In the fall of 2016, Matthew felt a call by God to become a practice player for the ND women's soccer team. At the time, Natalie was on the women's soccer team, but she was away from school because she and her teammate Sabrina were traveling with the US U-20 National Team. Natalie came back to Notre Dame in the spring of 2017. Matthew was already a practice player, so naturally they became friends. With a few other friends, they both decided to take a course called, "The Catholic Faith". That course and the soccer field is where their friendship started. Over the summer, that friendship continued, but in the fall of 2017 their friendship grew into something else. They would catch themselves hanging out almost everyday. Whether it was studying, grabbing slurpees, or just talking, the two of them never got tired of each other. Unfortunately, at the end of the fall, Natalie had decided to transfer to USC. Perhaps this was the end of their friendship.

Over winter break, Natalie visited Matthew, but they went their separate ways. They stayed in touch sparingly, but it wasn't until Matthew traveled to Los Angeles in the summer of 2018 that they realized how much they meant to one another. They had a decision to make: see each other more often by committing to a long-distance relationship or rarely see each other by remaining friends. They chose the former.

Since June 5, 2018, their love has been consistent across all the different places they've lived: Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Orlando, Washington DC, Las Vegas, San Diego, Sevilla, and now Houston. After four and a half years of long-distance dating, Matthew moved to Houston in January of 2023 and their relationship once again grew. Matthew proposed to Natalie on May 13, 2023 and they have been awaiting their wedding day ever since.