Press here to go back to the Tampa Bay High School Soccer home page.By CHRIS ROTAR
© St. Petersburg Times, published March 19, 1998
VALRICO -- John Gustafson has the speed to run down through balls and the touch to place a pinpoint cross at a teammate's foot. So why does he play goalkeeper?
"It's a fun position, you can make or break it for the team," said Gustafson, a Bloomingdale senior. "Getting balls shot off you, getting up in the air for balls, having people challenge you in the air -- you can't beat it."
While Gustafson sounds like he's talking about competing in American Gladiators, truth is playing for Bloomingdale often has left him with plenty of idle time to stretch his limbs. The Bulls (23-1-1) have outscored opponents 107-20 this season, pitching 15 shutouts.
"When you play against a team and you take 25 shots on them and their keeper saves 20 of those balls, they lose 5-0 but their keeper looks like he did a good job," Bloomingdale coach Dave Tennian said. "Our defense has been solid. He hasn't had to face that many shots."
Gustafson often prevents himself from having to face shots. With his 4.6 speed in the 40-yard dash, he's apt to stray far from home to break up scoring chances before they actually become threats. He calls himself a "keeper-sweeper."
A lean 6 feet 1, Gustafson helped hone his athletic ability by playing football for the Bulls for two seasons. His position? Safety, of course.
Gustafson started playing soccer at 5, but he didn't find his niche in net until he was 12. In practice, Gustafson will at times play out in the field and take part in drills designed for players more likely to score (he actually played the field once this season, garnering an assist against Tampa Bay Tech).
"Having his speed back there definitely helps us out against teams that play long ball and a lot of through balls," Tennian said. "I don't know how much it will help us against a possession team like American."
On Friday night against an undefeated Hialeah American team that dealt the Bulls their only loss of the season in December, Gustafson will need to focus all his energy on one task: slowing down a lightning-quick attack.
"It's going to take a lot of hard work and a lot confidence," he said. "They beat us once, so we've got nothing to lose."
©Copyright 1998 St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.
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