Neal Ozmun enters his second season as assistant coach at the University of Idaho.
In his first season under the guidance of head coach Clevenger, the Vandals made program history winning the Big Sky Conference Championship and punching their ticket to the NCAA first round. Idaho finished the season 12-5-2 overall and 5-2-1 in conference. The season ended with a 1-0 loss at Gonzaga in the NCAA's, where Idaho allowed only one goal from the No. 15 offensive team in the nation. Ozmun's main focus was development and leadership of the goalkeepers, including two-time Big Sky Goalkeeper of the Year, Kira Witte. Under Ozmun's guidance, Idaho allowed only 16 goals against (No. 3 in program history) and posted seven shutouts (No. 5 in program history). The Vandals also posted a program second-best 0.84 goals against average.Â
At Abilene Christian, Ozmun helped lead the Wildcats to two Southland Conference post season appearances with a 34-30-9 overall record.
At ACU, Ozmun has helped shape the careers of two of the program’s all-time greats in net, Rachel Johnson and Erin Smith. Both were named all-conference when they were full-time starters, with Johnson earning the honor in 2019 and Smith reigning in the honor in the 2020-21 season.
Prior to Abilene Christian, Ozmun had seven years of coaching experience between Ouachita Baptist University (2012-14), Idaho State (2015-17), and Grambling State (2018).
In Ozmun’s lone season (2018) at Grambling State, the Tigers came within one game of the NCAA Tournament as they lost to Howard, 1-0, after posting overall and conference records of 14-8 and 9-1.
Grambling’s two goalkeepers combined for a 1.02 goals-against average, 61 saves, 13 shutouts and a .735 save percentage, while its defense surrendered an average of 7.7 shots per game. The Tigers’ offense, meanwhile, totaled 37 goals behind 14.0 shots per game.
Six players were named All-SWAC, including Defensive Player of the Year, Haileigh Adams, and four were later tabbed to the 2018 Louisiana Sports Writers Association (LSWA) All-Louisiana Women’s Soccer Team.
Ozmun arrived at Grambling State after spending the previous three seasons at Idaho State, where he coached three All-Big Sky Conference players. He joined the Bengals in 2015 following a standout career as a player and assistant coach at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Ark.
Ozmun’s three goalkeepers at OBU all posted a .800 save percentage or better with total saves being upwards of 90 each year. Two received All-Great American Conference honors, while the third led the Tigers to a conference tournament championship.
Overall, he helped coach one all-America, eight all-region players, thirteen all-conference players, and eleven all-conference academic players at OBU. The Tigers additionally posted a 3.66 team GPA while he oversaw academics.
Ozmun played four years at Ouachita Baptist University as a goalkeeper. He is the career leader for total saves, and during his senior year he helped lead the team to the Gulf South Conference Tournament for the first time in program history.
Ozmun graduated from OBU in 2010 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communications. He obtained his master’s degree in 2013 in Sports Administration from Henderson State University, and his Advanced National Diploma from United Soccer Coaches in July 2014.
