Giovanni De la Rosa

Giovanni De la Rosa enters his seventh season at FNU for the 2023-24 school year. Coach De la Rosa was named Head Coach of the Florida National University Women’s Soccer program in March 2017. He came to FNU after coaching at Florida Atlantic University, an NCAA Division I school in Boca Raton, Fla. De la Rosa has been the only coach in FNU women’s soccer history, and his program’s successes are highlighted by two USCAA National Runner-ups in 2017-18 and 2019-20 and a third-place finish in 2022.

De la Rosa helped his team make a postseason run in 2022 entering USCAA Nationals with a 4-5-1 record. Despite dropping game one at the tournament, the Conquistadors came back strong the following day for a 3-2 win over Mississippi University for Women to end the season with a third-place trophy. Under his guidance, FNU women’s soccer racked up one USCAA All-American First Team selection in Jahaira James, one Second-Team member in Vanessa Osorio, and two honorable mentions with Dominique Mosley and Mickaela Calisto. The Lady Conquistadors also had four USCAA All-Academic honorees and four NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athletes in 2022.

In 2019, the Lady Conquistadors finished for a third straight season in the top 10 of the USCAA Coaches’ Polls. FNU also earned the 2019 USCAA National Championship Runner-Up and their second Finals appearance in three years. After a tough battle in the finals with the game tied 1-1, FNU gave up a late goal off a set piece to eventual Champion University of Maine at Fort Kent with minutes left in the game and lost the game 2-1. FNU had a very successful year both on the field and off the field. Four players were chosen to the USCAA All-Tournament Team: Noriann Gaviria, Dominique Mosley, Juliana Oliveria, and Micaela Crespo. At the USCAA National banquet, Iman Ali Dib was awarded the USCAA Student-Athlete of the Year, and two players were named to the USCAA All-American Teams. Dominique Mosley Honorable Mention All-American and Vanessa Osorio Second Team All-American. For the first time in school history, FNU had four student-athletes named to the All-Academic Team: Juliana Oliveria, Bethania Da Cruz, Noriann Gaviria, and Paola Mejia. “FNU plays the toughest schedule in the country to prepare for the post-season. We play four NCAA Division II teams and also the 2019 NAIA National Champions Keiser University. That makes us battle-tested.”

In 2018 the Lady Conquistadors’ finished for a second-straight season in the top 10 of the USCAA Polls. Also for a second-straight season, three of De la Rosa’s players were voted to the USCAA All-American squad: One first team, defender Isabella Martins; two second-team, goalkeeper Briana Gomez and Forward D’Yolanda Pineda.

This comes after a successful season, with a 9-5-2 record in the program’s inaugural season, earning a 2017 USCAA National Runner-Ups. De la Rosa led the team to its first USCAA postseason appearance, hosted in Virginia Beach, Va. A late goal in the tournament’s semi-final gave the Lady Conquistadors a berth in the championship game. The team finished above .500 in regular season play and was ranked in the top 10 all season. Three players earned USCAA All- American honors. Three to the second team: Forward Jurema Borini; Forward D’Yolanda Pineda; Defender Isabella Martins. Also named to the USCAA All-Tournament team was the Keeper Savannah Lastres.

A graduate of Florida Atlantic University, Giovanni De la Rosa returned to his Alma mater Florida Atlantic University as the men’s soccer assistant coach in January 2013 and was elevated to Interim Head Coach on December 1, 2016. Originally from Colombia, De la Rosa spent three years on the varsity team at Miami Spring Senior High School, where he served as team captain during his senior year. He went on to play for two years at Miami-Dade Community College before joining the Owls from 1989 to 1991. In his first year playing for FAU, De la Rosa made the NSCAA All-South Region Team and competed in the FISAA All-Star Game. He led FAU to its first-ever NCAA Division II rankings, No. 15 in 1989, and in 1991 the team held a No.9 national ranking.

Since his time playing for FAU, De la Rosa has coached players who have qualified for state and regional teams, as well as three players who made national pool teams. More than 120 players coached by De la Rosa have received college soccer scholarships and six former players have won college national championships. His career includes coaching jobs with Miami Jackson High School’s varsity soccer team, Miami Shores’ Girls U-16 and U-17 teams, the Margate Shasta Blitz where he served as a coach and as Director of Coaches, and Coral Gables Storm. Currently entering his thirteenth year as the Director of the MSVG Soccer Club. His U-18 group won the FYSA 2018 State Cup and Finished as Runner-Ups in the US Southern Regional Tournament.