Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Events

View Schedule  
  Go Back

Iona University Athletics

2026 Men's Soccer Roster

21 Matthew Benavides

  • Hometown Islip Terrace, NY
  • High School East Islip
  • Class Freshman
  • Ht./Wt. 5-8 / 165
  • Position Midfielder

Biography

BEFORE IONA:
  • Played scholastically at East Islip High School 
  • Earned All-County, All-Conference and All-State honors. 
  • Spent five years with the NYCFC Academy and played for BW Gottschee U19. 
  • Represented El Salvador at the U15 and U16 levels, earning eight total caps. 
GET TO KNOW MATTHEW:
  • Favorite athlete: Lionel Messi 
  • Favorite food: Sushi 
  • Nickname: Matt 
  • Hobbies outside of sports: Spending time with friends and family, playing video games and listening to music 
  • Career goals: Play professional soccer 
  • Person I would most like to meet and why: Lionel Messi because I have been my idol for as long as I can remember 
  • After Iona I plan on: Pursuing a professional soccer career or beginning a career after earning my degree 
  • Person/people I admire most and why: My parents and grandparents because of the sacrifices they have made for my family 
  • Biggest accomplishment in life so far: Representing El Salvador at the U15 and U16 levels 
  • I try to mold my game after: Pedri, Jude Bellingham and Fermín López 
  • I chose my jersey number because: 28 is the day of the month on which both I and my brother were born 
  • Pregame rituals: Eating a Rice Krispies Treat about an hour before the match and listening to music 

Statistics

Season Statistics

Season Statistics

No statistics available for this season.

Career Statistics

There are no statistics available for this player.