Soccer
Favorite athlete: Tyrese Maxey
Favorite team: Liverpool FC
Favorite memory competing in sports: Winning the national finals with the Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals
Most embarrassing/ funniest thing that has happened competing in sports: When I was four years old, I played tee ball. After getting my first hit, I was so happy that I ran to my grandparents sitting in the outfield instead of running to first base.
Music on playlist: Country music with singers like Chris Stapleton and Luke Bryan.
Future plans: Attend college and earn a degree in engineering.
Words to live by: “Resilience, Loyalty, Respect, Hard Work, Perseverance.”
One goal before turning 30: Travel to a European country.
One thing people don’t know about me: I am involved in a lot of service work that helps my community.
By GORDON GLANTZ
If you don’t believe that fact is stranger than fiction, you may change your mind after this twist of fate.
Back in 2014, then-Springfield senior Riley Woron was honored as the Univest Male Athlete of the Week.
Fast forward to the present, and Woron is the coach at his alma mater and one of his players, senior midfielder Matty Corcoran, is actually receiving the same exact honor.
“Oh, wow,” said Corcoran. “Did he really? I don’t think I knew that. That’s really interesting. That’s awesome.”
As far as Woron is concerned, Corcoran fits the criteria.
“As a previous Univest athlete myself, there’s not a more deserving player than Matty – an unsung hero finally receiving his laurels,” he said. “Matty’s brilliance resides in how calm he is on the ball.
“His ability to slow the game down during moments of chaos and naturally draw teammates towards wanting to play with and for him. He’s never one to shy away from a new role. He’s played all over the field and always looks like he’s played there his whole career.
“There are many words to describe Matty: workhorse, reliable, coachable, etc. The words that should be used are under-appreciated. Matty quietly does the dirty work on the field to set his teammates up for glory and is the first to rejoice for other’s success.”
Relishing His Role
Unlike the Steely Dan song with the refrain “I’m a fool to do your dirty work,” Corcoran clearly relishes the role.
“I do see it that way, and I actually put that in my college application,” said Corcoran. “I feel like I work behind the scenes more and don’t seek out attention when the team does something good.
“I feel like I’m very humble. I don’t always want the attention, to be honest with you. I just want to do my job. I don’t need all the credit or accolades like the more popular players on the team.
“I feel like it is a key part of my personality, just being humble and kind.”
And even though it’s a different sport, Corcoran draws a lot of inspiration on how he carries himself from 76ers’ star guard Tyrese Maxey.
“Even off the court, I really like the things that he does,” he explained. “He just seems like an all-round great guy. He’s been really inspiring with how humble he is and stuff like that. I feel like the aspects of his personality kind of reflect mine as well.”
Figuring It Out
The oldest of Suzanne and Jason’s brood of four, Corcoran is also an excellent student who enjoys volunteer work in the National Honor Society.
Most of the work connects with his love of his chosen sport.
“So far, I mostly help out with the Springfield Soccer Intramural Program,” said Corcoran. “It involves mentoring kids and running practices for a few hours every Sunday, just letting them get some touches on the ball and make sure they are following the rules during scrimmages and stuff like that.
“It’s really just about the younger kids and just helping them to have fun. It’s a good way to get involved with the sport.”
Boasting a 4.2 GPA, the result of a lot of AP-level classes, the aspiring engineer has already been accepted to Pitt and West Virginia. He is also waiting to hear from some other schools (Penn State, Scranton, Rowan, etc.).
Engineering came into focus as a career path in more recent years, shaping the college search.
“I feel like math was always such a favorite subject of mine all through high school,” Corcoran explained. “It just really caught on with me, and I had an interest in learning more and more. It really engaged me, and I just wanted to build a career involving math.
“I think it was in my junior year when I took AP Calculus. Hearing the complex level of it, and all of the different formulas and stuff. It made me really want to do it.”
Unless the fan of country music and Liverpool FC makes a last-minute connection with a Division III school, he is unlikely to play soccer on the collegiate level.
However, the sport that became his primary focus – after playing several growing up – will always be in his blood.
“I have definitely thought about stuff like that,” he said. “Even though I have reached out to some D3 coaches, I would consider playing club at a bigger school.
“I definitely want to keep playing and maybe join some men’s leagues after college. I want to keep it with me. It really helps me to feel a certain way and gets my energy out.”
Dream Season
Corcoran, who has already experienced winning a national title at the club level, has enjoyed going out with a bang this season with the Spartans.
They won the Freedom Division title and entered the district playoffs as the No. 3 seed, reaching the semifinals with a win on the road against Radnor.
The Spartans won, 1-0, securing a spot in the district final against Strath Haven and a state berth.
Said Corcoran: “Our whole team felt like Monday’s game was even more important than the final, because it meant the last game of the season if we lost.”
Corcoran came out of the shadows and played a key role on the game-winning tally.
“I headed the ball to our striker after the ball was up in the air and he touched it in the box and was able to place it in the near post,” said Corcoran.
While the journey continues, he knows it the ride will eventually end.
“I want to thank my mom and dad for helping me, and for the help they have given me,” he said, also wanting to thank his coaches and teammates and athletic younger siblings. “It has really helped me to develop, both as a player and as a person.”