Matthew Ebert, Ex-Irvine Club Soccer Coach, Held for Lewd Conduct with 15 y.o. Girl Player

A former club soccer coach in Irvine was arrested Thursday on suspicion of felony lewd conduct with one of his 15-year-old girl players, police say.

And because 26-year-old Matthew Ebert worked as a varisty soccer coach at two Irvine high schools, in 2009 and 2012, investigators are trying to determine whether he had inappropriate relationships with other students.

So far, the contact between Ebert and the girl does not seem related to her enrollment in the Irvine Unified School District, according to Irvine Police spokeswoman Lt. Julia Engen. But it was a high school counselor receiving information about the relationship Monday that led to Irvine Police being contacted, as is required by law of school employees. The girl's parents were also notified.

Detectives began an investigation that led them to determine Ebert and the girl had intermittent contact while he was working as a private club coach between August and December of last year, according to Engen, who added Ebert was arrested Thursday morning at his new home in Los Gatos.

He was held at Orange County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail.

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