The 2021 campaign marks Josh Osit’s eighth season on the Columbia women’s soccer coaching staff. Osit previously served as an assistant coach at Rutgers University for the 2012 and 2013 seasons.
Throughout his tenure at Columbia, Osit has helped the program produce 25 All-Ivy League selections, four United Soccer Coaches All-Region honorees, and the 2017 Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year (Natalie Ambrose).
“Josh Osit has been an incredible addition to Columbia soccer,” said head coach Tracey Bartholomew. “Over the past five years, he has been instrumental in helping our program change its culture to a championship mindset. Josh works tirelessly in preparation for games, training and video analysis and is an outstanding recruiter, having helped our program bring in top-level student-athletes from some of the best clubs in the country.
“Every day, Josh brings to work a passion for the game that is infectious to both the players and staff,” added Bartholomew. “He has a desire to deliver a top-notch experience to our student-athletes both on and off the field and we are lucky to have him.”
In his first six seasons, Columbia has become an Ivy League contender on a yearly basis, and was the only women’s soccer program to finish top three in the league between the 2015 and 2017 seasons.
Playing a large role on the field for the Lions, Osit organizes and conducts many of the team’s training sessions throughout the season. Aside from his on-field responsibilities, he has been instrumental in preparing the team with in-depth scouting reports and tactics prior to each match.
Osit’s work with the attack has been instrumental to the program’s growth over the past five years. His leadership helped deliver the Lions a memorable 2017 campaign, finishing the season ranked 22nd nationally in scoring offense, 34th in points per game, sixth in shots on goal per game and 18th in shots per game. Natalie Neshat and Emma Anderson both had their best individual seasons, with Neshat scoring nine goals and Anderson netting eight. Both players, along with forwards Amaris Hemmings and Emily Koe, were named to the All-Ivy League team. The team broke the program record for most goals in a game, scoring 11 against Wagner in September. In total, the team scored 34 goals, the most in program history since 1996.
Osit also has a strong presence on the recruiting trail. With ties to some of the top clubs throughout the northeast region, the program has seen an influx of local talent come to Morningside Heights. Columbia’s graduating class of 2022 was ranked the 36th best recruiting class nationally by TopDrawerSoccer.com.
Prior to his time at Columbia, Osit was a part of the coaching staff which saw the Scarlet Knights receive back-to-back at-large bids to the NCAA tournament. In 2011, Rutgers defeated Colgate in the first round before falling at Virginia in the second round. In 2012, the Scarlet Knights made a run to the AAC Conference Championship, before dropping to nationally ranked UCF in a penalty kick shootout. Following the conference tournament run, Rutgers was matched with Big 12 Champion, West Virginia, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Scarlet Knights fell to the Mountaineers in a penalty kick shootout following a 0-0 draw.
While at Rutgers, Osit mentored four All-AAC selections, two All-Big East selections, one United Soccer Coaches All-Region selection, and one United Soccer Coaches All-American. Goalkeeper Jessica Janosz was also named Most Outstanding Player at the 2013 AAC Tournament.
On the club level, Osit has excelled with Players Development Academy (PDA), based in New Jersey. A staff member since 2011, Osit has been an assistant for three ECNL National Championships. He was also the head coach of the U16 ECNL team that was a 2017-18 national quarterfinalist. During his tenure at PDA, the club has produced over 20 players that have been called into U.S. Youth National Camps, including current Columbia women’s soccer player, Adriana Kuryla-Santos.
A native of Somerset, New Jersey, Osit holds a bachelor’s degree from NJIT where he was a four-year member of the men’s soccer team. He holds national coaching licenses from both the USSF and United Soccer Coaches.
Josh and his wife, Elizabeth, reside in Cranford, NJ with their son, Joseph.
