McCallie goalkeeper Matt Higgins first caught the eye of Covenant College soccer coach John Miglarese during his junior season.

Nearly 20 shutouts later, the Blue Tornado senior is a Scots’ signee.

Higgins, who will play with McCallie on Friday for a state-tournament berth, signed recently to continue his career at Covenant.

“I first saw Matt play about a year and a half ago,” Miglarese said. “He’s obviously very athletic, and I thought he had some potential. Then every time I saw him after that, he kept getting better and better. He’s had two good seasons at McCallie, and the more I got to know him, I started to see what a good fit he would be for our program.”

In 12.9 games for McCallie this season, Higgins has allowed just five goals and has 11 shutouts. He recorded seven during his junior season, when he averaged under a goal a game.

“I think Matt reads the game very well,” Blue Tornado coach Tony Meyers said. “He’s really grown and matured over the years as he’s continued to work on his craft. If Matt is able to see the ball, he’ll have the opportunity to get something on it.”

Miglarese, who graduated two keepers after last season, said Higgins will have the opportunity to compete for a starting position for the team that went 15-5-1 with an AAC championship and an NAIA national-tournament berth.

“They’re a really good team,” Higgins said. “They were all really friendly, and I like Coach Miglarese a lot. They all really welcomed me, and I felt good when I was there.”