Ashland’s soccer star: From simple beginnings to the big stage
ASHLAND, Ore. (BVM) — From the moment he was introduced to sports, Scott Gustafson recalls falling in love with soccer; hard and fast. His parents presented him the opportunity to play all the different sports, but soccer just felt different. Turns out that he was enamored with the game for a reason. He’s really good at it, and was named Ashland High School’s first-ever Gatorade Oregon Boys Soccer Player of the Year.
His career started off simple. Competing for the local club team in his small hometown of Ashland. But Gustafson wanted more; he wanted to compete at the highest level. He joined one of the more premier clubs around the area, 20 minutes down the road in Medford, and has been moving up the ranks ever since then.
Along the way, he’s built quite the reputation for himself as one of Oregon’s preeminent soccer players, eventually getting selected to the state’s Olympic Development Program (ODP). After multiple years of being told he wasn’t good enough to make the cut, he finally broke the ice his freshman year of high school, his persistence paid off.
That’s when his career began to fully blossom, as he began his majorly successful prep run and continued to move up in the ODP. During his senior season, Gustafson totaled 11 goals and seven assists, moving his career marks to 24 goals and 29 assists. In terms of the ODP, Gustafson was selected out of 100 footballers from the west region to compete in the interregional event in Florida, and out of 22 players there, was chosen for the National Training Camp this past January.
But winning Oregon’s Gatorade Player of the Year may be his sweetest achievement yet.
“It’s truly surreal. Hard to wrap my head around,” Gustafson said. “When I got the news I was speechless. It means the absolute world to me.”
With this honor now under his belt, Gustafson will be headed to Seattle this coming fall to become a member of the University of Washington’s men’s soccer team. The Huskies’ soccer program is a reputable one, finishing last season with a 17-4 record, only being eliminated in the NCAA Tournament by the No. 2 ranked and eventual national champion Georgetown Hoyas.
Besides their success on the pitch, though, Gustafson had an array of other reasons as to his commitment to UW. As a sophomore at Ashland, he attended a camp at the university and said the feeling of being on campus was unexplainable. Their facilities are top-notch, their academics are well-renowned and he had a friend who coached with the school’s women’s team.
Gustafson is just glad that he was able to actually make it there.
“At first it was just a dream and a reach,” Gustafson said. “But once I got on that campus, it just made me want it that much more.”
And for someone as passionate as he is about soccer and bettering himself, the future Husky is also ardent about helping others. Through his leadership class at Ashland, Gustafson organized the Grizz Pageant, a fundraiser for the pre-natal intensive care unit at Asante Rogue Medical Center in Medford. He also was a counselor for Ashland’s Fresh Start program, a retreat for freshmen to make them more comfortable entering high school. He was even a player-coach for the school’s Special Olympics team.
“Being a soccer player and an athlete in general, it just sparks you to want to do more,” Gustafson said. “Being a leader off of the field and making a difference in the community, they go hand-in-hand.”
But now for the time being, Gustafson will be focusing primarily on himself, preparing his game for the next level. He noted that what he likes most about soccer is the skill gap, so he’s excited to be able to go to UW and learn from the coaching staff about how to use his strengths to the fullest capacity.
If he can do that and continue to climb the soccer ladder, he hopes that someday a professional opportunity awaits him.
“If I can play at the highest level and make a living, that’s the dream,” Gustafson said. “If I can reach that higher level, that’s what I’m striving for.”
