CAMDEN, N.J. (Dec. 18, 2013) – Tim Oswald has completed a hat trick, and in the process he has added one more major accolade to an unprecedented and unforgettable men’s soccer season at Rutgers University-Camden.

The eighth-year Scarlet Raptors head coach has been honored by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America as the 2013 NSCAA/Field Turf Division III Men’s Soccer Coach of the Year. Oswald’s honor comes after a record-breaking 23-1-2 season in which he led Rutgers-Camden to its first-ever national final. He captured the NSCAA South Atlantic Region and New Jersey Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors along the way before completing his hat trick with the prestigious national coaching honor.

“As a player in a DIII program at Elizabethtown that moved up the ranks as an Assistant Coach at Widener and Arcadia, my only goal was to one day be a head college soccer coach of a successful program that was competitive and respected,” said Oswald, who has compiled a brilliant 122-39-22 record in his tenure with the Scarlet Raptors. “From the first time I stepped on the field as a Blue Jay in 1997, I spent so much time watching the top programs in the country and taking notes on those that I felt were great. I studied the coaches I felt I needed to mirror to re-create that same formula of monumental success that they had built. It was that body of work that has created what our program has become today.  It's surreal to have been honored and selected by my coaching peers throughout the country as the National Coach of the Year.  When you look at the list of the DIII coaches that have received this award over the years, to be mentioned in the same breath as such a dignified group, it's truly special to me and one that I will certainly cherish for the rest of my life.”

Oswald and his Scarlet Raptors made memories in 2013 that will last a lifetime. From the campaign’s opening game, the Scarlet Raptors produced a season-long highlight reel that could rival any Hollywood script. Rutgers-Camden opened its season with a 1-0 win at Muhlenberg College on Aug. 30, the milestone 100th coaching victory for Oswald, who became the only person in program history to accomplish that feat. The season ended over three months later with a 2-1 double-overtime loss Dec. 7 against Messiah College in the program’s first NCAA championship game.

“Although this recognition comes across as an award where I am recognized, it would be unfair and unjust to state that this award was solely a result of my work alone,” said Oswald, who praised the tireless efforts of his assistant coaches Bill Pinto, Tim VanLiew, Kevin Burke, Dan McGarry and Don Norton in crafting the finest season in program history. “I am so thankful to have such a tremendous coaching staff at RUC and without their contribution and daily commitment, we would not have excelled to these heights. The group of assistants that I have is a complete collection of great mentors and role models that offer our student athletes the support that they need on and off the field to be successful.

“This season was a dream season for us, without a doubt, one of the most special that this program has had or will ever see. In order for a season like this to come together, you need to have all the pieces of the puzzle to fit together perfectly. Early on, the pieces were all over the place, but we managed collectively as a united and connected group, to pick them up, put them into place, and create something that was seamless.”

Oswald becomes the second coach in Rutgers-Camden history to capture a National Coach of the Year honor. In 2006, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association honored Carl Taylor and his assistants with the Speedline/NFCA Division III National Coaching Staff of the Year after the Scarlet Raptors won the NCAA softball championship.

 The 2013 men’s soccer team came tantalizingly close to duplicating that softball national title. Rutgers-Camden opened its season with 11 straight wins, setting program records for the longest overall winning streak and the best perfect start to a season. After a pair of ties in a three-game span, the Scarlet Raptors embarked on another 11-game winning streak to tie their own record. That string included a 2-0 victory over Rutgers-Newark Nov. 9 to give the Raptors their third consecutive NJAC championship and help Rutgers-Camden become one of three teams to earn a first-round bye in the NCAA Division III tournament.

With their stellar accomplishments, track record for success and lofty national rankings – the Raptors ended the regular season ranked No. 3 in the NSCAA and No. 2 in the D3soccer.com Top 25 polls – Rutgers-Camden was selected to host NCAA tournament games on consecutive weekends. The Raptors blanked Lycoming College, 4-0, in a second-round game Oct. 17, tying a program record with their 12th shutout of the season. They added a 3-1 victory over York (PA) College in the Sweet 16 Nov. 23 and earned their first trip to the Final Four with a 2-1 Elite Eight win over Montclair State University Nov. 24.

In a 3-2 national semifinal victory against Loras College Dec. 6, the Scarlet Raptors capped an amazing game on an amazing 75-yard goal by Keegan Balle that went viral. The next day, they fought back from an early 1-0 deficit on a late-game goal by Taylor McGrory—his second late-game tying goal in two days – to force overtime against powerful Messiah, before the season finally ended on the Falcons’ goal in the second overtime session. That goal snapped the Raptors’ two-year 37-game undefeated streak (32-0-5), the eighth-longest string in NCAA Division III history.

Rutgers-Camden ended up ranked No. 2 in both the final polls by the NSCAA and D3soccer.com, marking the 35th consecutive week over a three-year span that the Scarlet Raptors were mentioned in at least one of the two national polls. It was the 33rd week they were in the Top 25 and the 10th straight week they were ranked in the Top 10. The No. 2 finish was the highest ever for the Scarlet Raptors.

"As we entered the late stages of the season, I had a sense that this team was destined to be powerful beyond measure,” Oswald said. “The team feared losing more then they loved winning and that propelled them into playing matches with a level of urgency that is rarely seen at this level. Whether we were all over a team or a team was breathing down our neck, the calmness, composure, and consistency rarely wavered.  I am so proud of the boys for believing in the essentials of our program and the backbone of what has made us successful over the years.  We sold the message and everyone bought it...from the leading scorer to the newest coach to the guy that had limited minutes, creating an unparalleled buy in which became known as ‘one team.’  After being unbeaten for 37 games, it always felt like, regardless of the opponent, we would find a way. Until the very end, at the waning moments of the season, on the last play, there was still a belief that we would win a national championship. As a coach, that's all you can ask for.”

During his eight seasons at Rutgers-Camden, Oswald has guided his team to the only four NCAA tournament berths in program history. The Raptors earned an at-large berth in 2008 before reaching the tournament the last three seasons on the strength of the only three NJAC titles in program history. The 2011 team barely missed a Final Four berth with a double-overtime defeat in the Elite Eight game.

Oswald also has led the Scarlet Raptors to ECAC Metro championships in 2006, 2007 and 2010.

This year Oswald won his second NJAC Coach of the Year honor in three seasons. His Scarlet Raptors also set numerous team and individual records, had eight members (including Oswald) cited with all-NJAC honors and captured a slew of post-season honors, including NSCAA All-America recognition for both sophomore Mike Ryan (First Team) and senior Mitch Grotti (Third Team). Co-captains Joe Auleta and Bobby Foster, meanwhile, were both named to the Academic All-America Third Team and the Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Men’s Soccer Team. The all-tournament team at the Final Four included Auleta, Ryan, Grotti and Most Outstanding Defensive Player McGrory.

 “I am honored to call this year's team ‘my team,’” Oswald said. “I have so much admiration for this group. As each player plays out their career, graduates, and comes back as Alumni to watch, each and every one of them will come back to this season as the one that was the most amazing to be a part of.”

And one that earned Oswald well-deserved recognition as the NCAA Division III Coach of the Year.

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