Going into his third season in charge, Saint Stephen’s Coach of the Year (’24) Crean Oisin has high aspirations for the upcoming season, which begins early November. After a ten-win season and a defeat in Regional Semifinals to the hands of Canterbury Fort Myers, Oisin has his eyes on states due to the significant number of returning players and core group of seniors. 

One of these core players is senior Hamish Robinson. 

“I’m very excited to play this season,” Robinson said. “This has always been the year to win states and with the seniors we have I believe we can do it.”   

Aside from winning states, Oisin also has his eyes set on the future. His goal is to grow the program by getting more athletes involved.  

“With the addition of a JV team, we definitely want to develop players and have more players involved,” Oisin said.

Crean’s coaching philosophy emphasizes a holistic approach, ensuring that every player has the opportunity to improve, both as an athlete and an individual. He creates individual development plans, where each player sets their own goals.

For example, if it’s a striker, they’ll work on shooting. If it’s a defender, they may want to work on 1v1 defending. With individual needs in mind, Crean plans his practices accordingly so every player reaches their potential. 

“My goal is to develop each player in different areas, technical, tactical, physical, and psychosocial, so that they can improve.” 

Last year, Crean received the honor of Saint Stephen’s Coach of the Year award last year for his efforts and talents at the helm. 

Core to his coaching is effort and training. He believes that you cannot always control whether you win or lose, but you can control how you prepare and grow. 

“The best teams don’t fixate on wins or losses; they concentrate on improving each individual, which in turn elevates the whole team,” he states. 

Importantly, for Crean reflecting on his own experiences, one of his focuses is on the importance of instilling joy in the sport. 

“Seeing the players smile and have fun while learning in a safe environment is what I enjoy the most,” commented. 

Last year, the team made it to the regional finals, which is one of Oisin’s proudest coaching moments. Despite missing six players, Saint Stephen’s competed, narrowly losing to powerhouse Canterbury 2-1. 

“Canterbury goes to state finals every year, and we competed against them with sheer grit, determination, and desire.”

The key for this season, according to Coach Oisin, is team unity. He plans to foster belonging and already has some team bonding experiences planned like Foot Golf and a a team dinner.

If you are intrested in joining the soccer team, tryouts will be held at Turner Field on Oct. 15. Coach Oisin will be looking for athletes with positive attitudes a willingness and desire to learn.