ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Following a stellar four-year career as a member of the Navy men's soccer program, standout defender
Matt Nocita (Sr., Porter Ranch, Calif.) has been invited to virtually attend the 2022 Major League Soccer SuperDraft that is scheduled to be held Tuesday.
The first round of the draft will be streamed live on MLSSoccer.com, in addition to being streamed via the MLS app and YouTube channel with coverage beginning at 2:30 p.m. before selections start at 3 p.m. Coverage of the second and third round of the draft will be available on the MLS Draft Tracker.
Should Nocita be selected in the first round of the event, he will take part in an interview on the MLS SuperDraft coverage stream.
The invitation to attend the draft comes after Nocita was one of 44 players to participate in the 2021 MLS College Showcase, becoming the first Midshipman to earn an invitation to the national event.
Over his four seasons, Nocita started all 59 games he appeared in at center back, leading a Navy defense that has perennially ranked as one of the top units in the Patriot League including posting 10 shutouts in 2021, the second most clean sheets in program history for a single season.
Along with his efforts on defense, Nocita also contributed to the Navy attack by totaling a career 14 points on six goals and two assists.
The senior defender earned All-Patriot League honors in each of his four seasons, including being named a first-team honoree three times. Additionally, Nocita became the first Patriot League men's soccer player to be named the league's Defensive Player of the Year three times.
In addition to his Patriot League accolades, Nocita is a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American and a three-time United Soccer Coaches All-Atlantic Region honoree. Most recently, the senior was named a 2021 All-ECAC selection and the ECAC Defensive Player of the Year for the first time in his career.
If selected, Nocita would become just the second Navy men's soccer player to be picked in the MLS SuperDraft, joining Joseph Greenspan who was selected in the second round of the 2015 draft by the Colorado Rapids.
