Assistant Coach Joe Auleta (8th season)
High School: Hammonton
College: Rutgers University-Camden (2015)
Major: Biology
Minor: Psychology
One of the all-time great student-athletes at Rutgers University-Camden, Joe Auleta returns to the men’s soccer program for his eighth season as an assistant coach. In his first year, in 2015, the Scarlet Raptors captured the New Jersey Athletic Conference championship, giving Auleta the NJAC title as a coach to add to the three he won as a player from 2011-13.
Auleta finished one of the finest soccer careers in program history during the 2014 campaign. Not only did he capture NJAC First Team recognition, but he also was named as the conference’s Pat Baldiserra Midfielder of the Year, an honor named after the late, great Scarlet Raptor player. Auleta started all 25 games for the Scarlet Raptors, who went 16-8-1 and captured the ECAC Metro Championship. He collected two goals and a team-leading nine assists for 13 points during his senior season.
“Joey Auleta is a staple in the fabric of RUC Men’s Soccer,” said Scarlet Raptors Head Coach Tim Oswald when he added Auleta to the coaching staff. “He represents all that is good in our program and I couldn't be happier with bringing him onto our staff. We have had the true privilege of having him as our general these past four years, but I am looking forward to having a deeper relationship in a different context with him on our staff as we continue the chase. Joe has earned every single thing he has accomplished in his life both on and off the field and being a young assistant is another step in his journey. He was one the best captains we have had here and I expect him to be an even better mentor to our players. I am honored to have him in this role.”
A two-time team captain for the Scarlet Raptors, Auleta set Rutgers-Camden career records for most games (97) and starts (the final 96 games of his career). He is tied for second on the program’s all-time assist list (26) and enters the 2022 season tied for 15th in points (48). In his 97 career games – every Raptor game over his four-year career – Rutgers-Camden posted a phenomenal 75-14-8 record, won three NJAC championships and one ECAC Metro title, played in four NJAC finals and competed in three NCAA championships. In 2013, the Scarlet Raptors posted the finest season in program history, going 23-1-2 and reaching the NCAA Division III title game. Auleta was named to the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team that season.
Auleta’s academic career is equally impressive. A Biology major with a Psychology minor, he earned a pair of Academic All-America honors through the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), capturing Third Team recognition in 2013 and earning Second Team honors in 2014. He also captured back-to-back honors on the NSCAA College Division Men’s Scholar All-American Third Team during his junior and senior seasons.
Auleta is only the fourth athlete to earn at least four national academic honors at Rutgers-Camden, and the first soccer-only player to accomplish the feat. Former soccer and track star Tim VanLiew collected six honors between his two sports, with three coming as an Academic All-American from CoSIDA (one in soccer, two in track) and three coming as an All-Academic performer from the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Cross country and track star Robin England captured one CoSIDA Academic All-America honor and earned four honors from the USTFCCCA, three for cross country and one for track. Frank Iwanicki captured a pair of CoSIDA All-America awards and a pair of USTFCCCA honors for track.
In addition to his two national academic honors as a senior, Auleta also was named to the NSCAA Men’s College Division Scholar All-East Region Second Team, captured his second straight berth on CoSIDA’s Academic All-District 2 First Team and earned his third consecutive berth on the
Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Men’s Soccer Team. He was a NJAC Academic First Team honoree as a junior and a senior and earned NJAC Academic Honorable Mention as a sophomore, his first year of eligibility for the honor.
Auleta’s on-field talents also earned him honors as the ECAC Division III Metro Region Offensive Player of the Year, in addition to berths on the ECAC All-Metro Region First Team and the NSCAA South Atlantic Region First Team. During the 2014 season he was the MVP of the Scrapyard Classic All-Tournament Team (Aug. 29-30) and a member of the Cialella Soccer Classic All-Tournament Team (Sept. 6-7). He was named Rutgers-Camden’s first Raptor of the Week for the 2014-15academic year, coming on Sept. 1.
Auleta also earned NJAC First Team and the conference’s David Logar Leadership Award as a junior, when he added ECAC Div. III Metro First Team and NSCAA Div. III All-South Atlantic Region First Team honors. He was the NJAC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 16, 2013 and the ECAC Metro Defensive Player of the Week the next day.
A Dean’s List student who was a member of the Rutgers-Camden Honors College, Auleta was the NJAC Defensive Player of the Week as a sophomore (Sept. 24, 2012) and the ECAC Metro Player of the Week the next day. He also captured the Borda-Sheehan Memorial Award as Rutgers-Camden’s Most Dedicated Player following his sophomore season.
During his freshman season in 2011, Auleta was recognized as both the NJAC Rookie of the Year and the ECAC Division III Metro Co-Rookie of the Year. He also was a three-time NJAC Rookie of the Week (Sept. 19, Oct. 10 and Nov. 7).
