Hall of Fame
Matt Johnson is among the most decorated players in the history of the Keene State College men’s lacrosse program. He started all four years in goal for the Owls, earning First Team All-Little East Conference (LEC) each year while being named the 2005 LEC Rookie of the Year and the LEC Defensive Player of the Year his sophomore through senior seasons. To-date, he is the only player in Conference history to be named LEC Defensive Player of the Year three times.
At the conclusion of his collegiate career, Johnson owned the program’s career records for saves (699), save percentage (.644), goals against average (7.03) and wins by a goalie (46). The 2007 season saw him named a All-American by the U.S. Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association after he went registering program-records of 229 saves, a .713 save percentage, 5.54 goals against average and 16 wins that still stand to this day.
He backstopped Keene State to its first-ever LEC regular season and tournament titles in 2005, which also resulted in the program’s first-ever NCAA Division III Championship Tournament appearance. Following an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) win in 2006, the Owls went undefeated through the opening round of the 2007 NCAA tournament, where they defeated the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy 14-11 following their second LEC regular season and tournament championship wins in three seasons. Keene State suffered its lone loss of the season to third-ranked Western New England College in the Second Round of the NCAA tournament, ending its year with a program record 16 victories.
Johnson earned his bachelor’s degree from Keene State in 2008. He was inducted into the Owls’ Athletics / Alumni Hall of Fame in 2019.