Montali improved his save percentage from a .714 in 2021 to .839 (fourth best nationally) while also decreasing his goals against average from 1.62 to 0.67 (seventh best nationally).
Overall, BU claimed nine shutouts, highlighted by a 1-0 victory over then-No. 9 New Hampshire for the Terriers’ first top 10 victory since 2009. The Terriers finished the season ranked 18th in shutout percentage (.500) while also placing second in the PL standings.
A native of Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland, Whittley earned a degree in sports coaching, science and fitness at Ulster University in 2016. During his time on campus, he played as the first team keeper for Greenisland FC and served as an assistant coach on the Ulster University men’s and women’s soccer team.
He was also from 2013-17 an assistant coach for Linfield Ladies FC in the NIWFA, helping the team qualify twice for UEFA Women’s Champions League knockout stages and both goalkeepers represent the Northern Ireland national team.
Adding a degree in sports coaching from Anglia Ruskin University, he took his first job in the United States at Global Premier Soccer in Massachusetts, first as assistant director of goalkeeper and then later as director of goalkeeper.
