Biography
By Jim Hague
The truth be told, Robi Rosario always thought he would become a baseball player.
After all, Rosario was born in San Francisco de Macoris in the Dominican Republic, right in the heart of that country’s baseball hotbed.
“Everyone plays baseball in the Dominican Republic,” Rosario said. “I always thought my future was in baseball. It was the first sport I was introduced to. My favorite player was always Pedro Martinez.”
Even after Rosario left the Dominican Republic at age 9 for New Jersey, he still believed that baseball was his sport.
“I kept playing baseball into high school,” Rosario said. “When I was a sophomore (at Plainfield High School), I almost went back to the Dominican Republic to get enrolled in a baseball academy, but my whole family got involved and I actually decided to stick with school.”
At the same time, Rosario was introduced to a second sport, namely soccer.
“I never played soccer before I got to Plainfield High School,” Rosario said. “Plainfield is not a baseball town. My friends were all playing soccer, so I got involved in soccer.”
It didn’t take long for Rosario to realize that he had a good future in his new-found sport.
“Soccer always came naturally to me,” Rosario said. “I always had the ability to defend.”
Rosario played both soccer and baseball for four years at Plainfield. He was a standout defender in the fall and a fine shortstop and pitcher in the spring. However, after a while, Rosario realized that his future in athletics rested in soccer.
“It really wasn’t a tough decision to choose,” Rosario said. “I had a couple options to play soccer in college, a few scholarship offers from Division II schools. I saw that a lot of people were interested in me for soccer, so that’s when I decided I should go to college and play soccer.”
That was good news for Rutgers-Newark and head coach Kevin East, who pursued Rosario hard out of Plainfield High.
East always thought Rosario could be a fine addition to the Scarlet Raiders’ backline as a defender.
“I always thought he had a lot of potential,” East said. “Every year, Robi’s gotten better and better. Instead of just relying on his athletic ability, he’s refined the soccer side of the game. It’s been a process, but he takes everything you give him and soaks it up like a sponge. He’s very coachable.”
Rosario started 10 matches as a freshman, then was a starter in the defensive corps for the Scarlet Raiders last year, helping R-N win the ECAC Division III Metro tournament championship title. But his role over the first two years was strictly concentrating on defense.
“That’s always the mentality, to defend first,” Rosario said. “I really never expect to score many goals.”
“We never had a problem with his defensive side,” East said.
However, this year, Rosario has become more of an offensive force.
“I have no problem with Robi moving forward,” East said. “He’s been able to get himself into good spots.”
Rosario found some good spots during the recent Scarlet Raider Soccer Classic, scoring a goal in each game as R-N defeated York and Hunter to win the tourney title. Rosario was named the MVP of the tourney.
Rosario was also named the New Jersey Athletic Conference Men’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week as well for his efforts in the Scarlet Raider Classic.
“He’s always been one of our better defenders,” East said. “Now he’s given us another dimension. He’s been fortunate to score a few goals.”
After not scoring a goal for his first two seasons, Rosario currently has three goals for the 5-2 Scarlet Raiders, good for a tie for second place on the team in goal scoring.
“Coach (East) has given me the green line to come up more and take more chances,” Rosario said. “I’m making the most of it. I like having that freedom to come up so I can contribute more to the team. I never expected to score so many goals so early. But I’ve been working hard, so it shouldn’t surprise me. If I get a chance, I’m going to take it. It’s been a lot of fun.”
East likes the way Rosario has developed mentally as well.
“It’s been a gradual process,” East said. “He always had the physical ability, but at times, he gets a little overzealous and that neglects the defensive side. He’s doing a good job picking and choosing his spots. He can strike a ball very well. He has good size and he’s physically strong. He can make the late run and get himself open, which makes him very dangerous.”
Rosario said that the mental aspect of the game was helped tremendously by playing club soccer in the offseason with Copa, a club team based in Piscataway and New Brunswick.
“I’ve focused a lot on the mental side and that’s helped me a lot,” Rosario said.
Rosario is a criminal justice major at R-N and might purse law enforcement or becoming a court officer in the future.
“Hopefully, I’d like to get involved with the FBI,” Rosario said.
For now, he’s happy being a part of the Scarlet Raiders’ soccer program, with baseball placed permanently in the rearview mirror.
“I decided to play soccer and I made the right decision,” Rosario said. “I’m actually excited to get the recognition, because defenders are a main part that get a team going, but don’t get that much recognition.”
Of course that changes when a defender scores a goal. Or two. Or even three.
