Matthew Gwilliam, head women's soccer coach at Temple University since 2011, is leaving Temple to become an assistant under Geoff Bennett at Colorado College.

Gwilliam, who will join the Tigers on Thursday and train with the team for the remainder of the spring season, will work primarily with the goaltenders and defenders. He also will play a pivotal role in the program’s recruiting efforts.

“I want to thank Ken Ralph, Geoff Bennett, and the entire search committee for affording me this opportunity,” Gwilliam said. “We are very excited to be joining the Colorado College family and looking forward to bringing continued success to the program.”

In addition to his two-year stint with the Owls, Gwilliam adds extensive coaching experience at the Division I level thanks to his previous stops as an assistant at Virginia Tech, Marshall University and The Citadel.

“We are very happy and honored that Matt has chosen to join our staff here at Colorado College,” Bennett said. “Matt has experienced great NCAA tournament success and experience while as an assistant coach at Virginia Tech and has also gained valuable knowledge as a head coach by leading his own program at Temple University. We are excited to begin our new path as a coaching staff and will do our very best to keep moving our great program in a positive direction.”

Gwilliam helped Virginia Tech earn three consecutive NCAA Tournament berths, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2009. The Hokies also qualified for the Atlantic Coast Conference playoffs three years in a row, advancing to the championship game in 2008 and the semifinals in 2009.

Prior to his three seasons in Blacksburg, Gwilliam served as the top assistant and recruiting coordinator at Marshall from August 2005 through March 2008.

The Quakertown, Pa., native broke into the coaching ranks as an assistant at The Citadel, where he also served as interim head coach during the 2005 spring season. While in Charleston, S.C., he completed a master’s degree in education in 2004.

Gwilliam earned his bachelor’s degree in social studies education in 2001 from Elizabethtown College, where he played goalkeeper for the men’s soccer team for four seasons (1997-2000). He was a first-team all-Middle Atlantic Conference selection and earned all-academic honors all four years.

The Blue Jays posted a combined 60-18-2 record with Gwilliam in net, winning a conference championship and receiving a bid to the NCAA tournament.

Gwilliam owns an Advanced National Coaching Diploma, National Coaching Diploma and National Goalkeeping Diploma through the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).

He and his wife, Krista, are the parents of two sons – Benjamin and Jackson.

The Tigers return six starters and 19 veterans from the 2012 team that posted a 14-4-5 record, won a share of its first Conference USA regular-season championship with an 8-2-1 mark, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2006.

CC kicks off the 2013 campaign on Aug. 23 at the University of Denver in the opening game of the Colorado Cup.

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