Matt Cushing begins his 18th season at the helm of the Wheaton College men’s soccer program in 2011. Since his arrival in Norton in 1994, Cushing has compiled one of the highest winning percentages among active NCAA Division III coaches in the country at .752 (253-73-33).

The 2010 Lyons posted an 11-6-3 mark (3-2-1 New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference) and advanced to the conference finals, where they suffered a double-overtime loss to Babson. Four of Cushing’s student-athletes earned first team all-conference honors.

Under Cushing's leadership, Wheaton has qualified for postseason play in all 16 seasons, including an NCAA Tournament national semifinal finish in 2003, a national quarterfinal placement in 2001 and an additional six NCAA bids. The Lyons also captured the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) title in 1998 and NEWMAC Tournament championships seven times.

Cushing was named Regional Coach of the Year by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) in 2001, and Coach of the Year by the Eastern Massachusetts Soccer Coaches Association (EMSCA) in 2000, NEWMAC in 1998 and 2001, and New England Intercollegiate Soccer League (NEISL) in 1997 and 2001. He is the coaching director at the Crusaders United Soccer Club in Plymouth and has also coached the U17 Olympic Development team in Massachusetts.

A former scout for Major League Soccer's (MLS) New York Red Bulls, Cushing has groomed five Wheaton players for professional competition. James Greenslit '06 played for the reserve squad of the MLS's New England Revolution and in the United Soccer Leagues (USL) before being named an assistant coach at the College of Holy Cross in January.

Dan Antoniuk '03, meanwhile, is with FC Edmonton of the North American Soccer League (NASL). Oscar Medina '97 and Jim Manganello '99 spent time with the Cape Cod Crusaders of the United States Interregional Soccer League (USISL), while Jeremy Long '99 played for the A-League's Boston Bulldogs. Cushing's players have also earned 11 All-America honors, 37 All-New England selections and eight NEWMAC Player of the Year accolades. In 2010, David Ferriero and Yuri Moreira were tabbed All-New England players by the NSCAA.

In addition to coaching, Cushing is the national chair for the NSCAA Division III rankings committee. He has served as the regional chair of the rankings committee and as the vice president of the NEISL, an organization that recognized him with the NEISL Service Award in 2002. Cushing also handled regional chair duties for the Division III ratings board for three years while serving on the NCAA Tournament selection committee for four years.

In 1994, Cushing earned a United States Soccer Federation (USSF) national "B" license. He received a national diploma from the NSCAA in 1992, followed by an advanced national diploma in 1993.

Prior to coming to Wheaton, Cushing was the assistant coach at Division I power Rutgers University, which advanced to the 1993 NCAA Tournament after capturing the Atlantic 10 Conference title. He also spent the previous two years on the coaching staff at Lafayette College.

A 1988 University of Massachusetts-Amherst graduate with a bachelor's degree in sport management, Cushing was a captain on the 1986 and 1987 Minutemen teams. He is a former Parade Magazine high school All-America honoree and was inducted into the Duxbury (Mass.) High School Hall of Fame in 2008. Cushing led Duxbury to four consecutive state championships.