Matt Cosinuke was hired as the head coach of the Eastern Kentucky University women’s soccer program on Jan. 3, 2019, and has guided the Colonels through one of the most successful stretches in program history.
Since his arrival, Cosinuke has elevated EKU into one of the top programs in the region. Entering the 2026 season, he has successfully guided the program through two conference transitions, first to the Atlantic Sun Conference in 2021 and then to the newly formed United Athletic Conference in 2026. EKU has remained a conference title contender throughout its transitional time in the Ohio Valley Conference and ASUN Conference, reaching a conference championship match in each league and three times since 2016.
Under Cosinuke, the Colonels have earned seven United Soccer Coaches All-Region selections, including a two-time winner in Chiara Premoli during the 2024 and 2025 season. All seven of EKU’s all-region honorees have come during the Cosinuke era. On the conference scene, EKU has also produced the 2021 ASUN Freshman of the Year in Nerea de Diego and collected 35 all-conference honors. Two former Colonels have gone on to sign professional contracts overseas, including de Diego in 2025 and Maddy Murphy in 2026.
Off the field, former Colonels Larissa Heslop (2020) and Billie Clark (2021) were named EKU’s NCAA Woman of the Year nominees, while Heslop earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in 2019. EKU student-athletes have also combined for 10 conference all-academic selections during Cosinuke’s tenure. Under Cosinuke, EKU has recorded victories over four NCAA RPI top 100 opponents and one top 50 team. In 2025, the Colonels reached the highest national ranking in program history at No. 31 on Sept. 17, 2025 in the NCAA RPI before finishing the season ranked No. 66 nationally.
Following a breakthrough 2024 campaign, Cosinuke signed a contract extension to remain at EKU through the 2026 season.
"We recognize the positive contributions Matt has made, and continues to make, in the development of our program and student-athletes, both on and off the pitch," said former EKU vice president and athletics director Matt Roan. "We appreciate his passion and vision for the program, and we are excited to have him leading Colonel soccer and chasing championships and excellence for years to come."
During the 2025 season, EKU again posted a double digit total with a 10-4-5 overall record and was one of 23 teams in NCAA DI soccer to go undefeated at home with a 7-0-3 mark. The Colonels reached the conference championship for the fifth consecutive season and finished the year on the NCAA Tournament bubble with a No. 66 NCAA RPI ranking.
In 2024, Cosinuke guided the Colonels to one of the finest seasons in program history, leading EKU to the ASUN Championship match for just the third time in school history. The Colonels defeated Jacksonville, North Florida and Florida Gulf Coast, all on the road, to reach the conference title match. EKU finished the 2024 season 12-8-3 overall and 7-3-1 in ASUN play, recording the second-most overall victories and conference wins in program history. The Colonels also established program single-season records for points (89), assists (31) and shots (287), while finishing second in school history in goals (29) and shots on goal (121).
That same year, Chiara Premoli and Ella Grode earned Second Team All-ASUN honors, while EKU added four Third Team All-ASUN selections, two ASUN All-Freshman Team honorees and three ASUN All-Tournament Team selections. Premoli established a program record with seven assists, including a school-record three-assist performance in a victory over Bellarmine during the regular season.
Cosinuke’s 2024 signing class was regarded as the highest-rated recruiting class in program history and featured three high school All-Americans. The team would go on to enter the year as the No. 6 club in the USC South Region.
From 2021-23, Cosinuke successfully guided the program through its transition from the Ohio Valley Conference to the ASUN Conference. The Colonels qualified for the ASUN Championship in each of their first three seasons in the league and became just the second program in conference history, and the first since 1999, to advance in the conference tournament during each of its first two seasons of membership.
During the COVID-shortened 2020 spring season, EKU posted the highest single-semester team GPA in program history (3.837) while winning four conference matches. The Colonels also made significant strides on the field, improving from 0.67 goals per game in 2019 to 1.40 goals per game in 2020 while posting a 3-1 home record after winning just once at home the previous season.
In his first season in Richmond, Cosinuke helped EKU tie for the OVC lead with four conference shutouts. The Colonels also earned a 1-0 victory over previously unbeaten Milwaukee during the non-conference slate, which entered the match with just two losses over its previous 50 contests dating back to 2016. On Sept. 12, 2019, Cosinuke led EKU into a historic matchup against Kentucky, marking the first time an SEC opponent played at the EKU Soccer Field. A then-program-record crowd of 1,045 fans attended the match.
Before becoming the head coach at EKU, Cosinuke spent five seasons (2014-18) as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Cincinnati. He helped lead the Bearcats to the 2015 American Athletic Conference Tournament championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance while playing a key role in raising Cincinnati’s NCAA RPI from No. 237 to No. 11. The Bearcats posted a 46-23-14 record from 2014-17, highlighted by a 13-6-5 campaign and conference championship in 2015.
Cosinuke worked primarily with Cincinnati’s goalkeepers and defenders, helping the Bearcats record 12 shutouts in 2015 and 11 more in 2017, two of the top defensive seasons in American Athletic Conference history.
Prior to joining the women’s staff at Cincinnati, Cosinuke served as a volunteer goalkeepers coach for the UC men’s program (2012-13), Dartmouth College (2010-12) and his alma mater, Florida Atlantic (2009). At Dartmouth, he helped the Big Green reach the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2010 and win the Ivy League championship in 2011.
A native of Lebanon, New Hampshire, Cosinuke graduated from Kimball Union Academy before playing Division I soccer at Florida Atlantic. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from FAU and a master’s degree in sport management with a certificate in athletic administration from Southern New Hampshire University. Cosinuke holds an Advanced National Goalkeeping License from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, along with multiple U.S. Soccer coaching licenses.
He and his wife, Alexis, have a daughter, Iris, and two sons, Maddox and Miller.
What Others Are Saying About Matt Cosinuke …
“Matt Cosinuke is, first and foremost, a great person. He has impeccable character, cares for others, and places great emphasis on building positive relationships. Matt is passionate, positive, and has a magnetic personality. I was fortunate enough to work alongside Matt for over three years and witnessed his work-ethic and willingness to grind first-hand. He will provide an immediate infusion of energy into the program. I can’t overstate how excited I am for Matt, as he is fully deserving of this great opportunity. I firmly believe that EKU made a great hire!”
- Nate Lie, Head Coach, Xavier University
“Matt Cosinuke is a tremendous hire for EKU. Matt has an incredible work ethic and isn’t afraid to grind, and he is one of the hardest working coaches on the recruiting trail. He knows how important it is to bring the right people, not just good players, into the program and he will work tirelessly to get the right people on board that will establish the foundation for a winning culture, both on and off the field. Matt has a very bright future ahead of him as a head coach, and EKU will experience a great deal of success and be a contender under his watch. Matt and his family will be a great addition for EKU.”
- Stefanie Golan, Head Coach, University of Missouri
“EKU made a fantastic hire in Matt Cosinuke. Matt is one of the bright young coaches out there in the college game today. Matt’s a player’s coach, talented, ambitious, and hard working with a good knowledge of the game. Matt has a passion for people, and I have no doubt that he will make all those around him better for it. The lessons the student-athletes will learn from Matt, on and off the field and in and out of the classroom, will be invaluable during their post-collegiate careers. I’m excited to watch and see the heights that Matt takes EKU.”
- Neil Stafford, Head Coach, University of Cincinnati
Updated July 6, 2026
