Oak Mountain’s David DiPiazza wins Large School Coach of the Year from United Soccer Coaches
Published 5:44 pm Tuesday, June 11, 2024
- David DiPiazza earned another big coaching honor as the United Soccer Coaches gave the Oak Mountain head coach the Large School Coach of the Year award. (File)
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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor
David DiPiazza continues to rack up the postseason coaching honors after an incredible season leading the Oak Mountain Eagles.
DiPiazza was named the 2024 Large School Coach of the Year by the United Soccer Coaches on Thursday, June 6.
The organization, which represents soccer coaches from across the country at all levels of the game, is the third to give DiPiazza a postseason award after he won the Ray Woodard Metro Coach of the Year award and Shelby County Coach of the Year award.
The award comes after a historic season that saw the Eagles ascend to the nation’s upper echelon once again.
Oak Mountain finished the 2024 season with a 29-0-1 record, going undefeated with just one draw on the season while defeating every single in-state opponent that it faced.
With DiPiazza at the helm, the Eagles went on to win the Class 7A state championship to cap off their invincible season with championship gold.
DiPiazza’s tactics led to wins over four of the final top 10 teams in Class 7A, beating No. 2 Auburn, No. 3 Chelsea and No. 7 Huntsville twice and also defeating No. 9 Vestavia Hills, as well as victories over Georgia’s St. Pius X and Northgate and Tennessee’s Baylor at neutral sites.
He also guided them to the No. 3 ranking in the nation in the nation among spring soccer teams and first in Alabama, beating out state champions and some of the best teams in the country.
In the process, DiPiazza helped bring the team closer together to cap off a multi-year journey after the Eagles fell short of a trophy in the 2022 and 2023 playoffs.
As a result, DiPiazza, his staff and his players authored one of the best seasons in the history of a storied program with multiple national and state titles to their name and secured multiple postseason honors, including the Large School Coach of the Year award.