Boys' soccer Metro Player of the Year: Senior turns lesson into scoring spree

The Apple Valley boys' soccer team irked Chuck Scanlon early this season.

Was it unpreparedness? Laziness?

Far from it.

Instead, Scanlon, the program's lone coach in 30 years of existence, wasn't too thrilled with the cockiness of some members of the team. Included in that group was senior captain David Rosenthal, who scored 11 goals and had 11 assists as a junior but did not score in Apple Valley's final seven games. It was a season that ended with an upset 1-0 loss to St. Louis Park in the Class 2A state quarterfinals.

"I think he kind of got mad at us," Scanlon said. "But we told him, 'You're a senior captain. It's time to get to work.'"

Boy, did that message click.

Rosenthal, this year's Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year in boys' soccer, enters today's Class 2A state semifinal game against Northfield with 32 goals. One more, and Rosenthal will hold the Eagles' single-season record for goals set 13 seasons ago by Scanlon's son, Chris.

"He's come ready to play," Chuck Scanlon said of Rosenthal's season. "He's one of the more focused guys on the bus and in the locker room. He's made sure he hasn't had that drought this year."

Rosenthal's scoring outburst has caused opposing teams to routinely man-mark or double-team him. Rather than try to do too much and cough up the ball, Apple Valley has benefitted from Rosenthal's heady play. He has 20 assists this fall, one fewer than team leader Tom Obarski.

"It's great, because usually it takes guys a while to adjust to that, or they're too stubborn and want all the glory," Scanlon said. "But Dave's just the opposite. He's smart enough and cool under pressure to dump the ball off if he has to."

Smart? You could say that.

Rosenthal carries a 3.9 GPA and scored a 34 on his ACT. He plans to be pre-med at college next year while playing soccer, likely at St. Olaf in Northfield, and follow in the footsteps of his father, who is a vascular surgeon at Regions Hospital.

For Rosenthal, soccer is just as much about his brain as it is his feet.

"I train a lot in the offseason, but a lot of it is thinking about plays before they happen," he said. "Being in the right position at the right time."

With Rosenthal as its leader, the current position for Apple Valley (22-0) is two victories away from an eighth state championship.

What a way it would be to cap off a memorable season.

"I can't imagine a better year so far," Rosenthal said. "This is fantastic. All of the guys want this really bad."