Matt Pacifici

Classroom

Matt Pacifici is a double major in Economics and Spanish with a cumulative GPA of 3.55. He was named an NSCAA Academic All-American after 2014 season for academic and athletic excellence. While studying abroad in Valencia, Spain, he earned a GPA of 4.00. He was selected CoSIDA Academic All-District and has interned with Bank of America Merrill Lynch the past two years. He also interned with the Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets) throughout the academic school year as a data and stats analyst.

Character

Pacifici is serving for his second year as captain of the men’s soccer team and his third year as student body-elected member of the Davidson Honor Council. He was selected to partake in Davidson 3L Program (Living Lives of Leadership), which aims to promote effective leaders on campus. He also overcame a serious injury his freshman year to become a starter for four more years.

Community

Pacifici is the treasurer and overseer of the Davidson men’s soccer program’s charitable contribution to St. Baldrick’s Children Hospital (aiming to raise at least $5,000 by the end of the season). He has performed charitable work in several Latin American third-world countries (Peru, Costa Rica, Guatemala), often with the goal of improving living conditions for local children. He also volunteered in Urubamba, Peru, at an orphanage named Casa de Milagros in the winter break of 2014 and raised $15,000 to co-design and manage the restoration of a Guatemalan orphanage (Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos). Pacifici volunteered several hours at the Second Harvest Food Bank in Charlotte as well as the Men’s Shelter of Charlotte and worked for three years (2011-2014) at First Touch Soccer, which provides soccer instruction for local kids as a cheaper alternative to typical training. He also annually partakes in the CSA (Charlotte Soccer Association) Turkey Bowl as a volunteer to collect gifts for local children in need by organizing soccer tournaments for alumni club players.

Competition

In 2014, Pacifici was named second-team All-Conference and NSCAA All-Midwest Region. He was one of three team captains and started all 18 games in goal. He posted a Davidson single-season GAA record of 0.65 and finished the regular season with a 10-2-4 record and career-high six shutouts. Pacifici put together a stretch of 274 scoreless minutes earning A-10 Co-Player of the Week for matches played Oct. 27 – Nov. 2. His four clean sheets came in A-10 play, including against nationally-ranked St. Louis, and he also helped Davidson to road wins at eventual National Champion Virginia and ACC foe Duke. As a junior, he ranked among A-10 leaders in goals-against-average (2nd/0.70), save percentage (2nd/.829) and shutouts (T-6th/6.1).

As a sophomore in 2013, Pacifici appeared in 16 games, including 15 starts, and ranked among SoCon keepers in save percentage (3rd), saves (2nd) and saves per game (2nd). He recorded a pair of individual shutouts and teamed with Daniel Peek for another. Pacifici stopped a career-high 12 shots in Davidson’s season-opening draw against Navy (8/30) and also charted double-digit saves against Elon (10/26). He had perhaps his best career game with nine saves in the Wildcats’ heartbreaking 1-0 loss to Furman (11/9) in the SoCon quarters.

In 2012, as a freshman, Pacifici started all 18 games in goal for the Wildcats and recorded a shutout in his first collegiate start: a 0-0 tie against Clemson in Davidson’s season opener. He also combined on a 3-0 shutout at Presbyterian and turned away a season-high 10 saves in the Wildcats come-from-behind win over East Tennessee State. He recorded at least five saves in a contest on seven separate occasions.