Playing college soccer close to home was of utmost importance for Mercer Island Islanders 2019 graduate Matt Capone.

Capone, who was on the Islanders varsity soccer roster in 2018 and 2019, will continue his soccer career this fall at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho. Capone will leave for Northwest Nazarene’s preseason camp on Aug. 10.

“The thing I will probably remember the most (about high school soccer) was my first year on varsity. I think that was a big step. Going against that level of competition was really important for the development of my game. I enjoyed every minute of high school soccer. It was a fun competitive environment that pushed me,” Capone said.

Capone, who played midfielder/forward during his high school career, is open to playing any position on the field for NNU.

“I will play wherever they need me,” he said.

Capone was impressed with the coaching staff on his visit to Nampa.

“The coaching staff was just excellent. They were clearly knowledgeable about the game. That was really important to me. Also, the school is close to the Seattle area (Nampa is an eight-hour drive away). I wanted to stay close to my family,” Capone said.

There is no rest for Capone over the summer. He is putting in the countless hours so he is able to make an immediate impact once he arrives on campus.

“I have been training with two teams and have been going to the field every day to work on my skills. I’m running every day too. There are workouts the NNU coach sent out to everybody on the team and I have been keeping up with that. I’m moving forward confidently. College soccer is going to be fun and competitive,” Capone said.