Oxnard College's Rosten, Greaney earn national soccer honors
The weather was cold and the food was warm for Oxnard College men’s soccer team’s memorable trip to Philadelphia.
“The weather was something,” Odin Rosten said. “Everything was nice. There was a lot of stuff going on.”
Rosten and Ross Greaney attended the United Soccer Coaches national convention last weekend, when they accepted National Player and Coaching Staff of the Year awards, respectively.
They were honored in the United Soccer Coaches’ Junior College Division III division.
“It was unbelievable,” Rosten said. “I didn’t expect any of this to happen. The surprises keep coming.”
Rosten earned the award by scoring two goals, including the game-winning goal with four minutes to play, to lift Oxnard College to the California Community College Athletic Association men’s soccer state championship with a 2-1 win over Mt. San Antonio on Dec. 4 in Sacramento.
The sophomore attacker from St. Bonaventure High had eight goals and 11 assists in 23 matches.
“Odin is a game changer,” Greaney said. “He was a game changer in the first game against Palomar. He was obviously a game changer in the championship game. He was a game changer every single game. It didn’t matter the challenge. That comes from his skill, his speed, his attitude and his tactical awareness.”
Oxnard finished the season 22-1-1.
“It was a great experience,” Rosten said. “I gained a lot of really close friends through this Oxnard team.”
The national honor was the second for Greaney, who brought home the National Coach of the Year award after guiding the Condors to their first state championship in 2015.
“It says it’s not a fluke,” Greaney said. “Good things happen at Oxnard College.”
Greaney, also a St. Bonaventure High graduate, shared the honor with his players “who did all the work.”
“It’s just really cool to have gotten this award twice,” Greaney said.
The Coach of the Year Award has been renamed Coaching Staff of the Year.
“When they say Staff of the Year,” Greaney said, "it’s certainly applicable at Oxnard."
Greaney mentioned that he shares the award with his assistants Dorian Guerrero and Alan Zaragosa, athletic director Jonas Crawford, administrative assistant Lori Jay, athletic academic counselor Julius Munyantwal, retention specialist Melissa Gutierrez, financial aid counselor Roberta Chinery, and equipment manager Chris Schmidt
“There’s a lot of people who help the players off the field,” Greaney said. “That allows me to focus on helping the players more on the field.”
Rosten is Oxnard’s second player to win the award. Goalkeeper Eduardo Garcia won it in 2015.
Rosten expects to graduate in the spring and transfer in the fall to a four-year program, where he’ll study kinesiology.
He’s being recruited by Cal State Northridge, Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State Los Angeles, among other schools.
“I think he’s going to have a great career at whatever university he chooses and beyond,” Greaney said.
Joe Curley covers college sports for The Star. He can be reached at joe.curley@vcstar.com. For more coverage, follow @vcscolleges on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Oxnard College's Rosten, Greaney earn national soccer honors
