ROCHESTER, Mich. – Signing his Written Offer of Admission on Thursday, March 23, Saline Hornets forward Christian Rossi became the sixth member of the Oakland Golden Grizzlies men's soccer 2023 recruiting class.

Standing 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds and a two-year captain for head coach Ryan Williams at Saline, Rossi is the second forward the Golden Grizzlies have signed in the 2023 cycle, joining Walled Lake Northern Knight Andrew Darakdjian.

In addition to Darakdjian and Rossi, Oakland's 2023 class includes Farmers Branch, Texas goalkeeper Wyatt Appelt and a trio of in-state midfielders in Dearborn Fordson's Nour Aoude, Lake Orion's Carson Ballagh and Novi Detroit Catholic Central's Ali Jaffer.

Setting a Saline single-season record with 27 goals as a junior in 2021, Rossi shattered his own mark with 39 tallies as a senior and is the Hornets' all-time leading scorer with 95 goals, helping lead the program to a pair of Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) District Championships in 2020 and 2022.



Playing his club soccer for Liverpool International Academy Michigan and the son of Jennifer and Giuseppe Rossi, Christian frequently practiced at the Oakland Sports Dome as a youth and this familiarity with the campus and the program paid off for the Golden Grizzlies as they recruited the four-time All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) and two-time First Team All-State selection.

"I chose Oakland because when I was growing up, I used to practice at the Oakland Dome and watched some of the games and this really sparked my interest in Oakland," Rossi shared.

"As I began to learn more about how the men's soccer program was coached and the strength of the program, I knew that Oakland was where I wanted to be."

With the staggering numbers Rossi put up at a high school as large and competitive as Saline, there were a lot of programs interested in him on the recruiting trail, but the Golden Grizzlies were able to seal the deal and are excited about what he will bring to the program both on and off the field.

"Christian is a strong forward with a great ability to play back to goal," lead Oakland assistant coach Paul Doroh said.

"Technically, he is very clean and understands the game tactically. We have had our eye on Christian for some time and have enjoyed watching him as a player. We're very happy Christian chose Oakland as he was being recruited by some top programs.

"Christian is also a very good student and a wonderful young man. He works hard and will be a great addition to our team culture. We're looking forward to helping Christian in the next stage of his development. We're excited for what he will add to Oakland this fall and believe he has the ability to be a top goal scorer for our program."

Even more impressive than his record-setting accomplishments on the field as a Hornet, Rossi has qualified for Saline's Gold Honor Roll in each of his four years and is a member of the school's Math Club. He intends to major in Business Economics at Oakland.

As they continue to prepare for Fall 2023, Golden Grizzlies men's soccer has three more spring exhibition matches at the Oakland Sports Dome, as the program will welcome in the Indiana Tech Warriors on April 1 and the Western Michigan Broncos and Lawrence Tech Blue Devils on April 8.

Looking to make a run at another Horizon League Tournament championship, the Fall 2023 campaign for Rossi and the Golden Grizzlies will begin in late-August.