2025 Northwest Herald Girls Soccer Coach of the Year: Huntley’s Matt Lewandowski

Over the past few seasons, Huntley started to look like its old self.

The Red Raiders had captured two straight regional championships and won at least 15 matches each year. They resembled the program that won 11 straight regional titles and reached a state final from 2007 to 2017.

But there was still a hurdle Huntley needed to clear. The Red Raiders wanted to win their first Fox Valley Conference championship since 2015 after finishing in the top three the previous two seasons.

Huntley cleared that hurdle with a dominant season thanks to a strong returning core. The Red Raiders entered FVC action undefeated and defeated Crystal Lake Central in its first FVC match to take control of the conference race. They went on to go undefeated in conference play to win their first title in a decade.

“I think that shows, one, that they were capable; two, it sets a precedent for the younger kids that it’s possible,” Huntley head coach Matt Lewandowski said. “If you set a goal, you set your mind to it, that you can achieve that goal.”

But the success didn’t stop there.

Huntley had a historic season and only lost once during the regular season, the first time the Red Raiders accomplished that feat since 2011. They went on to win their third straight regional title before losing in the Class 3A Warren Sectional semifinals in penalty kicks.

While Huntley reached new levels of success, Lewandowski led behind the scenes. He made the right moves to lead his players to success, putting together an offense that scored 95 goals in 21 matches and a defense that only allowed seven goals.

For his efforts in leading the Red Raiders to a historic season, Lewandowski was named the Northwest Herald Girls Soccer Coach of the Year, as selected by the sports staff with input from area coaches. Lewandowski won the Herald’s Boys Soccer Coach of the Year in 2021. Johnsburg’s Rob Eastland, Crystal Lake Central’s Leah Rutkowski and Harvard’s Victor Gonzalez were also considered.

Sports reporter Michal Dwojak caught up with Lewandowski, who talked about what it meant to win the program’s first FVC title since 2015, his favorite moment from the season and what other sport he’d coach. Answers have been edited for length.

Heading into the season, did you think this year’s team could potentially have a historic season?

Lewandowski: I would say with the seniors that we did have, they were very focused. Right from the beginning, they set their goals, and they were ready to rock and roll. So I knew that coming in, as long as they stayed focused on those goals, they would be successful. I didn’t know we’d be that successful, but coming in, I knew that those girls, they had goals and there very few people that were going to get in their way of those goals.

Was there a point in the season when you realized you guys could do something historic?

Lewandowski: I think playing Crystal Lake Central in the beginning. Having that be our first conference game, not only is that a big challenge, but at the same time, coming out on top of that game with a 1-0 win. I think we had multiple chances to score a couple more. Knowing that they had won conference for the last five years, I think that was the seed in our brain that we could win conference. But with the way our conference is, we knew that you’ve got to go 9-0. Both boys and girls are very competitive. If you don’t beat everybody, there’s a chance that somebody could sneak in there at some point.

Was winning conference a goal of yours when you took over the program in 2018?

Lewandowski: I know that when [former head coach] Kris Grabner was in charge, we were still very successful, I don’t know that winning conference was ever a goal for us with that group. I think our sights were set higher than that. But I think that winning conference and being competitive in conference, especially our conference, kind of sets you up for postseason and being successful in the postseason.

Which one of your players did you find the most inspiring this season?

Lewandowski: I think it would be tied between Sophie Bator and Bella Fusco. Sophie because she was kind of like our team mom. She was the glue that held us together. She got everybody on the same page almost every game. Then I would say Bella, because she just has that edge and that attitude on the field, that if you don’t have that edge and that attitude, it’s hard to be successful without it. She was always pushing the limits, always pushing herself and always being a leader by example and really setting the tone for the intensity that we were capable of.

Which one of your players made you laugh the most?

Lewandowski: I would say Ashlyn Grabs, her sister Brooke Grabs and probably to complete the trio Hailey Brandlin. Those three are inseparable in life, and they’re inseparable on the field. They’re always together, and they’re always a little group of energy. Ashlyn is probably one of the funniest kids I’ve ever met in my entire life. You never know what’s going to come out of her mouth. It’s very unfiltered, and it’s very clever. They’re just a fun group to be around all day.

What made you want to become a coach?

Lewandowski: Soccer’s always been one of my things. I played soccer since I was 4. ... As I was playing in college, I played at Western Illinois, I started breaking through in terms of playing time and all that, I tore an ACL. So I had to spend another year working back on that. And then once I started working through again, I tore another ACL, and then I did the same thing again. Then I did it a third time. So I didn’t really get to play very much when I was in college, and I got to see the game from a different perspective because I didn’t play a ton. I was always on traveling roster and all that. So I just saw the game from a different light. I think that’s where that coaching spark started for me. How can I stay involved in soccer? So I started to think about it a different way as opposed to before.

If you could coach any other sport, what sport would it be?

Lewandowski: Golf, because so much about soccer is subjective. I think it would be nice to coach an objective sport.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Lewandowski: I would go to Colorado. My wife and I got married in Colorado. We were scheduled to go back there right when COVID started. So we never got to go back. I think I’d like to actually make that trip back with my wife and now my kids. We got married in Boulder, so probably in Boulder. But we went all over up there, so just kind of revisit everything again and kind of get that trip back that we lost.

What would you consider to be your most prized possession?

Lewandowski: My wife would say it’s my truck, but I would say it has to be my family. Without my family, I don’t get where I am today without their support. I’m not even able to do what I do every day.

What do you think you’ll remember most about this year’s team?

Lewandowski: I’ll remember my group of seniors. Every one of them brought another different kind of piece to this leadership table that we had going on. But I know that without them, we don’t have the success that we do. If we don’t have the leadership that we did, we don’t have as much fun as we did, potentially. But they will be a group that’s really sorely going to be missed in our program, every one of them. I think all but one of them are playing in college. So it just means a lot to have a group that dedicated.