Holy Family University will be inducting five new members into its Athletics Hall of Fame this coming Friday at The Buck Hotel. All this week we'll highlight each honoree leading up to Friday night's induction ceremony. Our next honoree is former men's soccer standout Matthew Gamble '03.
MATTHEW GAMBLE (1999-2002)
The program's all-time leading scorer, Gamble amassed 135 points in his four-year career with the men's soccer team. He finished his playing career with 135 points after totaling a program record 52 goals and 31 assists. He went on to earn All-Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) first team honors in 2001 for the first time after a career season finishing third in the conference in scoring with 37 points (11G/15A). Gamble capped his final season in 2002 with another All-CACC first team recognition campaign. He was also named NAIA All-American in the Northeast Region.
During his freshman season, the Tigers won the CACC Regular Season Title and advanced all the way to the CACC semifinals in the program's first year in the conference. Holy Family returned to the CACC semifinals two years later. In addition, as a team the Tigers also qualified and advanced to the NAIA Northeast Region semifinals in 1999 and the NAIA Independent Region semifinals in 2002; the program's final official season as part of a NAIA member institution.
Q1: What was your initial reaction when you were told you were going to be inducted into the Holy Family Hall of Fame?
"I think at first I was in a little bit of shock when I learned that I would be inducted. Being selected as a Hall of Fame inductee is a real honor so it took a few days for it to really sink in."
Q2: What does it mean to you to be part of Holy Family's history and a future Hall of Fame member?
"It truly is an honor! As I started to think about all of the incredible athletes that have played at Holy Family throughout its history, it really made me realize that being recognized for my career is truly an honor."
Q3: What was your favorite moment at Holy Family?
"I am not someone who remembers every goal I ever scored, or every assist I ever had, but there is one goal that I will always remember. During my freshman season, we were playing against Green Mountain in the regional semi-final game and it was by far the biggest game I had played in up until that point; and I was a freshman getting to play in a game like this so I can remember being nervous and excited for a couple days leading up to it. Finally it's game day and I remember how intense it was when I first got into the game. The play was back and forth and during the first half and about half way through we were putting a lot of pressure on them when the ball was whipped into the box into a crowd of players. I remember waiting at the back post when the ball popped out of the crowd and I was able to put the ball in the back of the net. I can still remember the look on the faces on all of my teammates as we celebrated."
Q4: What message do you have for current and future student-athletes that want to continue their education and athletic careers at Holy Family?
"One of the nice things about being inducted into the Hall of Fame is that it really made me spend some time reflecting on the four years I spent at Holy Family. As I thought about those four years, I realized all of the things that I gained during that time; both athletically and academically. As a result, my message would be that the student athletes should really cherish the time they get to spend at Holy Family. The time that they spend at Holy Family will go by quick, but the impact that it will have on them will last the rest of their lives."
