LAPLACE — Things were going so well for Matthew Templet.

The St. Charles Catholic junior soccer player was celebrating his team’s first district title since 2008 and was ready to make a run in the playoffs. His play at goalkeeper for the Comets was earning him praise and recognition in soccer circles.

St. Charles had already knocked off Pope John Paul II 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs, now the team would face Catholic of New Iberia, the No. 1 seed in the Division II bracket, on the road.

Things started to take a turn Feb. 11 when the referees didn’t show up for the scheduled start. Somebody forgot to schedule them, it turned out. Then the team had to get special permission to eat the hamburgers and sandwiches the New Iberia folks offered because it was a Friday during Lent.

Once the game started, things went back up. The Comets were holding their own against the Panthers. The score was 0-0 early in the first half.

Then things went downhill in a hurry.

In the 12th minute of the match, a Panthers offensive player and Matthew collided just in front of the goal. The Panthers player tried to jump over Matthew, but ended up kicking him in the face — right in the eye socket.

“That was the last thing I remember,” Matthew said.

His mom, Merin, remembers it all.

“It was the first time I ever looked at one of my kids and I nearly threw up,” Merin said. “It was really bad. Normally, he’s under a dog pile so I expect him to get hurt. This was just two people. I didn’t expect it. You could see the boy tried to jump over him. His foot just drug a little bit and hit him.”
Matthew says he vaguely recalls being turned over on the field and Catholic-New Iberia’s trainer asking him if he remembers what happened.

“Because I had a previous concussion and I wanted to stay in the game, I just nodded my head yes,” Matthew said.

Merin continued: “By the time I got down to the field he was on the bench. His face was just flat. And he’s telling Coach, ‘Five minutes, Coach. Five minutes. I just need five minutes.’”

A few minutes later the Templet family was on the way to the local hospital, where it was determined Matthew suffered eight fractures around his left eye. The good news was he didn’t feel much pain because one of the broken bones was resting on a nerve in his face. The bad news was the Comets lost the game 3-1, ending their season.

A week later, Matthew underwent surgery at Ochsner Baptist Medical Center, during which three plates were used to repair the bones around his eye. Another device was planted beneath his eyeball to give it extra support.

Since then Matthew has endured his share of jokes from classmates. He’s been called Mike Wazowski (the one-eyed monster in Monsters Inc.) and compared to a dog that’s been stung by a bee. He also has drawn the support of fans from here to New Iberia.

“A lot of people have offered their prayers for me,” Matthew said. “The New Iberia team sent me a bunch of balloons and a card.”

More than a month later, Matthew still sports a little bit of a shiner. Merin probably could cover it up with some concealer if he would let her.

He won’t.

It’s a badge of honor for a kid who has played soccer since he was 5 and started on the varsity squad since eighth grade. He’s ready, he said, to get back out on the field, first with his club team and then with his school.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he said.

“I think I’ll be a little nervous, but I’m sure, once I’m out there and playing, I’ll be OK.”